Inflammation is one of those words that has migrated from medical journals to Instagram captions, but the science behind it is serious. Harvard Health describes chronic inflammation as a persistent activation of the immune system that plays a role in heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease (Harvard Health, 2024). The Arthritis Foundation notes that omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna, and sardines can reduce C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, two key inflammatory markers in the body (Arthritis Foundation, 2025).
A landmark 2025 meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Nutrition reviewed data from multiple randomized controlled trials and found that anti-inflammatory dietary patterns can help improve cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, lipid profiles, and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Jiang et al., Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025). Meanwhile, a separate 2025 systematic review in the journal Nutrients found that fruits and vegetables showed a reduction in circulating inflammatory markers in 80 percent of intervention studies, followed by fish at 78 percent and whole grains at 64 percent (Nutrients, 2025).
What to Put on Your Plate
Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends building meals around fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines for omega-3s; colorful fruits and vegetables for vitamin C and polyphenols; nuts and seeds for vitamin E; and fiber-rich whole grains and legumes (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2025). The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes these exact foods alongside olive oil and moderate amounts of dairy and poultry, has demonstrated a 72 percent risk reduction for the development of dementia in people with the highest adherence levels, according to StatPearls (Scheiber and Mank, StatPearls, 2023).
For Long Islanders, this translates into practical, everyday meals. A breakfast of oatmeal topped with blueberries and walnuts. A lunch of grilled salmon over a bed of spinach with olive oil and lemon. A dinner of chicken breast with roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, and a turmeric-seasoned vinaigrette. The point is not perfection; it is building a pattern. As Harvard professor Eric Rimm puts it, this type of eating is as much about what you do not eat — processed foods, refined flours, excess sugar — as what you do (Harvard Health, 2023).
Equally important are the foods to minimize. The Arthritis Foundation specifically flags processed snacks, sugary beverages, refined carbohydrates, and foods high in trans fats as drivers of systemic inflammation (Arthritis Foundation, 2025). Eric Rimm of Harvard describes white flour as leading directly to a pro-inflammatory state (Harvard Health, 2023).
Watch: Dr. Michael Greger breaks down the research on which foods reduce inflammation and which ones make it worse:
Which Foods Are Anti-Inflammatory? — NutritionFacts.org (YouTube)Related: Why Nassau and Suffolk County Are Attracting Health-Conscious Homebuyers
