5 WORST Foods for Pain

When you think of what to eat for dinner, you probably don’t take your aching joints or throbbing back into account. But you very well should.

The food you eat can play a major role in how you feel – and that includes your physical aches and pain.

Sure, you know acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus fruits can make your heartburn rear up, and onions or beans may make you uncomfortably gassy, but here we’re talking about pain from inflammation – the kind linked to arthritis, muscle pain and more.

Certain foods are highly inflammatory, which makes sense because inflammation is part of your body’s immune response – and 70 percent of your immune system cells are in your gut.

While inflammation is beneficial in the short term (it helps your wounds and infections heal), when inflammation becomes chronic – as it can when you eat pro-inflammatory foods – it contributes to disease and exacerbates pain.

That being said, following are some of the worst foods for pain, which should be strategically avoided if you want to minimize your level of pain.

5 Top Worst Pain-Causing Foods

5. Sweets

Cookies, candy, ice cream, brownies, doughnuts … all of these are loaded with sugar, which drives up your blood sugar and insulin, along with levels of inflammatory messengers called cytokines.

4. Bagels, Muffins and Pasta

Any member of the refined carbohydrate family – white bread, muffins, pasta, bagels, etc. – drives up inflammation due to the same reasons as sugar. In fact, there’s not much difference between refined carbs like a bagel and a heaping serving of sugar, as far as your body is concerned.

3. French Fries

These make the list because they’re a common source of synthetic trans fats, which come from foods that contain partially hydrogenated oil. Trans fats are strongly linked to systemic, chronic inflammation[i] … and are so bad for you that the Institute of Medicine recommends you simply keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.[ii]

French fries are by no means the only culprit; trans fats are also commonly found in savory snacks (like microwave popcorn), frozen pizzas, cake, cookies, pie, margarines and spreads, ready-to-use frosting, and coffee creamers.

2. Blackened or Barbecued Foods

Any time a food is cooked at high temperature (this includes foods that are broiled, fried, grilled, blackened, barbecued, etc.), toxic advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are formed. AGEs are readily absorbed by your body, where they wreak havoc, causing high levels of inflammation.

While grilling, frying and broiling your food is known to increases AGEs, stewing, boiling, braising, crock pot or steaming will instead help minimize the amount formed in your food.

1. Vegetable Oils (Polyunsaturated)

Soybean, corn, peanut, safflower and sunflower oils are examples of vegetable oils that are rich in omega-6 fats, which most Americans consume far too much of (pick up any processed food in your pantry and you’ll probably see soybean oil or corn oil on the label). Excess omega-6 fats are highly inflammatory, which is why it’s important to limit the amount of vegetable oils you consume.

The 12 Best Pain-Fighting Ingredients …

Certain foods and beverages are naturally anti-inflammatory – and you can read about 10 of them here. But there are some natural substances that you might not ordinarily eat, but which are among the most powerful on the planet for stopping inflammation – and related pain – in its tracks.

For instance … Devil’s Claw, Boswellia Extract, Turmeric, Bromelain … each of these is powerful in its own right, but when they’re combined together, and added to even more anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving ingredients like proteolytic enzymes (these work throughout your entire body to help it fight inflammation, dissolve scar tissue and more), the result is nothing short of miraculous.

You can find not one or two – but 12 natural ingredients that stop pain fast all in one place — the all-natural Heal-n-Soothe. These 12 anti-inflammatory ingredients are some of the most powerful, safest, and most effective pain relievers in the world – and they’re a must if you’re currently suffering with pain (and especially if you eat any of the highly inflammatory foods mentioned above!).

If you are interested in learning more about Heal-n-Soothe or the 12 Best Pain-Fighting ingredients, please click here.

[i] Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Apr;79(4):606-12.
[ii] U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trans Fat

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