Foods Responsible For Your Pain

You might be saying to yourself, “Food … no way is it the cause of my back pain.” Or the cause of your neck or shoulder pain, right? Well, surprise! It appears the foods you eat may have a significant impact on the pain in your life. And more specifically, foods that contribute to inflammation … that is, chronic inflammation. And researchers believe that it is linked to a host of diseases from diabetes, arthritis, muscle and joint pain, cardiovascular diseases and Alzhiemer’s, to name a few.

And believe it or not, these inflammation-causing foods are readily available and pretty much all around us. So if you eat them on a regular basis, it will cause chronic inflammation, which results in all kinds of diseases as well as agravate whatever painful condition you are currently experiencing. So what are these “bad” foods?

• Polyunsaturated Vegetable Oils. Vegetable oils rich in Omega-6 fats such as corn, soybean, and safflower oil cause inflammation.
• Hydrogenated Fats. Commonly known as Trans Fats, found in processed foods, junk foods and various brands of margarine. French fries, a staple of fast foods, are one of the common sources of Trans Fats.
• Burnt Foods. You run the risk of consuming highly inflammatory foods when they are grilled, barbecued, fried, or broiled at high temperatures and blackened/charred.
• White Bread, Bagels, Muffins, and Pasta. Refined carbs and wheat-based foods are known to cause inflammation.
• Sweets. Foods with a high sugar content are bad news, such as doughnuts, pies, cakes, ice cream, milk shakes, cookies and candy. These types of foods are also highly inflammatory.

Now you know what foods to avoid. But what about foods that have anti-inflammatory benefits? Well, it’s more of a lifestyle adjustment, but in general, you increase your consumption of veggies (e.g., broccoli, spinach), get your daily servings of fruit (e.g., blueberries, cherries), eat fish at least once a week (for your Omega-3 fats), use healthy oils (e.g., olive, avocado, macadamia, coconut oil), get enough z’s (i.e., sleep), exercise … well, you get the idea, right?

And, there are natural pain relievers that contain nutrients from herbs, fruits and teas that fight inflammation and provide pain relief.