Even when gluten wasn’t headline news, I suggested eliminating all wheat products to people who want to lose weight. Not only did they lose weight, but often their joint pain disappeared. I recall telling one amazed client, “Yes, just those two slices of bread could cause two pounds weight gain and bring back your joint pain!”
Today even conventional medicine recognizes the existence of “reactive arthritis.” So if you have a joint health concern here are some thoughts to keep in mind.
Why food choices cause joint pain
Allergic or hypersensitive responses to foods occur when partially digested proteins leak through the gut and get into your bloodstream. Your white blood cells attack these “foreign invaders” with acids and harsh chemicals that can cause body wide inflammation. Your joints can be the target of this unwanted inflammation.
Do you have a food allergy/hypersensitivity?
You can start to detect your food/joint pain connection with a simple elimination diet. A way to begin is to avoid the foods which commonly cause inflammation in sensitive individuals. Begin by picking one of these food groups and eliminate all items in this group for a week. If you feel up to it, eliminate all of the food groups listed below at once.
Try this simple elimination diet
Step #1: Eliminate first-line suspects, including:
• Gluten products (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, Kamut, triticale) • Dairy products and all beef products • Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers) • Food additives, preservatives, colors, artificial ingredients and sugar • Other foods or chemicals you know, or suspect, you react toStep #2: Eat an alkaline diet. Consume a healthful diet of vegetables, fruits, adequate meat and fish (not-beef) and nuts, seeds and spices. Drink plenty of pure water, perhaps with lemon juice. In other words eat a whole foods alkalizing diet.
Step #3: Record what you eat. Keep track of what you eat at each meal and jot down the degree and location of joint pain. You might also want to jot down your morning weight and your evening weight to see if you gain more than two pounds. This often signals unwanted inflammation.
Step #4: REINTRODUCE. After one week your body has had the opportunity to detoxify and reset itself from any allergic or hypersensitive reaction. Start to reintroduce the foods one at a time and see if you notice any change in joint pain. As 80% of all food reactions are delayed and can take place up to four days after the food was eaten, introduce one new food every four days.
Step #5: Sit down and analyze your data and let me know what you discover. Also remember, laboratory testing is available for detecting many of your hidden and delayed food hypersensitivities.