Arthritis and Pro-Inflammatory Foods - Is Your Diet Causing You Pain?

Several of us are aware of anti-inflammatory medications, but have you heard of pro-inflammatory foods? The foods you consume actually do have an impact on how you feel and will affect your health and body's capability to heal. Pro-inflammatory foods increase inflammation, increase your pain from the inflammation and may even raise your chance for long-term disease.

Loading up on junk foods, high-fat meats, sugar, fast foods and fried foods will increase inflammation in your body. This is partially due to the unhealthy fats used in preparing and processing these foods, particularly trans fats and saturated fats. Processed meats such as lunch meats, hot dogs and sausages contain chemicals such as nitrites, which are linked to increased inflammation and chronic disease.

Saturated fats are found in meats, dairy products and eggs. Although these foods are an important source of minerals and vitamins, they contribute to inflammation when eaten in excess. These foods also contain fatty acids called arachidonic acid. Even though some arachidonic acid is important for your health, too much may make your inflammation worse. Opting for low fat milk and cheese and lean cuts of meat is very important, as they will not increase inflammation.

Vegetable oils that are high in Omega-6 fatty acid, such as safflower, corn and sunflower oils, margarine and many additional types of plant oils, will increase inflammation in your body.

When suffering from arthritis it is important that you maintain a low calcium to phosphorous ratio; if phosphorous content is high then additional calcium will be lost from your body, thereby aggravating your arthritis problems. Foods that are rich in phosphorous are red meat, red flesh fish, organ meat like kidney, liver, processed meat, and soft drinks. Red meat also contains high levels of uric acid, which worsens the condition.

Whole fruits and vegetables are important for their vitamins, minerals, and natural antioxidants. Yet some vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, pimentos, paprika, and cayenne, could actually increase your pain from inflammation. These vegetables are part of the nightshade family of plants and contain a chemical alkaloid called solanine, which commonly triggers pain in some people. Although there aren't any formal research findings that back the claim about nightshade plants, many people report great relief from the symptoms of pain and inflammation when eliminating them from the diet. Green and sprouted spots on potatoes usually reflect high alkaloid content, and due to this should always be carefully removed.

Gluten found in wheat, barley, and oats aggravates arthritis for many people and it is therefore recommended to reduce their consumption. Researchers discovered that participants who ate a well-balanced diet, free of animal products and foods containing gluten, increased their levels of antibodies, which could protect against inflammation.