Inflammation is a silent killer. Three in five people worldwide die from chronic inflammatory diseases like stroke, heart disease and cancer. Your diet can’t fix everything, but many foods have anti-inflammatory properties that can help. Here are 17 anti inflammatory meals to try.
17 Best Anti-inflammatory Meals on a Budget
1. Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup
Chicken soup is known for its healing properties, and this recipe maximizes anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric, ginger, mint and cauliflower. Use chicken thighs for a budget-friendly option and to add more flavor. This soup is ready to serve in just 40-50 minutes and makes enough servings for more than one meal.
Related: 7 Days Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Plan
2. Anti-Inflammatory Golden Soup
This is one of my favorite anti inflammatory meals to make when I’m sick or when the kids aren’t feeling well. I love it because it’s so easy to make, and it’s loaded with anti-inflammatory vegetables like butternut squash, cauliflower, turmeric, garlic, onion and more.
3. Turmeric Blueberry Healthy Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a healthy choice for breakfast, and this recipe adds anti-inflammatory blueberries, cinnamon and turmeric. It also calls for vegan milk, like oat or almond. The whole dish is topped with more fresh blueberries, chia seeds, nuts and shredded coconut.
4. Anti-Inflammatory Sweet Potato Muffins
I love these muffins because I can make a big batch and enjoy them throughout the week. They’re great to eat for breakfast or even as an afternoon snack. Plus, they’re loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients like sweet potato, turmeric, coconut, ginger and cinnamon.
5. Red Lentil Soup
Looking for vegan anti inflammatory meals? This red lentil soup should top your list of recipes to try. This is a one-pot dish, so cleanup is super easy. And, of course, it’s budget-friendly. This super healthy soup has lentils, potatoes, fresh herbs, spinach, celery, ginger, veggie broth, turmeric and more.
You can cook a big pot of this soup and enjoy it for lunch or dinner throughout the week. Serve with whole wheat pitas or some fresh bread.
6. Anti-Inflammatory Ginger Energy Balls
Looking for a healthy snack that’s easy and inexpensive to make at home? These energy balls are perfect, and one of my favorite snacks to make for the kids. This recipe calls for dates, almonds, pumpkin seeds, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and orange juice. Just toss the ingredients in a food processor and process until you have a paste-like consistency.
Roll the mixture into balls, put them in the freezer for 30 minutes and enjoy.
7. Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
Sweet potatoes and lentils in a hearty soup. Who could ask for more? Whenever I make this recipe, it makes my entire house smell amazing, thanks to all of the aromatics – garlic, onion, basil and oregano. It’s loaded with vegetables like carrots, celery, mushrooms and – of course – sweet potatoes.
This recipe also calls for almond milk to make it a little creamier, but you can skip this ingredient or use dairy milk or coconut milk.
8. Turmeric Chicken Quinoa
Here’s a really simple but healthy and budget-friendly recipe that your family will love. It calls for minced chicken, quinoa, garlic, onion, green beans, carrots, cabbage and turmeric. The entire dish comes together quickly, so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight.
If you can’t find minced chicken, you can use chicken breast chopped into small, bite-sized pieces. You can also make this meal meatless and use chickpeas or lentils instead of chicken.
9. Healing Turmeric Cauliflower Soup
This healing soup is so flavorful that you’ll forget it’s healthy. Roasting and blending the cauliflower gives this dish a creamy and savory flavor that everyone will love – even the kids. The addition of turmeric, cumin and lentils add to the anti-inflammatory properties of this dish. I recommend finishing this soup with some fresh lime juice and cilantro.
Make sure that you use red lentils for this dish because they cook faster than green lentils.
I usually serve this with some naan or pita bread, but a slice of crispy French bread would also be perfect.
Related: 25 Easy Keto Bowls to Meal Prep that are Perfect for Weight Loss
10. Anti-Inflammatory Blueberry Muffins
Who doesn’t love blueberry muffins? This recipe was actually made by an anti-inflammatory chef, and it’s loaded with healthy ingredients like almond flour, cinnamon, fresh blueberries, nutmeg, honey and coconut oil. It makes 12 muffins that are ready in just 20-25 minutes.
I recommend using a silicone muffin pan, so they don’t stick as easily. You can add more fresh blueberries to the batter or other anti-inflammatory ingredients like poppy seeds or shredded coconut.
If you’re not a fan of blueberries, you can use raspberries or blackberries instead. You could use a mix of all of these berries, too. Experiment with different flavors until you find a combination you like.
11. Anti-Inflammatory Lettuce Wraps
I love simple anti inflammatory meals like this one because they’re so easy to make but they’re also flexible enough that I can swap ingredients in and out. What’s unique about this dish is that it uses a nut-based blend as the base. The recipe calls for walnuts, but you can use any nut that you like.
The walnuts are blended with sesame seeds, tamari, cloves, turmeric, coriander, ginger, chili and other anti-inflammatory ingredients.
Along with the nut-meat, this lettuce wrap also has zucchini, carrots, pepper, fresh herbs and flavorful herbs and spices.
The nutmeat and vegetables are mixed together and served in romaine lettuce wraps for a low-carb, anti-inflammatory meal.
12. Golden Milk Overnight Oats
Turmeric and milk are two ingredients that go perfectly together and have led to the delight that we call “golden milk.” What I like about this recipe is that you will let it sit overnight, so it’s the perfect pick-me-up in the morning.
And with the following ingredients, it’s easy to see why this drink has anti-inflammatory properties:
- Cinnamon
- Coconut oil
- Black pepper
- Turmeric
But that’s not it. You’ll also be using steel cut coats, chia seeds, maple syrup and cardamom. If you like, you can add in a bunch of toppings, such as blueberries for their antioxidants or protein powder to add a healthy serving of protein.
You will need glass mason jars for this recipe because you’ll need to let it cool overnight.
13. Turmeric Oven Scrambled Eggs
Breakfast is a great option for anti-inflammatory foods because it helps you start your day off with a healthy punch of nutrients. These baked scrambled eggs are simple to make and will require minimal prep to get started.
And you likely have the main ingredients:
- Eggs
- Turmeric
- Milk
- Salt and pepper
The recipe does call for non-dairy milk, so you’ll be using things like oat milk, cashew milk, almond milk or similar. Toppings are where the fun part begins because you can add salsa, shredded cheese, cilantro, avocado or any of your favorites.
14. Lemon Turmeric Skillet Chicken
An hour is all you need for this fantastic lunch or dinner. You’ll preheat your oven to 375°F, use your cast iron skillet to cook the chicken for about four minutes on each side and then comes the chicken broth, minced garlic, lemon, parsley, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper.
You’ll love the tender chicken – I did – and the spices really add the anti-inflammatory properties that will help you keep your inflammation under control.
15. Chai Spiced Turmeric Smoothie Bowl
Smoothie bowls are one of the anti inflammatory meals that are addictive because they’re really easy to make and you’ll enjoy a robust set of flavors and health-boosting properties. You’ll use the iconic turmeric (it’s just so good for your immune system), Chai tea, coconut milk, chia seed and almond butter.
Once you thicken the smoothie, you’ll place it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before eating.
You can also add oats or bananas to the mix, but it’s 100% up to you. I do recommend adding cinnamon for its robust flavor and healthy properties.
16. Coconut Curry Turmeric Chicken
Rich and creamy are two words to describe this turmeric chicken. You’ll sear the chicken thighs to make them perfectly tender and then add in yellow curry, fresh lime turmeric powder, coconut cream and a few other spices to help your body absorb the nutrients.
And what I love about this recipe is that variations are provided, so you’ll learn different proteins to add, creams to try and pastes that you can use.
With prep and cook time, you’ll still spend less than 45 minutes in total cooking this dish up.
Related: 20 Delicious Vegan Brunch Recipes That Are Easy to Make
17. Golden Milk Chia Pudding
Chia is so good for you, and adding it into a pudding is just the perfect way to eat it. You can eat this pudding for breakfast, and it’s a good way to start your day with less inflammation. You only need to shake up the ingredients and let it sit overnight.
Sounds simple, right?
Ingredients for this recipe are:
- Almond or cashew milk
- Rolled oats
- Chia seeds
- Cinnamon
- Flaxseeds
- Ground turmeric
- Maple syrup