Do you have joint pain? Aches and pains that move around your body from day today? Our bodies are communicating with us that something is not right. Inflammation is a natural process that the body uses to fight infections and injuries, but chronic and excessive inflammation is concerning. Sometimes we mask these aches and pains with ibuprofen and other over-the-counter medications. These medications might help momentarily but will not fix the problem and can cause unwanted gut problems down the road from overuse. Here are three things that cause inflammation and how to gradually cut them out of your life. 

1. The Bad Oils. The most common bad oils are vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, and safflower oil.

These oils are full of omega 6’s that our body cannot process and in turn cause an inflammatory reaction. There are some healthy omega 6’s that our body thrives off of including, nuts, eggs, seeds, and avocado. Unfortunately, we are consuming way too many omega 6’s and the human body can’t handle it. In turn, this causes chronic inflammation that then can lead to arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease. 

What can you do today? 

Use olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil. These oils are pressed directly from the vegetable or fruit. This is as opposed to vegetable oils that can come from numerous sources. The purer the oil the better. Check labels, especially salad dressings, and salty snacks. Even nuts are sometimes coated in these oils. You will see a significant change in your inflammation after cutting “the bad oils” from your diet.

Do you have joint pain? Aches and pains that move around your body from day today? Our bodies are communicating with us that something is not right. Inflammation is a natural process that the body uses to fight infections and injuries, but chronic and excessive inflammation is concerning. Sometimes we mask these aches and pains with ibuprofen and other over-the-counter medications.

2. Gluten

I know, we hate hearing it but gluten can cause unwanted inflammation, and digestive issues. Why is this? Around 18 million Americans have gluten sensitivities. It can come in various forms: eczema, depression, fatigue, bloating, diarrhea, cramping,  joint, and muscle pain. You might be saying that you have none of these symptoms or all of them. Either way, If you eat a diet of processed food you will most likely come across a handful of these issues. If these symptoms are mild and only happen occasionally, over time they can absolutely get worse and cause unhealthy gut inflammation. 

What can you do today?

Start keeping a journal of how you feel after eating gluten. Did you get any of the symptoms above? Try going a week with no processed food, and see how you feel. Then gradually bring one thing at a time back into your diet and write down how that food made you feel. It is so hard to cut something out of your diet that doesn’t bother you now but might cause your body harm in the future. Trust me, I completely understand! Just try and make conscious decisions when eating processed food, and think of your future self and the great health you can have.

3. Sugar. 

One of the biggest causes of inflammation, cancer, rotted teeth, and heart disease. I can keep going. Do I love it, YUP! Sugar is so addicting that your brain tells you that it wants it just like a drug. Susan Pierce Thompson in her book “Brightline Eating” says “Cocaine, heroin, sugar, and flour, are all ground up plants, and all affect us in the same way. Obviously, some are illegal. And then the others are in all the packaged food slowly making us sick, knowing we will be addicted and keep buying more”. 

And this happens because our brain is trained to react to the sugar/flour. My mentor Brian Johnson calls it being pickled. Once a cucumber is pickled, it can’t return to being a cucumber. We can retrain our brain over time … but once we eat that sugar or flour again our brain will jump right back into an ingrained dopamine rush of addiction.

What can you do today?

Can you eat one cookie and stop? Or if you start eating the cookie you have to eat the package? No judgment here! Susan Pierce Thompson has a free quiz to find out where you are on the scale of sugar and gluten addiction. FYI I am a 10 on this scale! It is important to find out how addicted your brain is in order to plan for what you should be eating. If you know you can’t stop at one cookie maybe skip them altogether and have a single packaged treat instead. Becoming aware of these urges is helpful in itself. You should ask yourself how will I feel after eating a whole package of cookies? Most likely not great. Take the quiz below!

Take Susan Pierce Thompson’s “Susceptibility Quiz” to find out where you are on the scale. 

Checking in with your body and really seeing how you feel is so important. And always know you are not alone! I have gone through significant health issues, having to change my diet numerous times. I found that Instead of fighting the change in my body and thinking that it was turning against me. I started viewing it as it is a sign of communication. The human body is amazing and will always take care of us. We need to give it the proper nutrition to do its job. Start today!