Did you know that inflammation is the cause of much of our pains, achiness, fatigue and overall general malaise as well as chronic diseases like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease? Lots of things can cause inflammation. It is actually a protective devise, a way for our body to fight off harmful pathogens. It is when the inflammation doesn’t go away when the “fight” is over that we end up the victim of our own body’s protective devices.

Start by eliminating some foods to which you have a sensitivity or allergy to see if you end up feeling better when not indulging. Foods like potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are called “nightshade” plants and can cause arthritis. This won’t be easy to do but a couple of weeks without any of these foods (or tobacco since it, too, is a nightshade plant) could revive your health. Remember that potato and tomato ingredients, especially, are used in many other products, such as potato starch, modified food starch, vegetable starch, tomato paste, ketchup, etc. and you will want to totally eliminate these nightshade ingredients from your diet while testing their relationship to your pain. Look for these products in prepared foods like sausages, mock crab, meatballs, French fries and anything cooked in the same vegetable oil as the fries. Then, look for pepper ingredients (any/all peppers like cayenne, green, red, chipotle , dried pepper flakes) added to foods. Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, luncheon meats, salad dressings usually contain some form of pepper. Also check out any over-the-counter drugs for modified starches used as a filler. If you notice a difference in your wellbeing after a couple of weeks, then consider eliminating these foods permanently from your diet.

Now consider introducing or adding back into your diet an ingredient that cuts inflammation and lowers your risk for heart disease and macular degeneration; that is, nuts. It only takes a small handful of fresh, raw (and protected from the air) almonds, macadamia, filberts, etc. per day to get the benefits of mono and polyunsaturated oils and vitamin E to protect against inflammation. Since nuts can become rancid rapidly, buy small quantities and freeze until use. Peanuts are not actually nuts, by the way; they are legumes. Peanuts that come from organic soil will not contain the harmful chemicals that are used in the soil when peanuts are grown as an alternative crop to cotton, one of the most highly chemicalized materials grown. When cooking use nut oils. They will add wonderful aroma and flavor to your meals.

Include plenty of antioxidants in your diet. Fish oils, coconut oil, omega 3 oils lubricate joints and reduce inflammation.

Supplement your diet. Buy a good quality multivitamin/mineral supplement to improve your daily nutritional intake. After all, none of us eats a perfectly nutritious meal every time we eat! Make sure that the supplement includes vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium and magnesium of equivalent mg because too much calcium can contribute to arthritis if it stays in your joints and it needs magnesium to move it. Glucosamine sulfate is a natural anti-inflammatory agent and you may want to include this as well