Managing Pain & Inflammation with Food
March 20, 2021
Are you dealing with unwanted pain and inflammation? Listen in as two nutritionists talk about way you can manage your pain and inflammation with a healthy lifestyle.
Similar Podcast Episodes:
Articles You May Like:
Transcript:
BRITNI: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. I am Britni Vincent, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. And co-hosting with me this morning is Carolyn Hudson, who is also a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. You know, I'm sure many of our first time listeners think of dietitians and nutritionists as people that just teach calories and how to count fat grams. And yeah, maybe some dietitians and nutritionists, nutritionists do that. But at Nutritional Weight and Wellness, that is not our focus at all. We help people change their nutrition to support their overall health. And currently with many of our clients, we're seeing almost an epidemic of serious inflammation problems, which often results in an excessive amount of pain. So today, Carolyn and I will explore reasons for this widespread occurrence of inflammation and some foods and supplements that we've also found to be helpful.
CAROLYN: So when we mention inflammation and pain, who can relate? Can you relate? When you think about inflammation, it can be somewhat difficult to imagine because it can show up in so many ways with so many different symptoms.
BRITNI: Yeah. People often ask me, “What is inflammation? How do I know I have it?” And I like to think of, you know, if you have a cut that gets red, it gets inflamed, you see that; itchy. So that's acute inflammation.
CAROLYN: Right, that's like right now; obvious.
BRITNI: Yep. And that's a healthy inflammatory response. But what we're talking about is that chronic inflammation that is really detrimental to your health. And a lot of people don't even know they have it because it's going on internally. And so some examples of how this inflammation can manifest is joint and muscle pain, that aching pain, or maybe every time you step, you have knee pain.
CAROLYN: Or, or maybe it's something GI related, right? It could be diarrhea or stomach cramps or even constipation. And I don't think anybody thinks about that as inflammation.
BRITNI: Yes. Yeah. Or are you gaining weight? It often surprises our clients when they discover their weight gain is many times related to an inflammation problem. And when clients follow an anti-inflammatory eating plan, their excess weight often just drops off and their waistline gets smaller.
CAROLYN: You know, Britni, when I meet with clients, I always tell them that we have to heal those underlying conditions, those underlying inflammations in their body before they're going to lose weight or before we're going to take care of whatever health problem it is because all health problems are the root cause is some sort of inflammation.
BRITNI: Yeah. Yeah. And once you focus on that, that root cause, I mean the weight loss just happens as sort of a by-product.
CAROLYN: Exactly. So another sign of total body and brain inflammation is generalized fatigue. You know, clients complain that they're tired. They have no energy and they just can't even get anything done. Cooking dinner is hard because they're exhausted after they've worked all day. So what do they do? They resort to that glass of wine with cheese and crackers. And you know, I got to admit, I have been there, especially when I was raising my kids, you know, if I was going to work, then having to come home, make dinner and doing all of that. It was just like, oh my gosh.
BRITNI: You don't have time to think about what to make for dinner.
CAROLYN: Right. So, but when you do that, the next day, you're going to feel more inflamed and tired. And a lot of people will complain of that brain fog.
BRITNI: I hear that a lot too. And we know wine, cheese, crackers: these are all considered inflammatory foods. And if you have painful muscles and joints or a throbbing headache or high blood pressure, you have an inflammation problem.
CAROLYN: Yeah. So if you're overweight, again, you probably have an inflammation problem.
BRITNI: If you're starting to have memory problems or if you've recently been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's, that's a sign of an inflammation problem.
CAROLYN: Yeah, inflammation in your brain, right? Exactly. So inflammation is one thing, but what about chronic pain? If you're experiencing some kind of chronic pain, boy, you are not alone out there. There are more than a hundred million people in the U.S. that suffer from chronic pain.
BRITNI: Wow.
CAROLYN: That's a lot, isn't it? A hundred million; wow. Chronic pain actually affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer, all combined.
BRITNI: Wow.
CAROLYN: So that's amazing.
BRITNI: And you know, these clients, they're tired. They have that pain. And so the idea of, you know, cooking and it's hard. It's hard to get the ball rolling.
CAROLYN: And it's not just cooking.
BRITNI: It's doing everything.
CAROLYN: It's doing everything. First, you got to plan, right? Then you got to shop, and then you get to prep and cook.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: So it's like a lot of stuff to think about. And if you've got that brain fog going on or, or just don't have any energy, that's a lot of work.
BRITNI: Yeah. And as dietitians and nutritionists at Nutritional Weight and Wellness, again, we don't teach people just how to count calories or fat grams, but we do help people learn how to eliminate those inflammatory foods and focus on what to eat.
CAROLYN: Focus on what to eat it, I, often I hear, “Oh my gosh, I can't have this. I can't have that. What am I going to eat now?” But our approach: we sit down with that client and we say, “What do you like? What are you willing to eat?” You know, do you want to have spinach or no, you hate spinach or whatever. We don't give our clients things that they don't want to eat.
BRITNI: No. Yeah. And you know, we make the food delicious and enjoyable so that you're not even missing those inflammatory foods, because you're feeling great. And, and again, those foods are delicious. So what if I told you, if you want to experience less pain, you should eliminate bread, pasta, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, crackers, and the list goes on, because all of these products contain gluten, which we now know that gluten is often the source of pain and inflammation. And I think most people would say that it would be worth it to eliminate those foods to be pain-free.
CAROLYN: Pain-free; absolutely I think. But you know, researchers have known really for many years that the, the root cause of almost all degenerative diseases, including a brain disorder, like all Alzheimer’s disease is from inflammation. Again, that root cause, right? Now, after listening to all of these health concerns caused by inflammation, you may be asking, “What am I personally eating that is stimulating that inflammation in my body.” So if you've been a Dishing Up Nutrition listener for a period of time, you're not going to be surprised when I say that researchers have found that eating gluten grains and following that high carb, high processed, high sugar diet is usually the root cause of that inflammation.
BRITNI: And gluten; so gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt and kamut.
CAROLYN: Yeah. That's why we say gluten grains.
BRITNI: Yeah. Yep. So basically anything with flour, baked goods, breads crackers, often what makes up a huge chunk of people's diet.
CAROLYN: Yeah; at least when they first come to us.
BRITNI: Exactly; exactly. So now we're going to talk about inflammation of the brain. First of all, most people don't realize their brain is inflamed until it's too late; dementia’s set in, and which at that time, it's difficult to turn around. And to reduce our, our brain disease risk, Dr. Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain, recommends avoiding a low fat, high carb diet. And we, and we know that our brain is made up of fat and water. So we want to feed and nourish our brain with healthy fats, like butter, olive oil, omega-3, coconut oil, avocado oil, and avoiding those refined oils; canola oil, corn oil, cottonseed, pre-packaged foods.
CAROLYN: Yeah. So, it's already time for our first break. So you are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. I'm Carolyn Hudson. And I'm in studio today with Britni Vincent. We are both registered and licensed dietitians. And currently because of the pandemic we are meeting with all of our clients either by phone or virtually via Zoom. I continue to be amazed at the progress of our clients that are experiencing many of these changes. They've been making a really good progress, especially over this very stressful time. All of the dietitians and nutritionists at Nutritional Weight and Wellness are so proud of how our clients have switched, switched from pre-made processed foods to cooking real food at home. The results of eating real food has been fewer aches, less pain, better moods, better memory, and even weight loss. We have one client that's lost up to 70 pounds. So we encourage you to sign up for an appointment with one of our dietitians or nutritionists so you can experience it these life changing results. And we'll be right back.
BREAK
BRITNI: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Because of this radio show and podcast, we are delighted to have clients from all over the United States and even clients from India, Australia, and Canada and other countries that I'm sure I forgot to mention. And you may be wondering how do I make an appointment and how does it work? So first you call our office at (651) 699-3438 and tell the receptionist what you're looking to accomplish. And she will help you schedule a time for your one-on-one appointment with one of our nutrition experts. And if you prefer to make the appointment yourself, just go to our website, weightandwellness.com to schedule your appointment.
CAROLYN: All spelled out.
BRITNI: Yep; and after you scheduled your appointment, we'll send you this extensive health history that we ask you to fill out. And we believe nutrition affects all aspects of your lives. We want to understand your health challenges and your desires. In fact, many of our staff have had their own health challenges before changing their nutrition. So, you know, we all can often relate. In your first appointment is 90 minutes in length and 60 minutes for each appointment after that. Also your nutrition appointment appointments may be covered by your health insurance. We are just a phone call away to answer any questions that you may have. Again, our phone number is (651) 699-3438. And you know, I think Zoom is more convenient. You don't have to get in your car and drive.
CAROLYN: Yeah.
BRITNI: So I’m finding that I have clients that are actually seeing me more frequently because of that. And like you shared before the break, they're seeing amazing results.
CAROLYN: Yeah. Yeah. And like I, I have people that are doing work from home, right? So they can take their lunch break.
BRITNI: Yep.
CAROLYN: Or fit me in between meetings, other meetings. So I'm finding it much easier to schedule people as well. So please do give us a call if you're needing some help with what's going on in your overall health, not just weight, right? It's not just about weight.
BRITNI: Exactly. No, any health goal we can help you with.
CAROLYN: Exactly; exactly. And we’ve probably seen it all.
BRITNI: I think we have. Yeah.
CAROLYN: Exactly. So before the break, Britni, you were talking about fats, healthy fats.
BRITNI: Yes, because we know that most of our brain is made of fat.
CAROLYN: Right.
BRITNI: Which is surprising. I mean, if you hear the term “fat head”, I never really knew what that meant, but literally we have fat heads.
CAROLYN: So we have to have healthy fats. So you said there are three types of fats, right? So there is monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats. So let's expand on that a little bit.
BRITNI: So monounsaturated fats: I think of olives, olive oil, avocado, are some good, healthy sources of that.
CAROLYN: So, the saturated fats, so those would be most of your dairy products, right? Your butter, but coconut oil, sour cream, cream cheese, all of those would be saturated fat. And of course we get saturated fats in most of our meat products as well, right? And then we have polyunsaturated. So I always think nuts, seeds. Those are the best source, but we got to be careful with those nuts and seeds don't we? They can't be cooked or processed with or roasted usually in those bad oils.
BRITNI: Yeah. And I mean, most of them, we see them roasted in cottonseed oil.
CAROLYN: That's the most common one I see.
BRITNI: Yeah, it is. And obviously we're not eating cotton. So it makes no sense at all to be consuming cottonseed oil. As you can imagine, that's very inflammatory for the body. So raw or dry roasted is what you want to look for for your nuts.
CAROLYN: I think that that would be really good. I know what I tell my clients too, just as a trick, if it's in a clear bottle this past that one by. Really, you know, it's got to be in a dark bottle, you know, brown or green is usually probably the most common. And I really like glass bottles. I don't like the plastic ones. So, but I still look at the label and I still try to figure out, you know, exactly where did this come from? What are the other words on the, on the ingredients or on the label, whatever. And I try to research them. It's pretty, there are a lot of things out there.
BRITNI: Oh, it's very overwhelming. I get overwhelmed by it. So I can't, of course our clients get overwhelmed. And some key words you want to look for: expeller pressed, unrefined, cold-pressed. Those…
CAROLYN: Yeah. Those are good words.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: Yeah. Yeah. So that's, that's great. So we also need to feed our brains water. So fat, we've got to feed our brains good, healthy fat. And we also need that water because a dehydrated brain just doesn't function very well. So what might be some of the signs of a dehydrated brain? I would say that would be like the fatigue or maybe even the brain fog.
BRITNI: Yeah. And it is amazing how much better people feel when they get more water on board. It sounds so simple, but they have more energy, clearer thinking. Often times they lose weight just by drinking more water. So our rule of thumb that we tell people is half your body weight in ounces a day.
CAROLYN: Most people gasp at that.
BRITNI: Yes they do. Spread out throughout out the day. So, you know, chugging 30 ounces at night and your body can't even absorb all of that. So that's not going to be very helpful.
BRITNI: No, no. And if you are nowhere near that, just, you know, if you're drinking 20 ounces a day, could you drink 30 ounces a day?
CAROLYN: Right. I always say, why don't you work on a goal for this week? So you're going to add, you know, an extra 10 ounces, over the course of a day and try to do that for the next week and then maybe go up 12 ounces or 13 ounces and just keep on working at it. And pretty soon you'll be like, I need water all the time.
BRITNI: Exactly. Your body gets used to it. Yeah. You don't, you just don't realize that you're chronically dehydrated.
CAROLYN: I, you know, these days I see everybody carrying a water bottle.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: But I started carrying a water bottle in the seventies. People thought I was nuts.
BRITNI: You started the trend.
CAROLLYN: Oh boy.
BRITNI: But that's a great way to do it because, you know, I know how much water my water bottle holds. So I know how many of those I need in a day. And it just allows me to better keep track. And you can even put, you know, if you need three water bottles a day, you could put three rubber bands on there and take off a rubber band every time you finish one. There are lots of different strategies to help.
CAROLYN: Yeah. Yeah. Great.
BRITNI: So here's another statement from Dr. David Perlmutter that may surprise a lot of you. He said that “study after study shows that high cholesterol reduces your risk of brain disease and increases longevity.” So it, we're going to expand on that statement even more. I know it's a shocking statement, but it is already time for our second break.
CAROLYN: Exactly. So you are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Perhaps your only health problem is you can't seem to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night. For many people just taking magnesium glycinate at bedtime is the solution. For others, an appointment with a dietitian or nutritionist is recommended. For the rest of March, you can save 15% on all of our sleep supplements, such as Magnesium Glycinate, 5-HTP and even L-Theanine. Getting sufficient sleep is so important to reduce aches and pains. And we'll be right back.
BREAK
BRITNI: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. We are offering 15 individual online classes each for only $10.
CAROLYN: That is a steal.
BRITNI: Yeah. What do you have to lose?
CAROLYN: Exactly.
BRITNI: Now through March 31st. So a very popular class you may like is Breaking the Sugar Habit. If you want more energy, you may like Your Energy Solution: Real Food. If you are struggling with aches and pains, we have the class for you: Eating to Reduce Pain and Inflammation. These are all easy classes to watch and learn from. Plus they're only $10.
CAROLYN: And you can listen to them anytime you want right? They’re online.
BRITNI: Yeah. So to sign up for any or all of these classes go to our website, weightandwellness.com.
CAROLYN: So before break, Britni, you were talking about Dr. David Perlmutter’s quote, and I think it's, I, I think you have to repeat that because it's a pretty amazing quote.
BRITNI: It is. So he said that “Study after study shows that high cholesterol reduces your risk for brain disease and increases longevity.” Another important statement he made is “high levels of dietary fat, of course the healthy kinds that Carolyn and I have been talking about, “have been proven to be key to healthy and peak brain function.” Again, because most of our, our brain is fat. So if you want to learn more about brain and inflammation or brain inflammation and brain function, Dr. David Perlmutter's book, Grain Brain, it's packed full of valuable information. A lot of, a lot of people really like that book and learn, learn many new things. And he really encourages people to stay away from fast foods because of the use of refined oils, even in salad dressings. Most salad dressing has soybean oil, canola oil, something like that. And then of course, French fries. Anything fried, you have that refined oil, but then they're using that oil again and again, which just creates more damage to it. And simply put, you know, bad fats lead to a bad brain.
CAROLYN: Right; exactly. So I just want to expand a little bit on that whole cholesterol thing, because I know that in, even in my family life, my father was on cholesterol lowering medication for, I don't know, as long as I can remember anyway, or least as long as I kind of noticed it, my entire adult life, I would say for sure. And he lived until he was 93. But as soon as he started showing signs of the dementia and Alzheimer's, what did they do? Take him off of his cholesterol-lowering medication, take him off his statin. And I was really surprised.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: That probably happened maybe eight to 10 years before he, he passed away. So…
BRITNI: They know there's a connection, clearly.
CAROLYN: They know there's a connection. So that's why we, or at least, you know, one of the reasons we really don't like statins or any of those cholesterol lowering medications. So anyway, and I know there was another nutritionist or dietitian in our group that also had that experience with their father, you know? So there's got to be, there's got to be better ways, right, to deal with what is a perceived cholesterol problem. So, Britni, I think it's time that we kind of move on now and talk about more of that joint pain and inflammation, because oftentimes our clients tell me, you know, “My doctor told me I should lose weight to take the stress off of my joints.” How often do we hear this?”
BRITNI: All the time.
CAROLYN: All the time, but they say, “Oh, if you do that, they won't hurt.” Well, you know, losing a little bit of weight or a lot of weight is going to help a bit.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: But it is not going to take away all of that pain.
BRITNI: No.
CAROLYN: You know, putting less pressure on your hips or your back or your knees, yeah, of course, time and time again, our clients tell us after they followed the Weight and Wellness plan of eating real food, now they've really reduced that pain. So that said, it's, you know, it's not just the extra pounds lost that is going to reduce some of that joint pain. Maybe, maybe not very much, but it's getting those inflammatory foods out of their diet, out of their meals that's going to take most of that joint pain and inflammation away. And we see, how many times do we see that? All the time, right?
BRITNI: All the time. And typically for people to lose weight, they need to stop eating sugar all the time and, and flour based products. And research tells us sugar causes inflammation. There's no denying that at all.
CAROLYN: No. No. And if you experiment a little bit with it, you can tell.
BRITNI: Yes, oh absolutely. I mean, you've heard if you're a regular Dishing Up Nutrition listener, you've heard us say it time and time again, but I'm going to say it again. We really recommend you cut out the cake, ice cream, pop, muffins, candy, beer, wine, pancakes, cookies, chips, granola bars, crackers. What about those flavored mochas?
CAROLYN: Any of those flavored coffee drinks. Right?
BRITNI: And it might be hard for you to believe, but it is possible to live and enjoy life without those treats. And you may even become pain-free. And I have a lot of clients that are able to significantly reduce their pain or, and some that completely eliminate it by eliminating those inflammatory foods. And then they test the waters. They eat something, you know, a couple of times, and then they realize it's not worth it.
CAROLYN: It is so not worth it.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: Yeah. I have a lot of clients the same thing. Oh, I say, well, why don't you experiment a little bit? You've been so good. And they go, “Oh, can I now have…” whatever their treat is; the chips, that's, I have a client, like I think I had like three clients last week that’s like “I want chips. I want chips.” That, that salty, crunchy, you know. I go, well, you can experiment and see how you feel. But take note, journal, journal for a couple of days before, and then decide you're going to have that treat. And I want you to journal after, and what happens? They come back and they say, “Oh, I've decided no way.” I just felt so horrible after having that treat that I know I shouldn't be doing that anymore.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: So, yeah. It's amazing what happens when they start experimenting a little bit and listening to their body.
BRITNI: Yes. I mean, people are, especially, I think individuals with chronic pain, they get so good at just ignoring what their body's saying, because they're just trying to get through life.
CAROLYN: Yeah.
BRITNI: And so, like you said, taking a step back, listening to what your body is telling you, you can learn a whole lot by doing that.
CAROLYN: Yeah, exactly. So perhaps you're struggling with that inflammation and have a lot of joint pain and you want to get back to some of your favorite habits and past times, without any of that hurting. Maybe you want to play tennis again or hike, or be out walking your dog or play with your grandchildren. It might be time to look at what you're drinking; of course, a lot of those sweet drinks and stuff or eating, that would call that we would call those are those inflammatory foods that we're talking about.
BRITNI: You know, if you're drinking soda several times a week, we encourage you to give it up because we know that soda is very inflammatory. And a lot of people do have to just do that cold turkey.
CAROLYN: Yeah. Yeah. So, Britni, what are some of the strategies that you use with clients to get them off pop and soda?
BRITNI: Well, I always ask them, what do you like about it? Is it the fizzy, the sweet, the caffeine? Is it a habit? Is it a craving? For some it's an addiction.
CAROLYN: And they don't even know it.
BRITNI: Yeah, exactly. Then we can try to find some replacements, you know, sparkling water works well for some people, unsweetened ice tea.
CAROLYN: Yeah. I was going to say the unsweetened ice tea I find works for a lot of people, so whatever we can substitute, you know, just, just to get them, you know, one step closer to giving that up. And then I have people too that I say, well, if you can't give it up cold turkey, most people actually really struggle with that.
BRITNI: Yeah.
CAROLYN: And obviously a few clients can do it, but I say, just let's work on cutting back.
BRITNI: Yep.
CAROLYN: We know, I know I have a client that was drinking, I think it was eight pops a day. And she suffered from migraines every single day. And they were debilitating.
BRITNI: Wow.
CAROLYN: All she did was give up the pop and she couldn't do it cold turkey, but by the time she didn't have any pop in her diet, she no longer had migraines. And she just, I remember her face, you know, like on the Zoom call, it was like, “I can't believe it. This is the first time in my life I haven't had migraines, at least four or five a week.”
BRITNI: That’s shocking.
CAROLYN: That's amazing. Isn't it?
BRITNI: Yeah, it is.
CAROLYN: So, you know, maybe it is given that beer or other alcoholic beverage that are all inflammatory. So maybe try going without that alcohol for a period of time, you know, maybe it's a few weeks, maybe it's a few months, if you can do it. Not only will you have less inflammation and pain, but you're going to find that you're going to probably lose an easy 10 pounds or even more. So Britni, it's already time for third break. I can't believe it. Here we go. So you are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Many of our clients ask, “What supplements should I take to help my knees.” I often recommend that they take a very good quality glucosomine/chondroitin. That's like my nightmare words, Britni.
BRITNI: It’s a mouthful.
CAROLYN: I believe one of the best is the Chondro-FLX from Ortho Molecular, which is available on our Weight and Wellness website. The recommended dosage is one capsule, three times a day on an empty stomach. So that glucosamine chondroitin helps to protect cartilage. And when that cartilage wears out, most people experience pain. So it is really important to support that cartilage health. So Chondro-FLX is an easy solution. And we'll be right back.
BREAK
BRITNI: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. If you're looking for a basic supplement to help reduce inflammation, I frequently recommend either Nutrikey Omega-3 Extra Strength, which is available in softgel or liquid, or the Omega-3 1,000. And to make sure our fish oil supplements are safe, the Nutrikey Omega-3 supplements are manufactured in a pharmaceutically licensed GMP facility and are tested for over 450 potential contaminants. And I have some good news for you. You can purchase any Nutrikey Omega-3 supplement or any other Nutrikey products at 15% off through today, March 20th. And I personally recommend omega-3’s for, for most everybody, because of all the benefits.
CAROLYN: All the benefits, and how many people eat cold water fish, which is really the best source of omega-3’s, so, you know, I say, if you're not eating cold water fish at least three to four times a week, you need an omega-three supplement.
BRITNI: And you know, another supplement that I go to for pain and inflammation is curcumin, which is the active ingredient in turmeric. And for some people it works wonders, so much so that they notice if they miss a day.
CAROLYN: Yes. Yeah.
BRITNI: So, the Nutrikey Curcumin is 400 milligrams per cap, and you can take one to two of those a day.
CAROLYN: That's, I often recommend that supplement and you're right though. Some people, it works, some people, it doesn't work. So it must, you know, it's about everyone’s individual metabolism, right, and how well we function with some of these supplements and even food, right?
BRITNI: Yeah; very true.
CAROLYN: So before the break, Britni, I was talking about, you know, trying to get off of some of these inflammatory alcoholic beverages mostly. So, but those aren't the only thing.
BRITNI: No. Some people are truly addicted to those high sugar coffee drinks. And I see the lines, at the drive-thru lines at Caribou and Starbucks.
CAROLYN: It's amazing how long those lines are.
BRITNI: It's crazy.
CAROLYN: They're not just getting a cup of coffee.
BRITNI: No, I don't think so. And we know those drinks often contain 20 teaspoons of sugar. It's an insane amount. And again, sugar is inflammatory.
CAROLYN: And the American Heart Association says we should only have like six for women or eight, I think for men, added teaspoons of sugar a day. 20 teaspoons in one of those coffees? No, that's way too much. A bagel is way too much, you know, a bowl of cereal is way too much.
BRITNI: You’re starting your day with inflammation.
CAROLYN: Yeah. Oh, Oh, let's jump on that. Right? No, we don't like that at all. So we encourage you to give up those processed carbs. And you know, once you start doing this, you know, six months down the road, you're going to have so much less joint pain. It's going to be worth it for you to say, okay, no to cookies or cake, just be able to walk by that candy dish or not even have cereal in the house, because it's just going to cause that inflammatory cycle in your body. And muffins; well, you know, maybe some muffins are okay like our protein muffins that we have on our website, a recipe, a couple of different recipes for those. But a regular muffin that you might get at the bakery in the bakery section of your grocery store: no, no. And some of those are like jumbo, right? Crackers, chips, waffles, bagels. Any of those, you get the idea. Listeners, you've been hearing us say this forever, right? Our clients are really so pleased when they finally do give up those processed carbs. Again, they experience so much less pain. In some cases it totally goes away.
BRITNI: Yeah. And, and a lot of people notice changes pretty quickly too. And if you can give up bad fats, all those refined oils, soybean oil, corn oil, canola, all the cells in your body and your brain will function better. Your joints will be lubricated. And switching to those healthy oils: avocado, coconut oil, butter. It's important to use the correct fats to lubricate and have healthy joints. If you're a pizza lover, you know, there are not healthy fats in there. So you might consider making your own or just not having pizza every Friday night. So, one last suggestion for better joint pain and health and less pain is to stop eating foods containing those gluten grains, which we talked about a little bit earlier. People who are gluten sensitive… so it's not a true allergy; sensitivity. They may find that when they follow a gluten-free diet, their symptoms improve within just mere weeks usually. So Dr. Roizen, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic said, and I quote “For people with a gluten sensitivity, following a gluten-free diet, isn't a fad. It's medicine.”
BRITNI: I love that.
CAROLYN: Isn't that a great quote? So we suggest that you follow a gluten-free diet for about three months and then decide if it's helpful in reducing your pain. And Britni, I find that people, it's not even three months down the road that they start feeling, but I do warn them that, you know, it takes a while to get all of that gluten inflammation out of the body. So they might not see the full effects for quite a while.
BRITNI: Yeah, it's true. And you know, following a real food diet of meat, vegetables, healthy fats has no negative side effects, while many of the medications do have some pretty bad side effects.
CAROLYN: So you might wonder, “How do I know if I have chronic inflammation?” So your doctor could order a blood test that measures a protein produced by the liver. It's called C reactive protein or CRP for short. That rises in response to inflammation. So when your bodies are inflamed, the CRP number will frequently be between one and three milligrams per liter of blood. And that signals a low yet chronic level of inflammation. So your CRP could be even higher than that; 8, 16, 32, or even higher. That is an indication of inflammation in your body. Now it doesn't tell you where the inflammation is, but it says it's inflamed somewhere. So your doctor may also measure your sed rate. And it's also called an ESR rate, which is another blood test for inflammation and it increases, the increased rate indicates again, that inflammation in your body.
BRITNI: And many people believe they have to lose weight to reduce the joint pain.
And in many cases, these people find they just cannot lose weight because of pain and lack of movement. So then they give up. And in reality, it’s not weight loss that eases joint pain, but rather it is the good food choices that reduce the inflammation and ease up that joint pain. So again, these good choices are grass fed meats, wild caught salmon, vegetables, lots and lots of veggies are only going to help. And those healthy fats we've been talking about. And, you know, I have clients who will notice like a two pound weight gain after they eat certain foods like gluten. That is a sign that's very inflammatory for your body.
CAROLYN: So most people need help making that shift from a standard American diet of real food and to a healing diet. On many occasions I really see clients like once a month for an entire year before the real food healing diet becomes a habit. So eating that real food, a healing diet then becomes a way of life for them because it makes them feel so much better. I can't believe it, but we're all out of time. So you are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. Our goal at Nutritional Weight and Wellness is to help each and every person experience better health through eating real food. It's a simple yet powerful message. Eating real food is life changing. Thank you for listening and have a wonderful weekend.
BRITNI: Thank you.
