There is a lot of information out there on eating healthy. How do you know what to believe and what is accurate information. Many of my patients come in feeling they eat healthy but after a 7 day diet diary and some dietary counseling they quickly realize that what they thought was healthy was really incorrect.
Chronic pain is one of the main ways your body is telling you that you are eating things that are inflaming it. There are two ways to find out what these foods are:
- Elimination diet x 4 weeks and then systematically reintroduce
- Blood tests that are not diagnostic but will give you a good idea on where to start instead of eliminating everything
The gold standard is to do the elimination diet because we have not perfected the analysis with blood tests. With that said I do get amazing clinical results with the food allergy and sensitivities blood test. Depending on your specific needs I’ll make a recommendation on one of the above methods. It’s important to work with a doctor who knows how to read the food sensitivity tests correctly and work with you to make sure you get information that provides lasting results.
But what can you do now?
Generally speaking inflammatory foods are foods that increase inflammatory markers in your body which then cause pain, fatigue, migraines, digestive upset, poor sleep and many more unwanted symptoms. There are a handful of foods that are the worst culprits the majority of the time and while it is important to move away from those foods the most important thing is to focus on what you can eat and what supports YOUR health. The healthiest diets are those that are:
- High in vegetables specifically leafy green veggies like collard greens, kale, spinach etc – these are extremely anti-inflammatory and good for the liver
- High in fruits – eat the rainbow – making sure to get a variety of colors is a simple diet-hack that makes a huge difference
- High quality and sustainably sourced meat and fish products (wild fish, grass fed and finished beef, and free range chicken)
The best general rules on avoidance:
- Avoid anything that is in a can, box or that has been processed in any way
- When shopping stay in the produce and meat sections of the grocery store – those areas are usually low in processed food products
- Do not choose foods high in sugar and higher in carbohydrate than in fat, protein, and fiber – making this shift alone could drastically change your life and eliminate your pain even if you have been told you have arthritis that can’t be cured
Spikes in blood sugar are extremely inflammatory for the body once this system is well regulated the likelihood you’ll still have pain is very small. It is not discussed very often anymore in the doctors office. Most of my patients come to me frustrated. They have been on many pain medications which cause unwanted side effects so much so they stop all medications and tell me they are willing to deal with the pain. Their quality of life is primarily made up of SUFFERING that is completely UNNECESSARY.
If this sounds like you please start making some basic changes and you will quickly notice how much control you have over your body, your quality of life and most importantly your pain levels; all based on what you’ve been eating.
Many people come in looking for PRP injections but my first course of action is making sure they actually need injections. Much of the time by changing some of these basic lifestyle habits they no longer have pain and no longer need high intervention therapies like injections and surgery. The patients who do still need injections need drastically less rounds to get the same and often times much better results.
If you’d like more dietary counseling and are interested in reducing your pain naturally you have come to the right place. If you have already tried some of the things above and not gotten the results you wanted I can help you with that. Your life can’t be put on hold any longer because you’re not feeling well, can’t play with your grandchildren, walk your dog, go skiing etc.
Take action for yourself and for your family! You can do so by calling us at 206.899.6000 or you can join our email list, and follow us on instagram to get more content on how to live pain free and full of energy! You don’t have another day to waist.