Is my diet related to my inflammation?

[Crissy]

I am asking here because I know so many of you have invested so much time in changing your family's diet.

 

I have been dieting since Thanksgiving. I have focused on lean protein, vegetables and fruits. I have not given up my morning cup of coffee or my evening glass of wine.

 

I have been feeling great, the pain in my SI joints has been almost completely gone ( )and I have been able to walk for 30 minutes at a time. The bonus is that I lost 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I look at that as a bonus since my main goal is to feel better, get my blood pressure back under control and get regular exercise.

 

I knew that on the days surrounding Christmas my diet would not be as strict, as we had four celebrations to host or attend and each of them was a long dinner party. I indulged in fondue with bread, cheese and crackers, champagne, desserts, etc. Not all at in the same night, of course, but over a few days I ate (in moderation) many of the foods I had been avoiding.

 

I couldn't sleep last night, and I woke up in as much pain (SI joints again) as I have ever been in. I am wondering if it is a coincidence; could it only have been a matter of time before I started hurting again? Or could my diet have that much affect on the inflammation in my joints?

Can the sugar and refined carbohydrates be really be wreaking havoc in my system to this degree?

Edited December 28, 2009 by Crissy

[Mama Lynx]

Yes, yes, yes, Crissy! Yes, the sugar and refined carbs can be wreaking havoc on your system to that degree. Absolutely.

 

I went off my "diet" over the holidays as well, and ate gluten, and sugar, and dairy. The last two days have been bad.

[Crissy]

Yes, yes, yes, Crissy! Yes, the sugar and refined carbs can be wreaking havoc on your system to that degree. Absolutely.

 

I went off my "diet" over the holidays as well, and ate gluten, and sugar, and dairy. The last two days have been bad.

 

Well. That is both good and bad news all at the same time, isn't it?

Do you, by chance, have any recommended reading?

[HSMom2One]

I have been avoiding numerous foods for the past few months, but during the holidays I went back to eating them and I have to tell you, I feel L-O-U-S-Y!!! The main culprits for me are wheat, sugar and some protein sources such as pork. One of the effects of eating wheat and sugar is inflamation of my joints, fatigue and a general sluggishness. My knees and hips are especially bothering me this weekend too.

 

There are so many toxins built up in my system right now that I am going to start flushing myself out with lots of water. I'm also going to do a colon cleanse next week and go back to eating foods that are beneficial to my health.

 

I swear, I don't know why I do this to myself every November - December. The temptations and short-term gratifications just aren't worth it.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[dragons in the flower bed]

)

 

I love that smiley!

 

I think the extent to which diet can affect us varies a great deal between individuals.

 

Anecdotally, I can confirm your experience. A close friend is vegan and uptight about fats & sugars. She cooks with only lean proteins, lots of green veggies, nothing but whole grains and almost no fats. No sugar at all except honey in tea. When I spend a few nights at her place, then come home and eat my usual . . .er, heritage diet of lots of carbs and dairy-based proteins, I always am sick for a day or two. Eventually my body adjusts and I feel mostly fine again. I do find myself craving healthy food more and more since we started doing regular sleepovers. Foods I used to eat occasionally on a bad night (like Taco Bell) now cause symptoms I previously only associated with food poisoning.

 

I am sorry you are feeling poorly.

[Denise in Florida]

I don't know if you have looked into eliminating the nightshade family. My mom found a lot of relief from leg and foot pain by eliminating potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, etc. I'm not sure if this plays into the refined carbs and sugar or not.

[CAMom]

:lurk5:

 

I'm watching with great interest. I know for sure that sugar affects my joints. I've eaten way too much of it over the past week or so and I am hurting way more than usual!

[Crissy]

The main culprits for me are wheat, sugar and some protein sources such as pork. One of the effects of eating wheat and sugar is inflamation of my joints, fatigue and a general sluggishness. My knees and hips are especially bothering me this weekend too.

 

Wow. That sounds like me today.

How did you make the connection?

 

She cooks with only lean proteins, lots of green veggies, nothing but whole grains and almost no fats. No sugar at all except honey in tea.

That sounds very similar to the way I had been eating until Christmas Eve.

 

I don't know if you have looked into eliminating the nightshade family. My mom found a lot of relief from leg and foot pain by eliminating potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, etc. I'm not sure if this plays into the refined carbs and sugar or not.

Thank you, Denise. I will look into that.

 

I know for sure that sugar affects my joints. I've eaten way too much of it over the past week or so and I am hurting way more than usual!

This is actually surprising me. I expected people to say, "Maybe, but it's not likely...here are the issues with eating sugar/refined carbs..."

I never made the connection before this afternoon.

When did you realize sugar was an issue with your joints?

[CAMom]

 

 

This is actually surprising me. I expected people to say, "Maybe, but it's not likely...here are the issues with eating sugar/refined carbs..."

I never made the connection before this afternoon.

When did you realize sugar was an issue with your joints?

 

I realized it about a year and a half ago. I have psoriasis and was starting to experience pretty significant joint pain. There is a form of arthritis associated with psoriasis so I made that connection.

 

I was doing some reading about it all and (I think) ran across something that said sugar was a culprit related to both the skin problems caused by psoriasis as well as the inflammation that causes joint pain.

 

I experimented by cutting way back on sugar and noticed a huge difference. When I fell off the sugar wagon, my joints became extremely painful again. My problem? I am an over the top sugar addict. I have to work so hard at eliminating it. Alcoholism runs in my family and I've read that sugar addiction and alcohol addiction are related. I saw the damage that alcoholism caused in my family and swore to never, ever go down that path. I went down the sugar path instead.:blush:

 

I'm ready to be done with it! My joint pain is really affecting the quality of my life. I turned 40 in June but feel so much older because I hurt all the time. I really just want to feel good again!

[DB in NJ]

Not CAMom, but I made the connection between sugar and knee/hip pain about a year ago. I quit eating sugar, and it was the ONLY change I made. I experienced wicked pain in my leg muscles. At the time, I had no clue what it could be other than some sort of detox.

 

I started eating sugar again and experienced pain in my knees and lower back. Quit again and had the same muscle pain I had the first time. Back and forth and back and forth this has gone, with the same results every time, regardless of what other changes I've made (i.e. more or less exercise, etc.).

 

I'm trying -- yet again -- to cut back on the sugar. As you know, this time of year is brutal! It's so not worth it, though :(

 

I'm not going to spend any time reading about it or researching or anything. I'm listening to my body, and it says CUT BACK ON THE SUGAR!!! I had lost 7 pounds recently by limiting myself to 1 treat a week (on Sundays), with cutting my portions for the rest of my meals for the week. I experienced no negative muscle or joint pain with that method, so that's what I'm going back to. That and 30 minutes on the treadmill every day :D

[amygabrielle]

Sugar is an inflammatory.

[Lucy in Australia]

My mother would say a definite "YES, YES, YES" She is adamant that any foods that are acidic give her a lot of trouble. Out of interest, a few weeks ago, I googled "alkaline foods". There are a few websites, but I found this one with a chart. It looks like all the foods that upset you are acidic.

Of course they would be all the foods that are yummy ... :glare:

 

Alkaline/Acidic foods

[Wyndie]

I absolutely agree too. When I have sugar and my joints hurt, I find drinking raw apple cider vinegar (diluted in water) throughout the day, REALLY helps with the pain. It also helps with the cravings so I don't hurt myself so often. :glare:

[Crissy]

My mother would say a definite "YES, YES, YES" She is adamant that any foods that are acidic give her a lot of trouble. Out of interest, a few weeks ago, I googled "alkaline foods". There are a few websites, but I found this one with a chart. It looks like all the foods that upset you are acidic.

Of course they would be all the foods that are yummy ... :glare:

 

Alkaline/Acidic foods

 

Lucy, that is such a helpful link. Thank you!

[joannqn]

I totally believe diet can cause that much of an effect. I have pain and inflammation issues that I haven't traced yet. However, I've had to quit dairy from my nursling's benefit and am having the first depression free winter in 17 years. I have the energy, mental clarity, and happiness that I normally only experience in the summer...actually, it is better than summer because I'm noticing that negative events aren't getting me down either. For example, my DH was shocked that I came out of the bathroom from vomiting on Christmas day with a smile. Despite puking for 7 hours on Christmas, I was still in a great mood. Weird! But it makes me want to never eat dairy again...though I am missing New York Cheesecake, Chocolate Pie, and my favorite crab and clam dip this year.

[elegantlion]

I absolutely agree too. When I have sugar and my joints hurt, I find drinking raw apple cider vinegar (diluted in water) throughout the day, REALLY helps with the pain. It also helps with the cravings so I don't hurt myself so often. :glare:

Thanks for the reminder on that! Crissy, yes I have the same issues. Sugar and wheat/yeast make my joints sore and swollen. Makes me lethargic and does a number on my sinuses.

 

I cut them out for about two weeks and one night of sugar made me sore. I'm cutting those items out again. :glare:

 

I never had an issue until about 2-3 years ago. It took a while for me to pinpoint what caused the problem, but I feel much better off of it all.

[Mom2boys]

I find this thread fascinating and discouraging, all at the same time.

[HSMom2One]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HSMom2One

The main culprits for me are wheat, sugar and some protein sources such as pork. One of the effects of eating wheat and sugar is inflamation of my joints, fatigue and a general sluggishness. My knees and hips are especially bothering me this weekend too.

 

Wow. That sounds like me today.

How did you make the connection? Posted by Crissy

Well, it was a process of things that caused me to make the connection. First, I read a book called Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type by Peter D'Adamo, and soon after I met my friend, Susan, who is very knowledgeable about health and nutrition. For the past year I've been learning about how different foods effect each of us, depending on our blood type, heritage, etc. Mostly, I've become aware that there is no one way of eating that works for all people. I learned from the book that people that have type O blood should avoid eating wheat and a number of other foods including most dairy, so I started with wheat and I also cut out milk as a beverage.

 

I also noticed that whenever I eat pork I get bloated and have problems with digestion. The sugar was something I'd already become aware of way prior to reading the book, so during my cutting back more recently I decided to focus getting rid of that and also the foods I've mentioned. It is a start, as I believe most people can't just go cold turkey on every single food they need to eliminate. I'm trying to do it by slowly taking foods away that aren't good for me. After being on that regime for a month or two I began to notice a big difference. I had more energy, little to no sinus congestion, no sore joints hurting me at night and I did not feel bloated all of the time.

 

A few weeks ago I started eating without any restraint, and I'm paying for it big time now. Sure enough, the old symptoms have returned and I'm right back where I started.

 

I am more convinced than ever that I need to customize my eating choices, increase my water intake and force myself to exercise. If I don't do this now, I'm going to get as big as a barn!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda