When joints are painful, stiff and achy, you can blame arthritis. According to the CDC arthritis is caused by inflammation in the joints.y The bad news: pain and inflammation are symptoms of a much bigger problem. The good news: recovery is possible!
Not so Healthy Grains
Since the 80’s health experts have touted whole grains as healthy alternatives to their refined counterparts. Full of colon cleansing fiber and B vitamin nutrition, we’re told to down 40 grams of whole grains a day. This topic could easily cover a whole book, but here’s the problem with that in a nutshell.
Not a Good Source of Nutrition
If you’re eating grains for the benefit of fiber, fruits and vegetables contain significantly more fiber per serving. Broccoli and lettuce have a whopping 8 times more fiber per serving than whole grains. Grains are also low in potassium and other necessary vitamins and minerals.
Causes Inflammation
Dr. Natasha Campell-McBride, author of the popular “Gut and Psychology Syndrome,” has helped numerous patients recover from inflammatory diseases with a grain free diet. The fiber in whole grains IS beneficial, but as shown above, grains aren’t a good source of fiber. Even worse, they contain anti-nutrients that prevent our body from using the vitamins and minerals. Which brings us to our next point.
Anti-nutrients
The hull of grains contains phytic acid which blocks nutrient absorption in the body. Calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron are primarily affected.
“Grains are acidic, and over a lifetime, dietary acidity leads to the muscle and bone loss associated with aging.” Dr. David Seaman
In addition to promoting an acidic environment, grains block calcium and magnesium absorption which are essential to bone and joint health. Grains and beans also contain lectins, which can promote inflammation in the digestive tract. You may be thinking “I’m worried about inflammation in my wrist, not my intestines.”
“Inflammation of the gut is frequently associated with inflammation of the joints and vice versa.” Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University
It is possible through soaking, sprouting and souring to partially remove the phytic acid from certain grains. Dr Ramiel Nagel offers a great article on phytic acid and phytase in grains here.
Pasteurized Dairy
Pasteurization is great for large factory farms that can’t (or don’t want to) keep animals healthy. These mass produced milk factories are breeding grounds for disease. Pasteurization is also great for big box supermarkets. Raw milk would spoil before it reached it’s destination in the fridge aisle.
There is a ton of conflicting information about the health and safety of drinking raw milk. There is always a risk of illness when drinking raw milk, but the risk is significantly lower than many other foods.
Dairy only accounts for 1.3% of foodborne illness each year, while vegetables are at the top of the list.
ut of the 10 million people that regularly consume raw milk, NO deaths from raw milk have been reported for over 30 years! Pasteurized dairy however has caused a handful of deaths in just the past decade.
Why is Pasteurized Bad?
Again, another question with a very long answer. Simply put, heating a food past 118 degrees kills all the live enzymes. These enzymes in milk are necessary to properly digest lactose, hence the numerous cases of lactose intolerance. Phosphatase in milk is necessary to absorb the bone and joint nourishing calcium, which is also killed during pasteurization.
“Once heated, milk becomes rotten, with precipitated minerals that can’t be absorbed (hence osteoporosis), with sugars that can’t be digested (hence allergies), and with fats that are toxic.”Thomas Cowan MD
The Benefits of Raw
So why not just avoid milk all-together? Raw milk has been historically used to treat arthritis and diabetes.
“Butterfat has a cortisone-like factor which is heat sensitive (destroyed by heat) that prevents stiffness in the joints.” Thomas Cowan MD
Raw pastured butter will lubricate your joints as it tantalizes your taste-buds. Many people have relieved the inflammation and alleviated their arthritis by drinking raw milk. Read this story of how one girl with severe arthritis found relief from drinking raw milk. Her mother wrote this letter to the court in defense of her right to buy raw milk after the government illegally seized the farmer’s property and sued him for endangering public health.
Processed Sugar
White flour metabolizes as sugar in the body, turning to fat and causing numerous health issues. Chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and insulin irregularities are aggravated and even caused by sugar
“Sugar can play a role in inflammatory diseases. Poor regulation of glucose and insulin is a breeding ground for inflammation.” Dave Grotto, RD
Artificial sugar substitutes are even worse. Aspartame has been shown to kill brain cells and cause neurological and behavioral disorders. It’s best to stick to truly natural sweeteners, such as unprocessed stevia (it’s actually green!) raw honey, and maple syrup. Organic “raw” cane sugar is actually a processed food and is really no better than processed white sugar.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published an article showing recent research found a link between Omega-6 fats and inflammation in the body. Omega-6 fats are found in products typically touted as “healthy.”
“Most omega-6 fats, found in margarine and corn and safflower oils, are the basic building blocks of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2, two of several key inflammation-causing substances in the body.” Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.
Saturated fats have gotten a bad rap over the years of fad low-fat diets, but they are actually essential to proper brain function and development. As mentioned above, Weston A. Price noticed that of the cultures he studied, those with diets high in pastured and raw saturated animal fats had little to no tooth decay and amazing health.
Babies and children who aren’t fed enough healthy fats can have severe disabilities, including speech problems, autism, ADD and ADHD.
So, No More Cupcakes?!
Don’t be disheartened by this information when it comes to food choices. Yes, you may want to give up your weekly Starbucks with its processed sugar and pasteurized milk. And you’ll probably want to nix those sugary breakfast muffins.
Does this mean surviving off of carrot sticks and pot roast? No! There are so many positively delicious recipes out there full of nutrition. And yes, that includes desserts. Check here for delicious hot fudge sundaes, or here for a creamy, bone strengthening eggnog. Or check this page for some delicious desserts.
Resources:
- The problem with grains – Amy Myers MD
- Why grains are bad – Sarah Ballantyne, PhD
I had such bad arthritis pain for 2 decades, could not bend over, in my back and knees. For several months went on a whole food, plant based diet, and in a couple months no pain, so I thought, great, healed and went back to my cheese, eggs and steak. In a very short while, all that pain came back. So I am now determined, to go back to a plant based diet, rather than live with my arthritis all my life.
I’m glad you’ve found something that worked well for you! Conventionally farmed, grain-fed meat, dairy, and eggs are really high in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats and glyphosate, negatively disrupting gut health (and then everything else). Grass-fed, unsprayed, and pasture-raised products are much higher in nutrients and anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats. You might find a difference with the healthier animal food versions. I know dairy in general (even if raw from grass-fed cows) can still be inflammatory for some.