Anti-Inflammatory minus the meds....Can it be done?

So yesterday I had some cavities filled!

Basically!

 So after the novocaine wore off, I noticed that if I tried to eat on the right side of my mouth, a shooting pain went through my gums! Oh no!

When I called the Dentist they said it MIGHT be normal, but I should come in Monday anyway. And then in the meantime I should just keep popping advil all weekend until it feels better! Of course to that I asked myself "is there a way I can get the anti-inflammatory benefits of taking pills nutritionally?" I figured that I couldn't get the anti-pain benefits but it wasn't that painful unless I actually tried to eat on that side. Of course I also understand that the inflammation that nutritionists talk about is probably chronic inflammation involving the whole body, not just a random tooth issue. But I still thought it would be worth it to talk about on here. 

This is what I discovered:
According to the Nutrition Diva (who actually has a book The Inflammation Free Diet Plan) foods that fight Inflammation also happen to be all of the foods that we should be trying to be a lot of anyway! Anything that is particularly high in anti-oxidants like berries and carrots fight inflammation (making sure you are eating these foods containing fiber is also a bonus for inflammation). Also, fish oil, nuts, olive oil, and basically all healthy fats are foods that fight inflammation.

What I found from an article in Natural Health Magazine is that inflammation can also be caused from processed food chemicals like nitrates and msg, sugar, and (I'm assuming they mean low-quality only) red meat and dairy.

Also many articles I came across mentioned turmeric as an important spice for its anti-inflammitory properties, something I have heard many times before.
 

The turmeric plant!

Since inflammation can be traced to MANY diseases, it is a good idea to pay attention to including foods that promote an inflammation-free body and excluding foods that cause inflammation like trans-fats, added chemicals, and so on. According to some sources, saturated fat can cause inflammation too. I have already made peace with saturated fat though, and since I don't think I have an inflammation problem, I'm going to go on with life pretending I never heard this.

Funny how all of the foods we already knew were healthy fight inflammation and those we knew weren't healthy, seem to cause inflammation!