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Do you suffer from joint pain, stiffness or swelling usually in the morning after waking up? Then you should do something about it as soon as possible, otherwise you may cause yourself more serious complications.
Sometimes joint pain can be natural, for example after an injury or intense exercise. However, when pains occur regularly and without an obvious cause, it is usually the result of an ongoing chronic inflammation in the body.
The cause may be something you do regularly but don’t even realize.
If you manage to uncover the cause, this health condition can then be treated and its recurrence prevented.
One of the most common causes of chronic inflammations is the consumption of certain foods to which the body is either allergic, or which have long-term effects.
These are usually the following 5 types of foods which, when removed from your diet, will soon eliminate inflammation and joint pain.
1. Refined carbohydrates and gluten
Refined carbohydrates in the form of flour products are processed by the body in a similar way to sugar.
It applies that we should mainly avoid simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates, such as beta glucans, are usually not a problem and even significantly contribute to strengthening immunity.
Simple carbohydrates and also gluten increase the level of AGE substances (advanced glycation end products) in the body, which trigger inflammation.
Therefore focus on complex carbohydrates, which you can find in seeds, nuts, vegetables, legumes, or whole grain foods. Avoid sugar, potatoes, rice and white flour.
2. Sugar
Classic sugar in the form of sucrose is extremely dangerous and addictive. It is even considered one of the main factors in the development of cancer, diabetes, or obesity and the accompanying pains in various parts of the body including the joints.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, when the body metabolizes sugar, it produces extremely high amounts of the aforementioned AGE compounds responsible for increased oxidative stress.
Therefore limit consumption of sugar and foods that contain it, such as sweetened beverages, sweets, candies, cakes, dressings, and even some types of sweet fruit.
Also be careful with “low-fat” foods, which can also contribute to bodily imbalances and deficiencies of substances that are essential for our health.
3. Certain types of vegetable oils and trans fats
Trans fats and certain types of unhealthy vegetable oils cause heart disease. A high content of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and a low proportion of omega-3 leads to the development of inflammation.
The correct ratio of these fatty acids should be 1:1, but the current Western diet is characterized by a ratio closer to 10:1.
Avoid soybean, corn, canola (rapeseed), and even sunflower oil. Instead, choose avocado, pumpkin seed, flaxseed or olive oil.
Also limit fried foods, during the preparation of which trans fats are formed. If you do want to fry, do it in lard or coconut oil, which are more suitable for frying than, for example, canola oil.
Also add healthy raw oils directly to salads or other dishes.
4. Certain types of vegetables
Although we often hear how important it is to eat vegetables, some types of vegetables can contribute to inflammation and joint pain.
This applies to vegetables such as:
- bell peppers
- tomatoes
- eggplant
- potatoes
These types of vegetables contain compounds such as solanine and calcitriol, which in some people increase the risk of inflammatory reactions.
Therefore, if your joints hurt and you cannot figure out what is causing it, try eliminating the above types of vegetables from your diet for 3 weeks. If the pain disappears or lessens and returns after reintroducing them into your diet, then you know they are the problem.
Sometimes it helps if you cook the listed types of vegetables instead of eating them raw.
5. All dairy products
Nowadays more and more people are quitting milk and dairy products.
The main reason is lactose intolerance, which causes not only digestive problems but can lead to inflammation and joint pain.
According to Dr. Amy Myers, author of the book The Autoimmune Solution, an even bigger problem than lactose are some dairy proteins such as casein, which disrupt the body’s pH balance and promote inflammatory processes.
Instead of milk — not only cow’s but also goat’s or sheep’s — try delicate plant-based alternatives such as almond, coconut or hemp milk.
However, avoid soy milk, because it also acts as an allergen in the body and threatens thyroid function.
Avoid products that contain carrageenan as well. This common food additive can endanger your health.
Conclusion
After eliminating the mentioned foods from your diet, you will usually feel a significant improvement in your health within a relatively short time of a few weeks.
Inflammation, pain and swelling of the joints will decrease and often disappear completely over time. This way you will be able not only to stop taking painkillers, but your quality of life will also improve significantly.
