jointpain

Community Healthy Weight Challenge Home Page

Inflammation-fueling “hot” foods
& anti-inflammatory “cooling” foods

Hot foods — AVOID!

Cool foods — EAT MORE!

Fried foods
Red meat from corn-fed animals raised with antibiotics and/or hormones
Partially hydrogenated (trans) fats (found in margarine, chips, processed baked goods)
Saturated fats (e.g., animal fats such as butter and lard)
Corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil or soy-based oils
Soft drinks, including both diet and regular soda and fruit juices
All forms of sugar, including natural and refined
White flour and other processed grains
Most fast-food and prepackaged meals

Dark green vegetables (including spinach, kale, and seaweed)
Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, as well as vitamin C and E supplements
Raw nuts and seeds (including almonds, pecans, and walnuts)
Omega-3-rich fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and anchovies (or supplements containing EPA/DHA)
Cold-pressed oils such as virgin olive, macadamia nut, grapeseed, and avocado
Soups made from scratch with free-range poultry or meat bones (boiled bones can release glucosamine and chondroitin)
Limited amounts of gluten-free whole grains, especially amaranth, millet, and quinoa

Though food is often looked at solely in terms of its impact on weight gain, it’s also the safest, most effective, and cheapest medicine for preserving and restoring overall health.

Many foods contain micronutrients that positively impact the inflammatory cascade upstream of where medications such as Advil, Motrin, and COX-2 inhibitors act, making these drugs (and all their side effects) avoidable.

Common problem foods associated with inflammation include citrus, corn and corn products, dairy products, gluten grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye, spelt, kamut), yeast, and eggs, as well as members of the nightshade family — tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Figuring out what you’re sensitive to may just make all the difference with your efforts to reduce joint pain.

Ayurvedic and Chinese medical practitioners have been using food as medicine for centuries. We’ve learned from these ancient medical practices that some common foods worsen inflammation — these foods are known as pro-inflammatory, or “hot” foods — and others “cool” the fire. Sadly, our Western diet of high-sugar and overly-processed foods is of no help.

Overall, you can’t go wrong by favoring simple, whole foods as opposed to processed convenience foods. Adjusting your diet away from “hot” foods and more toward “cool” foods is a great way to move toward better overall health.

selected points from: Joint pain and arthritis

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP