5 Unexpected Foods That Cause Inflammation

This article was written by Caroline Praderio and provided by our partners at Prevention.

Inflammation is a huge buzzword in the health world right now, but it’s not all actually bad. In fact, acute (or short-term) inflammation is when your immune system sends white blood cells to the site of an infection or injury, causing pain and swelling that indicates you’re healing. 

Where inflammation becomes problematic, however, is when it’s chronic (or ongoing)—in other words, when an inflammatory response is continually triggered, which can lead to everything from mental illness to IBS to heart disease to diabetes, says Cindy Geyer, M.D., medical director at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts. (Looking to take back control of your health? Prevention magazine has smart answers—get 2 FREE gifts when you subscribe today!)

Any number of things (genetics, pollution, stress) can cause chronic inflammation, but the factor you have most control over is—you guessed it!—diet. While you can load up on these foods that help counter inflammation, knowing which inflammation-inducing foods to scale back on is just as important. Here are five surprising offenders.