When I was growing up, the standard party line from home economic programs across the country was that the food you eat has nothing to do with how much awkward junior high acne you have. Turns out that was a bunch of hogwash. We now know that the food you eat can greatly impact any “–itis” in your body, dermatitis (acne) included. Thanks for nothing, middle school public education.
While dermatitis is no fun, there are a bevy of other “-itis” related conditions that you may suffer from. Things like arthritis, bursitis, and tendonitis are all painful joint & muscle conditions that have physical components; however, you need to know that your food plays a major role in how much joint and muscle pain you experience as well.
Water, Gasoline, and a Buffoon of a Fireman
On a very simple level, you are what you eat. The tiny particles inside your food get broken down and added to your cells. And when you have a small injury or physical stress inside your body, your cells react and release whatever is stored inside of them. If you think of your physical stress as a little brush fire, then the cellular response inside your body can either function as a competent firefighter or a buffoon. If you have been eating well, your cellular response douses the brush fire with water and that’s the end of it. If you have been eating poorly, your cellular response pours a continuous stream of gasoline on the fire and, while your fire burns hotter and hotter, you wonder how on earth you’re in so much pain.
Take off the blindfold
It’s maddening trying to feel better without ever actually getting there, isn’t it? Food causes pain, but most won’t (seriously) consider making a change. I’ve found that even those who are willing often don’t really expect it to make much of a difference. Last year, 75% of the participants in our clean eating program said that their pain levels were significantly reduced or abolished after 30 days. That’s 3 out of 4 of you who are walking around with at least some form of food-induced pain. And it only took one month to put out the painful fires.
Complicated and Simple
So how do you make your body a competent firefighter? The biochemistry pathways here are complicated, but, in the end, you need to eat an abundance of good fats, fresh plants, and clean meats to keep you pain-free. Avoiding added sugar, fried foods, wheat, dairy, alcohol, etc is just as important. The list of what to eat and what to avoid isn’t going to be listed here; the hope here is to simply raise awareness that your food matters to your pain levels. If you’re looking for more help with this, our clean eating program [link to clean eating page here] is easy, cheap, structured and starts in January.
You may be experiencing pain from your food if:
- Your muscles ache on a daily basis
- More than one joint barks at you
- You haven’t had an injury but you still feel crummy
- You feel generally bloated, sluggish, tired
- Your body freaks out and swells up like crazy when you have an injury.