8 Foods That Cause Inflammation and Pain

 When Food Could be the Enemy

Foods that we should be avoiding, in general, are often not really “food.” In many cases, they are nothing more than chemical alterations added into our foods by companies in order to make stuff taste better or last longer. Health is the last thing food industries really think about when packing food so long as they are making profit. With the amount of processed foods that have increased over the years, the same can be said with the increased incidence of cancers and disorders such as autoimmune and anti-inflammatory disorders.

Sure, it is important for every person to watch what they purchase and eat, but doing so is especially crucial for those who suffer from inflammatory disorders of the skin and within the body in order to help avoid making it worse.

Avoid These Inflammatory Causing Foods

Diary

Creamy Alfredo, stringy mozzarella cheese and rich ice cream are nothing short of delightful for dairy fanatics. However, the over abundance of them in your diet may be the reason for the appearance or intensity of your pain. Contrary to the popular belief that building strong bones comes from drinking milk and adding dairy products to the diet, bone strength actually comes from eating a plant based diet. Milk, especially from a cow, is not tolerated well by the body, whether someone is lactose intolerant or not. The fact that it contains gut-healing probiotics still does not save diary from the greater list of harm it can cause for those already struggling with inflammation.  It is a highly inflammatory food that only results in causing more inflammatory issues the more it is processed.

Processed/Grain-Fed Meat

Hotdogs, jerky, sausages, bacon, and sub meat are all examples of processed meats. They are usually made from red meat that is loaded with saturated fats along with extreme levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are inflammatory substances created during its process. Processed meats could have been injected with coloring and preservatives. 

Although grain-fed animals sound like a healthy option, it can be just as bad since they are typically kept in concentrated animal feeding operations where they grow to be extremely unhealthy. They are not able to graze on food that is naturally occurring in the environment. The tight areas they are restricted to are not in great condition, and they are barely kept alive by being fed hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs. Cooking these meats does not necessarily get rid all the bad additives. The body has to work harder to use what it finds useful and eliminate what it doesn’t. In fact, cooking them at high temperate only creates inflammatory cancer causing pathogens. Eating too much of the meat may cause the body to lose its proper way of elimination and swell certain areas.  Ideally, you want to eat grass-fed meat or try to limit red meat intake to, at most, three times a week.

The “Bad” Fats

We need to have a certain amount of fat in our diet to be healthy and keep the body running functionally. The best fats to consume, whenever possible, are unsaturated fats though saturated fats from animals are fine too. Still, vegetable oil like canola, soy, and corn – when used for frying – should be avoided. Trans fats (hydrogenated oils) are best avoided altogether. Common culprits are usually shortening and margarine, microwavable popcorn, and a variety of frozen dinner meals and sweets. Trans fats is something that is completely manmade and is not found naturally in foods. The body determines that it is an unknown foreign substance and cannot break it down for use. It is likely that it can stimulate an immune reaction, and damage the body from within. Reading labels before buying food and questioning foods that do not should become a practice.

Alcohol

Alcohol is also something to think about if it is something you regularly take in your diet. You may or may not know that the liver is the one that has to do all the hard work at eliminating alcohol that is ingested.  Even though the liver does a fantastic job at detoxifying it, excessive intake of alcohol can ultimately disrupt normal liver function and possibly other organs which can lead to inflammation. It is best to abstain or limit intake of alcohol. 

The Swelling can be Managed

It can be hard to live with pain, more so when it feels as if it will never end. Making food diet and life practices can help decrease the level of inflammation you are experiencing. Applying anti-inflammatory medication to the area of discomfort can also decrease swelling. Baltic Essentials has a wide range of natural analgesic products, such as Amber for those suffering from joint, tooth, or muscle pain; autoimmune diseases and asthma caused by swelling due to an allergic reaction.