When I was working on my other hip and my knee recoveries, I explored changing my diet to reduce inflammation. The best source I found out there was Neal Barnard from the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine. What I like is the simplicity of the plan: To determine what is causing inflammation, first eliminate all possible triggers. This means eat from a limited group of foods for four weeks, at which time I should see some change in my body. Then gradually add in triggers one at a time to test whether they cause inflammation.
When I looked at the Safe Foods list I saw that it is quite limited - brown rice, some fruits and vegs, cooked, some condiments. The list of triggers is much longer. To my dismay I saw bananas, peaches, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, and onions on the possible triggers list, and I have all of these sitting on my counter. I also have almond milk, and nuts are on that triggers list too. So I decided that I will use up these trigger foods, then embark on that four-week journey.
Here is a brief description of the plan from the PCRM website:
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Try the Four-Week Anti-Arthritis Diet
Here's how to get started on the Four-Week Anti-Arthritis Diet. For four weeks:
Enjoy an abundance of foods from the pain-safe list.
Avoid common triggers completely.
Foods that are not on either list can be eaten freely.
You may start feeling better earlier than four weeks, but it often takes at least four weeks for chronically inflamed joints to begin cooling down.
After four weeks, if your symptoms have improved or disappeared, the next step is to nail down which one or more of the trigger foods caused your problem. Simply reintroduce the foods you have eliminated back into your diet one at a time, every two days.
Have a generous amount of each newly reintroduced food, and note if your joints flare up again. If so, eliminate the food that seems to have caused the problem, and let your joints cool down again. Then continue to reintroduce the other foods. Wait at least two weeks before trying a problem food a second time. Many people have more than one food trigger.
Pain-Safe Foods
Pain-safe foods virtually never contribute to arthritis, headaches, or other painful conditions. These include:
- Cooked or Dried Non-Citrus Fruits
Common Pain Triggers
Common triggers often cause pain in susceptible people. Certain drinks and additives are also common triggers, including alcoholic beverages (especially red wine), caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, and colas), monosodium glutamate, aspartame (NutraSweet), and nitrites. Here are the common food triggers, also known as the "Dirty Dozen":
- Dairy
- Chocolate
- Eggs
- Citrus Fruits
- Meat
- Wheat
- Nuts and Peanuts
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Corn
- Apples
- Bananas
After four weeks on the elimination diet, you may find that a plant-based diet is the key to remaining pain free.
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So my first step is to get to the beginning. Get rid of perishable items that are on the trigger list, and start eating from the safe list plus additions that are not on either list. I still have some fruits and nuts and bread to get rid of. I'll also want to investigate what I might have instead of coffee. I have cut way back on coffee but sometimes I still want it. I will announce when the four weeks begins officially!
