AVOID: Common Arthritis Trigger Food

Last week, I told you about how your diet can trigger migraine headaches.

The same is true for another common chronic pain problem: arthritis.

If you have an underlying food intolerance or allergy to certain foods—even healthy ones—they could trigger inflammation that puts you in a chronic cycle of pain.

In fact, one particular family of vegetables could be the surprising trigger for your arthritis pain.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition in which your body attacks its own joints.

Limiting inflammation is vital for taming the pain and reducing the progression of this condition.

That’s where food comes in.

Previous studies have found that making key changes to your diet can reduce—or in some cases, ELIMINATE—arthritis pain.

That’s because when you take away the inflammation-causing food, you take away the arthritis trigger.

One survey found that the following foods were the worst arthritis offenders: meat, sugar, fat, caffeine, and nightshade vegetables (a family of plants).

You’ll notice that these are all healthy foods, except sugar. But if your body has an unhealthy reaction to them, you should still consider limiting them—or avoiding them altogether.

Some organizations claim nightshade vegetables aren’t likely arthritis triggers. But countless firsthand accounts and emerging science give us good reasons to take a closer look.

Nightshade vegetables contain a glycoalkaloid substance called solanine. It’s a natural pesticide that animal studies show could contribute to a leaky gut.

In sensitive individuals with an intolerance for nightshades, this could impact your microbiome and ultimately lead to systemic inflammation related to arthritis.

Nightshades that contain solanine include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers.

The best way to see if these foods impact YOUR arthritis is to eliminate them altogether. Then over the next couple of weeks, take note if your symptoms improve when you do.

Next, you can add one food back into your diet at a time and observe if there’s any change in your symptoms. This can help you pinpoint if it’s specific foods or nightshades, in general, aggravating your arthritis.

Listen to your body. It’s always talking to you. It’s your job to make sure you’re listening.

P.S. There’s no cure for arthritis. And most mainstream options like NSAIDs are risky or even downright DANGEROUS. But there are other NATURAL options. In fact, some of these ache-erasing solutions could be in your kitchen RIGHT NOW.

SOURCES:

“Potato glycoalkaloids adversely affect intestinal permeability and aggravate inflammatory bowel disease,” Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2002 Sep;8(5):340-6. doi: 10.1097/00054725-200209000-00005. PMID: 12479649.

“Naturally occurring glycoalkaloids in potatoes aggravate intestinal inflammation in two mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease.” Dig Dis Sci. 2010 Nov;55(11):3078-85. doi: 10.1007/s10620-010-1158-9. Epub 2010 Mar 3. PMID: 20198430.