What To Stop Eating and Start Supplementing for Achy Joints

Transcript: 

Brandy: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition's midweek segment called “Ask a Nutritionist”. My name is Brandy Buro. I'm a Licensed and Registered Dietitian here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. And today I'm going to be talking about something that impacts probably all of us at some point in our life, and that's joint pain;

Whether it's your knees or hips, maybe it's stiff shoulders or swollen fingers, maybe you just think that it's a normal part of aging. But nutrition plays a much bigger role than you think it might. And what you eat or don't eat can actually help calm that inflammation and pain or make it much worse.

And this is something that I take very seriously. As somebody that has a type of autoimmune arthritis, I have learned that what I eat can make a huge difference in managing my pain and just helping me stay mobile and active and doing all the things that I love to do.

So in this episode, I'm going to get very practical with you. I'm going to walk you through what you should stop eating, things that are fueling the inflammation, and what you need to start adding more of to help calm the inflammation and support healthy joints. But before we get into the food piece, let's talk a little bit about what causes joint pain.

What causes joint pain?

So here's the big picture. Most chronic pain outside of an injury is driven by inflammation in the body. And inflammation can be influenced by a few things. It's heavily influenced by big swings in blood sugar. Processed foods can be part of that, but there's also some things in processed foods that are inflammatory. Nutrient deficiencies and gut health can also impact that inflammation.

So if your joints are constantly stiff or swollen, or you just always just feel achy, it may not just be wear and tear or a natural process of aging. What you're eating can either help calm that inflammation or it can trigger that inflammation.

Biggest dietary offenders (#1: sugar)

So let's start with the biggest dietary offenders. It's probably not a surprise to you, but sugar is at the very top of that list of inflammatory foods. Maybe you've noticed that after you've had a little bit of sugar or maybe you went on vacation and you said yes to dessert every night. Is your pain worse?

Maybe it's later that evening or maybe you're waking up the next day just feeling very stiff and sore. It could even be a couple days later that you notice this. If you're somebody that consumes sugar every single day, this connection is probably a little harder to make because your body is always in a constant state of inflammation.

It's for that reason that cutting sugar out for a while, I think is a great idea just so that you can feel the difference and start making that connection. The reason sugar is so inflammatory is that it spikes your blood sugar, which spikes insulin, and that increases inflammatory markers in your body. And that inflammation contributes to cartilage breakdown. So your joints don't have as much cushion to kind of buffer some of that friction and that irritation.

Where could sugar be hiding in your diet?

So where could sugar be hiding in your diet? Well, we know that a lot of sugar, at least in the United States, comes from sugar sweetened beverages. Think soda, sugar sweetened coffee drinks, energy drinks, and of course the obvious ones like candy, desserts, and baked goods like muffins, pies, cake. But sugar is sneaky. Even foods that are marketed as healthy foods could be loaded with sugar.

One of my favorite examples is yogurt. Flavored yogurt is full of sugar. Then you add a little bit of granola on top of that and you've got basically dessert. So I'd like you to start reading labels. Look at the ingredients list, start to notice where added sugar is hiding. My recommendation is to try to keep your added sugar to less than 20 grams a day.

And less is more. If you can whittle it down even more, that's even better. It can be extremely eye-opening to learn where sugar is hiding in things that you use every day. It adds up very quickly. And like I mentioned, sometimes you can feel that inflammation come on the very next morning or maybe a couple days after eating some higher sugar foods. So next time you feel your joint pain flare up, take a second to think, what did I have yesterday? Or what did I have a couple days ago?

There could be a food connection there. Sometimes it helps to keep a food journal just to track what you're eating and how you feel so that you can start recognizing those patterns a little easier.

Aside from sugar, a closely related group of inflammatory foods is processed carbohydrates. Refined and processed carbohydrates like bread, tortillas, crackers, chips, white rice, pasta, AKA simple carbs. So simple carbs or processed carbs act very similarly to sugar in the body. They create a similar spike in your blood sugar, a spike in your insulin, which increases inflammation in the body.

And in general, these foods don't really have a lot to offer in the way of nutrients. They don't really have a lot of vitamins or minerals unless they're fortified back in. And they're not a great source of healthy fat or protein. They taste good and they're really easy to eat, but they're not really helping the situation.

If anything, they're causing more inflammation and damage to our general health. And this doesn't mean that all carbs are bad. We just want to choose our carbs wisely. Quality makes a huge difference when it comes to carbohydrates. Most of our carbs should be coming from vegetables. And in modest amounts, we could incorporate some fruit, legumes, and whole grains.

So in general, we want to be focusing on real whole foods, real whole plants that you can grow in a garden, that you could find in the field. So do your best to minimize those processed carbohydrates. Do your best to minimize processed foods in general, because not only are they a main source of added sugar and processed carbohydrates, they often also contain refined oils. And that's going to take me to the next inflammatory food: processed refined seed oils.

#2 inflammatory food to avoid: processed, refined seed oils

So we're thinking soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil. So all of these oils are very high in inflammatory omega-6 fats. And the standard American diet is extremely high in omega-6 fats, more than is good for us. Most of that is coming from processed foods. We also get omega-6 fats from healthy foods like nuts and seeds.

But because processed oils are so abundant in our food system, our intake of omega-6 fats is just too extreme. And that can cause an imbalance that causes inflammation in our body. So these refined processed oils are guaranteed in processed foods, but they're also in foods prepared at a restaurant, anything that's deep fried. They're even in your salad dressings that you buy at the store.

So it is very common to come across these refined oils if you are eating a processed food diet. So real food is a great way to eliminate these refined oils and help reduce your inflammation.

#3 inflammatory substance to limit/avoid: alcohol

Another source of inflammation that could be playing a role in your joint pain is alcohol. It's probably not a surprise that alcohol is not good for us. It is a toxin, but I don't think a lot of people are making that connection between how alcohol might be impacting their joint pain.

But the truth is that alcohol increases inflammation throughout your entire body, including your joints. So when I'm working with clients that are working on reducing their joint pain, I emphasize that there really is no safe amount of alcohol. No amount of alcohol is good for your health.

Sure, maybe you could have a cocktail or a glass of wine for special occasions. And some people can get away with that without noticing that it impacts their pain much. That being said, if your joint pain is flaring up and your joint pain is debilitating even, I think it's worth experimenting and cutting out alcohol. You know, I'd give it four or six weeks and see how your body responds. It's definitely not going to hurt the situation.

Well, those are what I like to call the low hanging fruit in what to weed out of your diet to help reduce inflammation and reduce that pain. Sugar, processed carbohydrates, processed oils, processed foods in general, and alcohol. That is a great place to start.

Experiment with a gluten free diet to reduce inflammation

Another strong recommendation that I have would be to experiment with a gluten-free diet. Gluten is a common food sensitivity that for many people can be very irritating and damaging to your gut. And when your gut is not happy, that triggers a lot of inflammation in the body. Good news is if you're already working to cut out processed carbohydrates and processed foods, a lot of sources of gluten go along with that.

So cutting out processed foods is a great first step. To get a little more of an edge, I would recommend working with a dietitian to figure out where else gluten might be hiding. Do a six week gluten free trial and see if that makes a difference in your joint pain.

Foods to include to help joints feel better (#1: include anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats)

Well, I just reviewed the top inflammatory foods that I recommend getting out of your diet to calm the inflammation and reduce joint pain. I next want to shift into what to include to help your joints feel better. So when you think of a diet that reduces inflammation, what do you think of?

What are those anti-inflammatory foods? You're probably thinking colorful fruits and vegetables. Maybe you're even thinking healthy fats like olive oil and salmon. Well, you would be right. Those are all amazing anti-inflammatory foods that we should be including more often in our everyday diet. So let's start the important healthy fats.

Omega-3 fats are essential when you're trying to reduce inflammation and reduce joint pain. Omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory powerhouses. The best sources of omega-3 fats are going to be animal-based sources. So we're thinking fatty fish mostly; salmon, anchovies, sardines, mackerel. We can get a little bit of omega-3 fats from grass-fed beef and pasture-raised eggs. So those are going to be your best sources.

We could even get smaller amounts in some plants like chia seeds, walnuts, and flaxseed. So if you're suffering from joint pain and you are not a fan of fatty fish, I do recommend that you supplement with a good quality omega-3 supplement because there aren't really that many food sources for those omega-3s, but they are essential in reducing inflammation.

So when you're shopping for an omega-3 supplement, we are looking for a supplement that has a high amount of EPA and DHA omega-3 fats because those are the specific omega-3s that are going to help bring down the inflammation. I'd also look for a third-party tested product so that you know you're getting good quality.

A good quality fish oil or omega-3 supplement should have somewhere around 800 to 1000 milligrams of that EPA and DHA per capsule. And I typically suggest at least three thousand milligrams of omega-3 a day to help reduce that joint pain. So that covers an essential fat, the omega-3.

Include anti-inflammatory vegetables

But let's talk more about those anti-inflammatory vegetables. We're shooting for color here. The more color, the more variety, the better. We want to look for deeply pigmented fruits and vegetables. So we're thinking deep green leafy greens, berries, cruciferous vegetables, things like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.

So these are all packed with antioxidants that help fight the inflammation at a cellular level. They're also very low in sugar, which means they're not going to spike your blood sugar. So that's kind of a two for one.

Include quality protein

Next, we want to include good quality protein. Your joints need protein to help repair any damage and keep that cartilage, that buffer healthy and strong. So we want to get good quality animal sources for our best protein options. So grass-fed beef, pasture-raised eggs, pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught fish, those would all be great examples of quality protein.

Protein is also going to serve a role in stabilizing our blood sugar, which again we know helps prevent inflammation. In addition to lots of vegetables, some good quality protein, getting a good source of omega-3, we also want to make sure we're incorporating nourishing fats in our diet.

Include nourishing fats

Trying to weed out those refined processed oils and replace them with natural fats: olive oil, avocados, canned coconut milk, grass-fed butter, nuts and seeds. These are all natural fats that can help reduce the inflammation, and lubricate our joints, all good things.

Include bone broth for joint support

One special food that I like to incorporate in my meal plan is bone broth. Bone broth is a miracle worker for joints. It's a natural source of collagen. It also has essential amino acids that all help rebuild that cartilage and connective tissue in our joints. So you can use bone broth as an ingredient in a soup or a stew. You could even just sip on bone broth as part of a snack. It's kind of a comforting warm beverage to have that's sugar free and gives you some of that collagen support.

Supplement support for reducing joint pain

Now with that, there are a few supplements that can be game changers when it comes to reducing joint pain. So I've already talked about supplementing with a good quality omega-3 supplement. That's always on my list for an anti-inflammatory protocol.

My next recommendation would be a good quality collagen powder. Collagen again, it helps rebuild those tissues in your joints. It helps rebuild that cartilage. It helps rebuild the tendons and the ligaments that all support a nice stable joint. I personally take our Key Collagen. It's a really good quality collagen. It's from grass-fed cows. Something that's unique about the Key Collagen is that it contains a peptide called Tendoforte and that actually is unique to rebuilding our tendons.

So that's something that kind of sets it apart from other collagens that you can find elsewhere. But it's also flavorless. I just mix it into a cup of coffee or a glass of water in the morning so it's very easy to take.

Another supplement on the top of my list for reducing inflammation and helping with your joint health is magnesium. Magnesium is kind of a great overall supplement for a lot of different ailments, I guess, but it's just a big player. It plays a lot of roles in our body.

But in the context of joint health, I love magnesium to help relax my muscles and relieve tension around the joints. But magnesium also supports better quality sleep. Because it helps with muscle relaxation, it can help you get into a deeper, more restful sleep.

And I've certainly noticed that getting better sleep helps reduce my pain and just keeps inflammation low in my body. So strong recommend to get some magnesium on board.

The next supplement that I personally love and I use with my clients often is curcumin. Curcumin is the anti-inflammatory compound in the turmeric root. So it is one of the more researched anti-inflammatory supplements out there. You've probably seen curcumin or turmeric when you've been shopping for anti-inflammatory supplements.

I do use the Nutrikey Curcumin 400 and I do recommend that you get a curcumin versus a turmeric supplement. Curcumin is the concentrative compound. It's the concentrative form of those anti-inflammatory compounds in turmeric root.

So basically you're just getting a really concentrated potent dose of the thing that's driving down inflammation. So those are just a few of my top supplements that I recommend as a starting point to support joint health and reduce inflammation. You can learn more about our supplements at nutrikey.net. You can also email us at info@nutrikey.net and we'll answer all your questions.

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We can even connect you to a dietitian to help you figure out your personalized plan.

But overall, the best way for all of these ideas to come together is consistency. Joint health improves over time when you consistently reduce those inflammatory foods, when you feed your body nourishing foods, anti-inflammatory foods, and when you have the right supplements that make a difference.

It is common for the people that I work with to start noticing some benefit after just a few days of cutting out sugar and processed carbs. Within a few weeks of eliminating sugar and processed carbs and nourishing your body with real food, I think you're going to start to see even more significant improvements, not just in your joint pain but how you feel overall.

Wrapping it up

Well to wrap things up let's talk about a very simple action plan. If you are feeling overwhelmed with all this information here's where you can start. First cut out sugar. If you are drinking soda or sugar sweetened beverages, if you have that sweet sugary creamer in your coffee, eliminate it.

Next, think about the ultra processed foods. Weed out those ultra processed foods as much as possible and focus on real foods. Second, we want to add in those omega-3 fats. If you like fatty fish like salmon, aim to incorporate a five ounce serving of salmon two or three times a week.

If that's not your thing, I strongly recommend to do an omega-3 supplement, 2 to 3,000 milligrams every day. Third, try cooking more at home. That way you are eliminating those refined oils and a lot of the processed carbs. We can switch over to something like avocado oil or olive oil when you're doing your cooking, when you're roasting your veggies and you're doing a stir-fry.

This is naturally going to crowd out those refined oils that increase inflammation. And finally, consider adding in some key supplements that support your joints and reduce inflammation. Certainly the omega 3, that's a strong recommend, a good quality collagen powder, curcumin, and magnesium can also make a big difference and play other roles in the body.

So they kind of tackle a few things with one supplement. So all in all, if your joints are talking back to you, you're waking up sore and stiff and inflamed, just know that you likely have a lot more control over the situation than you think. And it starts with real food. So start with the tips that we talked about today.

Be consistent and pay attention to how your body responds. Start making the connection between what you're eating and how you feel. Well, if you found this episode helpful, please share it with somebody whose joint pain is problematic, somebody whose joint pain is interfering with their quality of life. This could help them.

And to learn more about how we can help you if you need a little more individualized support, maybe you'd like to meet with one of our dietitians to develop that personalized meal plan and your personalized supplement plan, visit us on our website, weightandwellness.com.

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Well, thank you so much for listening today and have a great day.