How Food Can Increase Pain
Do you suffer from any aches or pains? Back Pain? Sciatica? Old injuries that still hurt? Believe it or not there is a direct link between what we eat and how much inflammation/pain we experience in our body.
An Acidic Diet Causes Inflammation
Everything we eat (and drink) has an effect on our body’s acid/alkaline balance. A pH of 7 is considered neutral – the Higher the number the more alkaline and the lower the number the more acidic.
Alkaline Foods
ALKALIZING FOODS: are foods that create an alkaline environment in the body.
- All fruits and vegetables are alkalizing (EVEN lemons – although they are an acidic fruit, when we eat them they create an alkaline reaction in the body.)
Acid Forming Foods
ACIDIC FOODS: are foods that create an acidic environment in the body.
- Which foods are acidic? Pretty much anything that’s not a fruit or vegetable! Junk food and healthier foods like lean protein, nuts and whole grains all provoke an acidic response in the body.
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The body’s normal pH range should be slightly alkaline, around 7.35 – 7.45, but most Americans fall way below that… The Standard American Diet is HIGHLY ACIDIC, which creates systemic inflammation within the body.
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Systemic inflammation accumulates in our body and sets the stage for degenerative disease processes to take hold. There are two types of inflammation, silent inflammation and screaming inflammation.
Two Types of Inflammation
- Silent Inflammation: the inflammation that doesn’t necessarily cause pain, but accumulates little by little in our body and systems over time and set the stage for degenerative disease processes to take hold – think high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, chronic fatigue, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.
- Screaming Inflammation = !!!!! PAIN PAIN PAIN !!!!!
Both are equally dangerous, and both can be prevented or greatly reduced by simple nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices.
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How to we reduce inflammation?
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EASY – We eat more alkalizing (anti-inflammatory) foods.
Our bodies thrive on a diet balance with 70-80% alkalizing foods.
To maintain good health we should strive to consume 70-75% alkaline foods and only 25-30% acidic foods.
To restore health we should consume 80% alkaline foods and only 20% acidic foods.
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TIPS to Get Alkaline FAST – Follow all or some of these tips and you will start to reduce inflammation and pain naturally, without the use of medications.
EAT MORE GREENS!!!
- Sneak in your greens: add greens to smoothies, soups, sauces… anything you can sneak them into!
- Eat a salad at every meal: even if you don’t change your diet drastically, the cumulative effect of eating several small side salads will have a big impact (skip the unhealthy dressing though!)
- Take a liquid chlorophyll supplement daily – this is a great way to boost your intake of greens, especially for people who just can’t get in all their veggies!
- Start sprouting! Sprouts are surprisingly EASY to grow, inexpensive and are so jam packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and proteins it’s incredible. Sprouts contain all the elements a plant needs for growth. It is concentrated nutrition, which means you can pack in a super high dose of nutrition in a small amount of food. *** Watch for my next post on HOW TO SPROUT – but in the mean time check out this awesome Sprouted Falafel Recipe… Soaking the Garbanzos (chick peas) overnight is a simple way to start the germination process and essentially what you are making is Garbanzo Sprouts!
And last but not least… don’t forget to get your spine checked! Spinal imbalances (subluxations) have been proven to increase inflammation, muscle tension and prolong recovery time from acute pain and injuries. People who chose chiropractic care to correct these imbalances enjoy benefits such as reduced pain, better movement, more energy, improved sleep, less headaches and more! Our chiropractors in Kirkland, Redmond and Spokane are ready to serve you and your family!