10 Foods That You Should Not Eat If You Have Joint Pain

Our joints are the connecting points between the bones. They bear the weight and enable the movement of our body. Different joints provide stability as well as mobility in our body. Injuries in ligaments, cartilage or bones within the joints results in joint pain. Inflammation in joints leads to arthritis which causes severe pain joints. Joint pain also occurs due to broken or dislocated bones, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Pain in joints aggravates due to inflammation, swelling and causes discomfort. While the pain can range from mild to severe, depending on the cause, there are certain foods that aggravate the pain. Here are the foods that you must avoid if you have joint pains ;

1. Sugar

Image: Source Sugar leads to inflammation pressure in joints and results in weight gain. It has been noted higher sugar intake leads to strain in joints and makes them weaker. Avoid cakes, pastries, frizzy drinks, bakery foods, processed foods that are packed with sugar. You can either use honey or maple syrups in moderate amounts as a substitute for sugar.

2. Red Meat & Processed Meats

Image: Source Red meat and processed meats have several chemicals and toxins that aggravate the pain in joints. Red meats worsen the pain and inflammation and in severe cases can even result in life threatening diseases. Avoid red meat and switch to lean meats and fish to prevent further inflammations.

3. Eggs

Image: Source Egg yolks contain arachidonic acid that aggravates the inflammation in joints. Additionally eggs contain saturated fats which again worsen the pain and swelling in joints.

4. Beer

Image: Source Consuming alcoholic drinks like beer in excess leads to further damage to joints. Beer contains purines which gets converted to uric acid and causes severe pain. Beer also contains gluten which is harmful for fragile joints.

5. Dairy Products

Image: Source Dairy products are high in protein content which causes irritation to joint tissues. Moreover dairy products are also packed with saturated fats which further aggravate the inflammation and results depleting pain in joints. Instead of having regular dairy products like milk or cheese you can have almond or soy milk and tofu.

6. Refined Flour & Grains

Image: Source Consuming refined flour or wheat or grain based items on regular basis results in development of autoimmune diseases. The high glycemic index in refined flour alleviates inflammation and pain. Switch to coconut, almond or whole grains and switch from white rice to brown rice.

7. Mono Sodium Glutamate Foods

Image: Source Avoid foods that are enhanced with mono sodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is a chemical that is usually added to processed foods to enhance the flavours of the foods. This chemical dos not get easily digested and can result in inflammatory symptoms.

8. Gluten

Image: Source Food items such as wheat or barley contain complex protein called gluten. When gluten gets absorbed by the body it leads allergic reaction and results in inflammation of joints. This condition further leads to gout and people with this condition should avoid breads, pastas and other preserved foods.

9. Salt

Image: Source Salt is another food ingredient that you should avoid if you want to prevent joint pains. Refined or processed table salts are high in their additives and contain chemicals that weaken the fluid balance in your body. Avoid processed foods and junk foods as they have salts in high content. Replace it with sea salt.

10. Corn Oil

Image: Source Corn oil is rich in omega 6 acid which has shown to alleviate inflammation in joints. Avoid sunflower oil and corn oil and switch to fish oil which is high in omega 3 acids to prevent damage to joints.