The keto diet is a great way to reduce inflammation for most people. Although it isn’t formulated as an anti-inflammatory diet, the keto diet consists of many more anti-inflammatory foods and fewer inflammatory foods than a typical westernized diet.
For example, the keto diet typically restricts inflammatory foods like:
- Processed foods that are packaged and refined.
- High-glycemic foods like refined sugars, grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables
- Refined vegetable oils, especially those high in inflammatory omega-6s like corn, safflower, and soybean oils
And the diet focuses on keto-friendly foods that fight inflammation including:
- Eggs
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocados and avocado oil
- Fatty fish that is high in omega 3s
- Low carb vegetables like spinach, chard, collards, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli.
On top of that, the keto diet also allows you to sustain ketosis for long periods of time, which has been shown to reduce cellular damage and inflammation.
Altogether, the keto diet allows us to decrease inflammation by limiting omega-6s, high glycemic foods, and overly processed foods the facilitate inflammatory processes and promoting the consumption of more omega-3s, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that calm inflammation. As a result, inflammation levels decrease, and the body starts producing more ketones which help reduce inflammation even further.