When You Feel Achy, Stiff; avoid these 6 Foods

The Training Table is all about anti-aging, and I cannot think of anything that characterizes aging more than achy, swollen joints, and stiff painful muscles. It should not be hard to get up from a comfortable sitting position, and stiffness after getting up from bed should dissolve within an hour. If you are finding that you remain achy or stiff after that hour has passed, you will find the following information meaningful.

Of all the complaints I hear from relatively young people-- aching joints, and general soreness in muscles (without having exercised ) rises to the top of the list. The problems are prevalent and much of the premature malaise and aging feeling can be reduced, if not fully "disappeared" by our food choices, and diet adjustments.

The Arthritis Foundation has come up with important findings and there are lists of foods to avoid.  The “Usual Suspects” are on this list. Remember the whole foods versus manufacturedfoods rule of thumb in past entries- the rule applies dramatically for improving arthritic type ailments. The list below is adapted from the foods to avoid list that the  Arthritis Foundation published.

6 FOODS TO AVOID:

1.      Avoid fried foods and processed foods: fried fast foods, prepared frozen meals. These processed foods trigger inflammation dramatically and studies show that merely cutting back can make you feel younger and sprier.

2.       Sugars: processed sugars trigger the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines, Be careful of the “OSE” PRODUCTS: fructose, sucrose, dextrose etc. the word “ose” is used in biochemistry to indicate the name of a sugar. The “ose” means “full of, abounding in.” Be sure to realize that  just because the word sugar is not listed as an ingredient, does not mean you are clear of sugars.

3.       Dairy products: It is not uncommon for dairy protein to irritate the tissue around the joints, for these people they will need to reduce or eliminate dairy protein. Instead, in order to get the non-dairy proteins, legumes such as: lentils, quinoa, vegetables such as spinach, nut butters are recommended.

4.       Alcohol: wine, beer and hard liquor are linked to inflammatory arthritis. This “gout” or inflammation occurs because alcohol can cause excess uric acid build-up. This builds up around joints: big toe, feet, ankles, knees, and wrists, elbows- which can trigger excruciating pain, redness, and swelling. Depending on your symptoms and pain level, you may want to cut down or sadly, if you are in the group of people that are in real pain, possibly cut out alcohol or use alcohol more sparingly, for celebrations.

     Corn Oil and Omega6:  Many of the snack foods that are so fun to eat: fast foods, and baked goods contain corn oil. Corn oil, Safflower and Cottonseed oils, unlike other oils these three oils often trigger inflammation and gout because they are high in fatty acids (Omega 6). In fact, I recommend avoiding corn as much as possible because corn (by itself) is on the watch list for foods to avoid if you have arthritic ailments.

a.       Omega-six fatty acids are pro-inflammatory and have been shown to play a role in a complex series of pain syndromes. The typical American diet tends to contain 14 to 25 times more Omega-6 fatty acids than the desirable Omega-3 fatty acids (avocados, walnuts, sardines, salmon, flaxseed, soy beans  for example).

6.       Flavor enhancers (MSG) and food coloring, especially the caramelizing ones found in most sauces, soups, and sodas and preservatives. I stay away from these as much as I possibly can. I have gone in depth about these chemicals all found in snack foods, restaurant foods, prepared, pre-packaged, frozen etc.on this blog.  I was not the least bit surprised to find these Usual Suspects on the Avoid-List for arthritic, joint, gout related issues.

I can tell you from my personal experience, once I adjusted my diet more in line with the Arthritis Foundation and cut back on some of these 6 (especially Omega 6,  flavor enhancers/preservatives, and extreme sugars) I became revitalized, less achy in the morning and well...younger! My skin looked smoother and noticeably more radiant, especially after cutting back on "ose " products the variety of sugars

ACTION STEP:

You can experiment a little.Use the list of 6 to take inventory.  If you look over the list and know full well you've been over-indulging in one of the 6 areas, begin to cut back a little. Adjust the intake and allow your body the opportunity to heal itself.  The earlier you start the adjusting process, the less critical it will be down the road.

 In other words: who wants to give up alcohol or sugar altogether? Life would be sad without indulgences and if you start adjusting your diet before problems start or worsen you won't have to do anything so radical.

Keep in mind that vehicle you want to be driving: a smooth attractive vehicle, or that gunked-up clunker! The list should guide you towards degunking the motor and a transformed you!

The "Training Table" relies a lot on what the Arthritis Foundation research has uncovered.