What You Put in Your Mouth Can Affect Your Pain!

Published May 15, 2018 | By Jake Morgan

What You Put in Your Mouth Can Affect Your Pain

If we can get people to focus on fruits and vegetables and more healthy foods, we’ll be better in terms of our healthcare situation.

—Tom Vilsack

Did you know that diet and inflammation can be directly related? A diet that reduces inflammation is high in antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, and foods in that category that are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Incorporate these foods into your diet to see your pain and inflammation decrease:

Fruits: apple, acerola berry, fresh pineapple, guava, grapefruit, rhubarb, kiwifruit, lemon, lime, orange, kumquat, black currant, blueberry, raspberry, mulberry, strawberry, papaya, cherry, tomato

Vegetables: spinach, sweet potato, bell pepper, cabbage, bok choy, onion, leek, garlic, green onion, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli sprout, Brussels sprout, collard green

Herbs and Spices: basil, oregano, mint, clove, turmeric, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, parsley, rosemary

Fish and Meats: cod, halibut, salmon, snapper, bass, whitefish, herring, trout, sardine, grass-fed beef, pork, naturally raised (not on grain) chicken and turkey

Whole Grains: brown rice, whole wheat, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, spelt

Fats: extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, hazelnut, almond, walnut

You Should Know about the Red-Meat/Inflammation Connection

Researchers have found a connection with red meats and inflammation, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t eat red meat. They found the reason for this correlation is that most cattle are fed grains that fatten them up and change the fat composition of their meat. A cow that’s fed grains can’t even digest them properly in the first place! The grain is high in omega-6 fats, which increase inflammation.

When cattle are fed a diet that is high in omega-6 fats, their meat ends up low in omega-3 fats and high in omega-6. So when you eat meat with an improper balance of fats in it, you now have an imbalance in your own body and are more susceptible to inflammation.

What’s the answer? It’s this: Eat only grass-fed beef and other meats. That way, the meat still has its correct balance of omega-3 to omega 6-fats. By the way, grass-fed beef is a lot tastier than the regular beef you purchase at the grocery store. Fancy restaurant chefs use grass-fed beef because it tastes best!

Dehydration Increases Inflammation

Your body needs water to constantly flush its toxic wastes out to the lymphatic system, where they are eventually taken to the kidneys and liver to process. If you’re taking prescription medication, you need water to flush out the drug residues from your body. Not drinking enough water leaves the toxins the body creates naturally right there in the tissues. Decrease inflammation by attacking it nutritionally:

Take antioxidants. The best way to start is by taking 25,000 IU vitamin A, 2000 mg vitamin C, and 400 IU vitamin E, in addition to your multivitamin/mineral tablets. At these levels, do not worry about overdoses! You can take this level infinitely without concern. Expect decreases in your pain level.
Dietary supplements can include omega-3 capsules, two caps twice daily. Most capsules are 500 mg DHA and EPA each. Increasing omega-3 decreases omega-6 fats in your body, creating a switch of biochemical pathways so prostaglandins are not produced.

It’s easy to break into the habit of drinking enough water. As soon as you get up in the morning, commit to drinking 24 ounces of water in five minutes. You’ll see how much better your day goes when you drink more water!

Natural Remedies That Help Decrease Inflammation

Ginger

Ginger contains over 500 different compounds, many with anti-inflammatory properties. Try a 500-mg capsule or about one-third of a teaspoon, when you feel pain or inflammation—but don’t take it with prescription medications. Leave at least an hour between prescription meds and any herbs. Cook with ginger regularly. One simple recipe is to braise beef or chicken strips with broccoli and one-half cup diced or sliced ginger. Use pineapple juice as a sweetener in this dish. Serve with brown rice and a spinach salad.

Omega-3 Fats

Americans have eaten too many omega-6 fats in their diets over the last 20 years, which has resulted in a widespread omega-3 fat deficiency. Omega-3 fats prevent inflammation in the body and are correlated with keeping allergies, asthmas, skin disorders, and many other diseases in check. Make sure you have omega-3 fats in your diet by adding three to 10 daily capsules of 500 mg EPA with DHA (these are fish oils).

Antioxidant Vitamins

Did you know that increasing your vitamin C intake could reduce inflammation in the body by 45 percent? That’s what researchers reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in March 2006. Taking about 2000 mg vitamin C is a good way to start decreasing inflammation in the body. You can always increase the amount of vitamin C as needed. Also, make sure you get at least 400 IU vitamin E in your supplements daily. Vitamin E is responsible for reducing inflammation of the muscles, which might be extremely helpful for your present health situation.

Germanium

Germanium oxygenates your body cells, organs, and tissues, providing pain relief in many people. Take germanium on an empty stomach, never at the same time with any prescription medications; 200 mg to 300 mg germanium or more could prove extremely helpful.