Why do all of my joints hurt? – What you’re eating may be causing it

Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Stiff as a tin man

Do you find that when you get up in the morning, you feel like the tin man, stiff as a board? If you’ve been on your feet for a few hours,  doing a lot of walking or manual labor, your joints ache at the end of the day? Or what about when you get up after you’ve been sitting for a while, it takes several steps to get going because of the ache or stiffness in your joints?

Do you have a more sedentary life style and still feel sore and achy? What’s going on? You may go to the massage therapist or see your chiropractor and you’re still hurting. You ask yourself, why do all of my joints hurt?

There is a chance that what you’re eating may be causing it.

If your body is hurting, it means your body is inflamed. There are certain foods that cause, contribute, or perpetuate inflammation. In order to start feeling better, you may have to cut some things out of your diet for awhile and allow your body to get healthy again.

What kinds of foods can be causing my pain?

Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Frozen Yogurt

At the end of the day do you find yourself craving sugar? You eat your dinner (It may even be a very healthy dinner), and after a short while you want something sweet to eat. You go into your stash of cookies, chocolate, or ice cream, or you take a quick trip to the fro yo place just down the block and get yourself your favorite frozen yogurt.

Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Granola

How about breakfast? What is your favorite breakfast? Is it a yummy maple pecan granola? Do you swing by the donut shop and pick up a couple donuts? How about that delicious cinnamon roll or scone with your coffee that’s sweetened with sugar?

Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Donuts

 

 

 

 

 

You will find that sugar and high fructose corn syrup are on the ingredient lists of many processed foods. Even foods that you would have never thought were sweetened. These refined carbohydrates lack fiber. Fiber, especially soluble fiber, slows absorption of sugar thus helping to control blood sugar.

Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Fruits

What that means is eating a piece of fruit that is naturally sweet and contains fiber is processed in the body much differently than a pastry or any other refined carbohydrate. Refined carbohydrates such as sugar and high fructose corn syrup encourage the growth of bacteria that contribute to inflammation.

Here is a list of foods high in sugar as well as refined carbohydrates that contribute to inflammation:

  • candy
  • cookies
  • cakes
  • ice cream or frozen yogurt
  • protein/nutrition bars (must check nutritional information)
  • cereals
  • soft drinks
  • fruit juices
  • bread, pasta
  • foods containing added sugar and flour.
Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Margarine

Artificial trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils like margarine are inflammatory.

Foods that are fried contain trans fats that are inflammatory. What is yummier than french fries, fish and chips, and donuts?

These are yummy fun foods that bring much pleasure to the palate in the moment but are reaping havoc in your body and increasing inflammation.

A small amount of naturally occurring trans fats are found in beef, lamb and butter. There is not enough evidence supporting the possibility that these naturally occurring trans fats have the same bad effects as the industrially manufactured trans fats.

Salt and salty foods tend to retain water, so for the person who has issues with inflammation, they will find an increase in pain and inflammation in the joints due to this water retention.

Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Processed Meats

Processed meats contain high amounts of sodium and other preservatives that are problematic for someone experiencing pain and inflammation. Examples of processed meats are:

  • canned meats
  • spam
  • bacon
  • sausage
  • lunch meat
  • bologna
  • salami and pepperoni
  • hot dogs
  • smoked meats and smoked fish.
Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Hot dogs and sausages are high in salt and often preservatives

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do all of my joints hurt? - What you're eating may be causing it
Alcoholic Beverages

What about alcohol? Can that increase my inflammation? Studies have shown that alcohol increases the inflammatory marker C-Reactive Protein (CRP). When CRP is elevated in the blood, it is indicative of infection or inflammation in the body. Severely high CRP can be indicative of a serious underlying medical condition such as infection, an uncontrolled autoimmune condition or severe tissue damage.

So how much can I drink?  It is recommended that we limit our alcohol intake to 1 beverage for women and 2 beverages for men per day. More than that can develop bacterial toxins that contribute to a condition in the intestines referred to as leaky gut, that spreads inflammation throughout the body and can lead to organ damage.

Do you find it difficult to give up fun food?

I understand. Food is so many things besides sustenance. It’s comforting, it’s social, it’s celebratory, it provides a temporary pleasure that feels good when we’re feeling down. All of this is true, however that feel good feeling is temporary. Once you swallow it, it’s gone and then the pleasure is over.

Fun food is only helping you while you’re eating and then when you’re finished, it can make you feel bad. If you are young and still resilient, your body might be able to handle it. But as the years go by, the body becomes less tolerant of bad/fun food and can create suffering.

You have to make the decision whether you want to feel good for a few minutes and lousy for the rest of the day, or do you want to feel good most of the time?

Eliminating these inflammatory foods…

…Is doable. You just have to make the decision to commit to a healthier life style that will enable you to do more in your day to day. If you can follow an 80/20 principle to start, that makes it a little easier.

Some people do better with cutting things out cold turkey and the truth is, if you can cut sugary and sweet foods and beverages completely,  it makes it a lot easier to stick to a plan that can cleans and detoxify your body. As soon as you eat even the smallest amount of sugary sweet food, the cravings start all over again and that makes the whole process a lot more challenging.

How to Eliminate the bad/fun foods and adopt a healthier way to eat

There are so many diets out there that work,  it’s just a matter of deciding what you can commit to.

The Mediterranean diet, the paleo eating plan, and the  Keto plan are my favorites. Pick any one of them and follow along.  Your body will change for the better as long you eliminate all the bad foods mentioned above.

If it all seems too overwhelming, just start by cutting out one bad thing. Say you want to cut sugars first; instead of drinking a six-pack of Pepsi throughout the day, try cutting back to 5 Pepsi’s and one glass of water for 2 days, then 4 Pepsi’s and 2 glasses of water for 2 days, then 3 and 3 and so on. Pepsi does contain caffeine so you have to either replace the caffein with a healthier alternative or wean yourself off of it a little slower.  As long as you commit to making an effort every day, no matter what, you can make a positive change.

There are plenty of books on the market that can help you with various types of eating. One of my favorites that I reference in one of my posts, will really clean up your life. It’s called The Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry.

Another one of my favorite books on the Keto style of eating is called The Coconut Ketogenic Diet. I found this way of eating to be fun and quite satisfying. It might make the whole process of changing your eating a bit easier.

I also love The Mediterranean Diet for Beginners since it’s not as restrictive and it’s simple.

Conclusion

I’ve heard clients tell me that they don’t know how to cook or don’t have the time to prepare their meals. I understand, so in an upcoming post I will share with you  some wonderful companies that can prepare your meals for you. All you have to do is pack them in your cooler and take them with you.  Fortunately,  many restaurants now offer healthier choices on their menu giving you that option as well.

I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you’ve done to modify your eating to feel better and how it worked for you. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Yours in Good Health,

DrDina:)

8 Replies to “Why do all of my joints hurt? – What you’re eating may be causing it”

  1. Oh, I love this post! Not only do you mention the foods that we’re to avoid but also talk about possible alternatives. 

    In this day and age, we are swimming in information overload and what’s healthy one second is suddenly bad the next. We’re trying out the keto diet. Actually, I’ve been faithfully doing it for about two weeks when I got a sudden intense craving for a McDonald’s cheeseburger. I fell off the wagon in a totally big way. lol

    Anyway, can I just ask you – how long can you safely do keto for? I keep reading varying recommendations – from only up to 3 months to permanently. 

    Also, what about children? I have a three-year-old and what kind of diet should I be feeding him? We’re currently weaning him of sweets. He never had any until he turned one year old and then ever since, he seems to be making up for lost time.

    Thanks again for your post.

    1. Hi Kevin and Jade.  Thanks for visiting my site.  I came across this study done on children with epilepsy.  What I took away from it is that although the children in this study have epilepsy, they did experience adverse effects on the ketogenic diet.  I would say that for children it’s best to stick with a more balanced diet since they are still developing.  Just eliminate the sugary foods and drinks and try to give them healthy options including vegetables and fruits.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28702868 .   This study was done on adults https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17447017 and states that a ketogenic diet for adults is safe long term.  The key with the keto diet is staying consistent.  I highly recommend Dr Gundry’s book, the Plant Paradox as he does a keto type diet, eliminates problematic foods.  He has lists of the “do” foods and the “don’t” foods including a guide as to how to go about it and recipes.  I think he has a recipe book too. He is a Cardiologist/cardiac surgeon with a lot of research experience so I feel real good about his information.  I hope this is helpful.  Let me know if I can be of further help.

      All the Best,

      DrDina:) 

  2. The Mediterranean diet, the paleo eating plan, and the  Keto plan are all excellent ways to bring health back to a damaged body. One damaged by sugar and junk foods containing inflammatory ingredients.

    Last year, 2018 after a minor surgery, I decided to go on a Keto type diet.  I lost 22 pounds in about 5 weeks.  I couldn’t believe it.  The doctor who performed the surgery suggested I lose 30 pounds to prevent problems from occurring in the future.  I am at about a 25 pound loss a year later and really should press on with the additional 5 pounds.

    The feeling was amazing from going upstairs at a faster clip to wearing shirts I had not worn in years.  I agree, shedding the sugar and junk food and embracing a healthy diet can and does pay huge benefits.  Thanks for the great article. 

    1. Hi Tim.  Thanks a bunch for visiting my site.  I’m so glad to hear how the Keto diet has helped you and that you’re feeling so much better.  Wishing you continued success and all the best.

      DrDina:)

  3. I always thought that joint pains are for the ‘older’ group of people until I started experiencing myself at the knee, the hip and the shoulder. I am currently using a portable TENs unit to ease those pain on a daily basis but never really considered food to be the factor here. Just last week, I was eating a fair bit of ice cream and cookies and those pains didn’t get any better – yes. The inflammation theory contributed by these foods is new to me. Will have to read up a bit more to get a good grasp of what it is all about. 

    1. Hi Cathy.  Thanks for visiting my site.  You may have heard the saying “We are what we eat.”  There is some truth to that.  What we put into out bodies for fuel directly effects our body chemistry.  When we put in foods that aren’t so nutritious, our body has a tough time healing and repairing itself.  My site is geared toward natural methods to deal with pain and inflammation.  I hope that you find the information helpful.  

      DrDina:)

  4. I have just figured out that yogurt is causing my joint pain. I also know that almond milk yogurt also causes me almost immediate joint pain as soon as I consume it. These two discoveries are stunning to me. I would never have dreamed this would be the cause. What a discovery.

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