15 Anti-Inflammatory Lunch Recipes for Better Gut Health (2024)

Your body will be thanking you, once you start making these fresh and flavorful lunches. Highlighting anti-inflammatory and gut-healthy ingredients like onions, yogurt, asparagus and legumes, these recipes can help relieve inflammation's pesky symptoms like joint stiffness, mental fog and moodiness while supporting healthy digestion. Recipes like our Vegetarian Reubens with Russian Dressing and Gochujang-Glazed Tempeh & Brown Rice Bowls are nutritious and delicious lunch options you'll be wanting to make again and again.

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Pear, Gorgonzola & Walnut Salad

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This pear and gorgonzola salad celebrates fall with its beautiful colors. The light and refreshing vinaigrette offsets the tangy funk of Gorgonzola and the sweetness from the raisins and pears.

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Vegetarian Reubens with Russian Dressing

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The spinach, mushroom and onion filling is so satisfying, you won't even miss the corned beef in this vegetarian take on a Reuben sandwich. This exceptional sandwich was inspired by a dish at the now-closed Penny Cluse Cafe in Burlington, Vermont.

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Gochujang-Glazed Tempeh & Brown Rice Bowls

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If you're a tempeh skeptic, you've probably never had the firm soy-based slabs slathered with a sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce. We give this easy BBQ tempeh combo a punch of umami with tamari and add a little heat courtesy of gochujang. It's easy to put your own spin on this recipe; see Variations (below) for some riffs.

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White Bean & Veggie Salad

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This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.

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Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It's got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a healthy boost of fiber. Celery brings a nice crunch.

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Cucumber, Tomato & Arugula Salad with Hummus

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Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta top arugula in this quick Greek-inspired salad. Served with whole-wheat pita and prepared hummus, it makes a filling, yet healthy lunch.

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Peach, Raspberry & Watercress Salad with Five-Spice Bacon

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Sweet peaches and raspberries stud the peppery watercress to make this savory fruit salad recipe gorgeous. But what makes it so delicious is the crisp bacon coated in the delightfully sticky-sweet maple-port wine glaze.

Sesame-Honey Tempeh & Quinoa Bowl

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Here we toss tempeh with a honey-sesame sauce and serve it over quinoa and shredded carrots for a satisfying vegetarian meal. Serve with sesame breadsticks.

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Black Bean Wraps with Greens & Cilantro Vinaigrette

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A simple salad tossed with a tangy vinaigrette packs these no-cook wraps with tons of bright cilantro flavor. The mix pairs well with mashed beans and avocado, which hold everything together.

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White Bean & Avocado Sandwich

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White beans mash seamlessly into a creamy protein-packed spread for a satisfying healthy sandwich that makes for an easy lunch or dinner. Mix it up by trying it with canned chickpeas or black beans. This vegetarian sandwich recipe is also a fiber superstar: avocado, beans, greens and whole-wheat bread team up to give it 15 grams of fiber, more than half of what most women should aim for in a day.

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Spinach-Avocado Smoothie

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This healthy green smoothie gets super creamy from the frozen banana and avocado. Make ahead (up to 1 day) and store it in the fridge until you need a veggie boost.

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Feta, Kale & Pear Salad

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The crunchy seed topping is the perfect textural juxtaposition to a creamy dressing, soft pears and tender massaged kale salad. Tossing it all with mint, feta and red onion gives it a Middle Eastern flair.

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Watermelon, Orange & Cucumber Salad with Castelvetrano Olive Vinaigrette

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This easy and superfast salad is incredibly refreshing, thanks to juicy watermelon and oranges! The Castelvetrano olives lend a briny hit, while the herbs add lots of delicious depth to the salad. Pair this colorful salad with grilled shrimp or chicken.

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Roasted Veggie & Tofu Brown Rice Bowl

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A healthy and satisfying vegan lunch for one, featuring roasted butternut squash, broccoli, peppers and onions with simple brown rice, lime-marinated tofu and creamy cashew tahini sauce.

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Potato, Leek & Asparagus Soup

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Rather than tossing your potato peels, asparagus stalks and leek tops, cook them down into this soup instead. Once tender, they'll blend right in. Plus, they contain prebiotic fiber to help feed the good bugs in your gut. We reserve the asparagus tips to pan-fry with peas for a bright green garnish.

15 Anti-Inflammatory Lunch Recipes for Better Gut Health (2024)

FAQs

15 Anti-Inflammatory Lunch Recipes for Better Gut Health? ›

Ingredients like chickpeas, avocados and leafy greens give an anti-inflammatory boost to these quick and easy lunches. Recipes like our Veggie & Hummus Sandwich, Chicken, Avocado & Quinoa Bowls and Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps are ready in just 10 minutes to pack up or enjoy at home.

What is an anti-inflammatory food for lunch? ›

Ingredients like chickpeas, avocados and leafy greens give an anti-inflammatory boost to these quick and easy lunches. Recipes like our Veggie & Hummus Sandwich, Chicken, Avocado & Quinoa Bowls and Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps are ready in just 10 minutes to pack up or enjoy at home.

What lunch foods are good for gut health? ›

So, we recommend regularly incorporating foods like kimchi, kefir, yogurt, fruits, veggies and whole grains into your diet. Our Kimchi Shrimp Cup of Noodles is a delicious gut-health-friendly lunch to take with you to work or quickly heat up at home.

What is no 1 anti-inflammatory food? ›

Anti-inflammatory Foods

One form of these powerful inflammation fighters is found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna, striped bass and anchovies. You can get the benefit from eating the fish or by taking fish oil supplements. Vegetarians and vegans have options, too.

What is the number one food to fight inflammation? ›

Berries, fatty fish, nuts, leafy greens, oatmeal, and olive oil can all be part of an anti-inflammatory diet. But it's best to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. What meat is anti-inflammatory? The Mediterranean diet includes anti-inflammatory omega-3 rich fatty fish.

What are the three super foods for your gut? ›

Gut health superfoods include high-fiber grains, nuts, seeds, and fruits and vegetables. Additionally, you can enjoy fermented foods and drinks and include omega-3-rich foods more often.

What foods heal the gut the fastest? ›

Gut Health Foods - 15 Foods For Good Gut Health
  1. Yoghurt. Live yoghurt is an excellent source of so-called friendly bacteria, also known as probiotics. ...
  2. Kefir. ...
  3. Miso. ...
  4. Sauerkraut. ...
  5. Kimchi. ...
  6. Sourdough. ...
  7. Almonds. ...
  8. Olive oil.

What is the best thing to eat in the morning for gut health? ›

The best breakfast food for gut health is whole, minimally processed items that leave you feeling your best. For some, this could be fruits with high-protein yogurt or a warm dish with eggs and sprouted bread. Consider choosing foods that agree with your digestive system and satisfy you.

What is the number one vegetable for gut health? ›

Leafy greens, such as spinach or kale, are excellent sources of fiber, as well as nutrients like folate, vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin A. Research shows that leafy greens also contain a specific type of sugar that helps fuel growth of healthy gut bacteria.

What drink is best for gut health? ›

The bottom line

Fermented drinks like kombucha and kefir may promote gut health. Green tea and ginger tea might also help ease gut symptoms.

What kills bad bacteria in the gut? ›

The best way to get rid of bad bacteria in the gut is by creating the right environment for a balanced and diverse microbiome to thrive. Of course, there are ways to directly kill bacteria, whether that's by pharmaceutical antibiotics or antimicrobial herbs and supplements.

Is lunch meat anti-inflammatory? ›

What foods cause inflammation? There's more bad news: The problem foods are ones that happen to be abundant throughout the typical American diet. The five types of foods that cause inflammation include: Red meat and processed meats, including bacon, hot dogs, lunch meats and cured meats.

Can you give me a list of anti-inflammatory foods? ›

You can start building an anti-inflammatory grocery list by choosing: Deep orange, yellow and red, and dark green foods, such as pumpkin, sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula and endive. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

Is eggs anti-inflammatory food? ›

Eggs and inflammation

On the contrary, eggs have been shown to contain compounds that may have anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason, eating two eggs per week as a part of a well-balanced diet is recommended for most adults, including those with arthritis ( 9 ).

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