Inflammation - 7 Foods to Avoid...Here's #4

Caffeine

Coffee - Tea - Cola - Chocolate

You knew it had to be on the list. :(  Because caffeine is considered a stimulant, many of us turn to caffeine-rich beverages for energy.  However, the boost we get is false.  The problem with caffeine is that the "up" is relatively brief followed by a substantially longer and deeper sedative effect. 

When we are already tired, the sedative effects can be much more powerful leading to a much deeper and long lasting sense of fatigue.  

This picture represents how I feel on too much caffeine!

The good news is that cutting out caffeine makes a difference within a week.  Most see a difference in their fatigue level almost immediately.  

My World..

I rarely drink pop of any kind.  I have changed over to decaf green tea which is a good thing (I will leave that for another post)  I am all in all not a chocolate lover but I need to be aware as chocolate has caught me off guard before.  

My area of struggle is with coffee... 

I LOVE COFFEE on a cold mornings like today!  (even the picture makes me smile)  That being said...I highly recommend you cut coffee out for a period of time if at all possible, then you will be able to understand the affect it has on your body.  I have cut coffee out totally for months when I needed to get my body re-balanced.  I have cut coffee out totally when I think I'm getting addicted to it.  I also rarely drink coffee in the summer.  Right now when my body feels good and I'm not struggling physically I allow myself a cup coffee in the morning.  That would be one drinking cup full.  Not one pot full :)  I also only use organic coffee and for creamer I use coconut milk.  

Only 3 more Foods to go!  

Then I will spend some time sharing what I do eat.  I can't wait...talking about what we should eat is much more fun than talking about what we should not!

Inflammation - 7 Foods to Avoid...Here's #3

Sugar, Fructose & Simple Carbohydrates

Why Sugar, Fructose & Simple Carbs?

These are not good for you because they cause a dump of sugars into the digestive tract.  This stimulates a big jump in insulin.  Long story short... Insulin stimulates the inflammation pathway and the rise and fall of blood sugar levels causes even more fatigue.  Secondary to blood sugar would be the need to stop feeding chronic yeast infections that thrive on sugar causing inflammation as well as brain-fog and suppressed immunity.

What is Fructose?

Fructose is a simple sugar.  Fructose goes straight to the liver.  Too much fructose seems to overwhelm the bodies ability to process it as a sugar causing problems.  Approximately 10% of our American diet is fructose!!!

I must stop and make a note about 
High Fructose Corn Syrup!

HFCS is produced by processing corn starch to make glucose, and then processing the glucose to create a syrup.   While regular table sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose, high-fructose corn syrup can contain up to 80% fructose and 20% glucose, that is almost twice the fructose of common table sugar!  Throw that into your carbonated beverages (pop, soda) and you have a huge problem!  (This all makes me sound so scientific. :))  The carbonation causes a metabolic reaction resulting in much more sugar pouring into the blood very quickly!  Please read the labels...there is decent food out there now without HCFS in it.  There will be a learning curve but eventually you will know what brands to buy and what not too!  

And last but not least...simple carbs...

Well you know what these are... candy, white bread, white pastas, syrup, juices, pop, most packaged cereals, good old fashioned table sugar.  These carbs are more refined, have fewer nutrients, low or no fiber.  All of which leads to the same physical body responses that I've already mentioned.  

My World...

Please know that my children do get candy from time to time.  We still make cakes for their Birthdays :).  In fact we actually have dessert night once a week.  We don't do dessert the rest of the week and we look forward to it on Fridays.  I try to make the dessert as healthy or balanced as possible but if I can't then I simply plan on sharing it with the neighbors or tossing it the next day.  We simply can't eat icky and feel good.  It's just not possible. Maybe you are not at a point where you are ready to make this change.   But I can tell you, when you or someone you love are faced with chronic pain or life changing Autoimmune Disease...
sugar will not be a big deal anymore!  I promise!


Hang in here with me... Don't quit...
You can feel better!

Inflammation - 7 Foods to Avoid...Here's #2

Food Additives - Including MSG & Nitrates

Folks, this is a hard one to recognize...and it's everywhere!  Just search it on the web and you will come up with lists of foods that have these food additives in them.  

Unfortunately, MSG is now hidden under other names as well.  
So my personal opinion is if you can't read the label...don't eat it! 

Oh and unfortunately, the "lists" of food containing MSG include almost all of KFC, half of Burger King and half of McDonalds... it's really sad.  We just have to think before we eat... I know it's worth it though.  You will too when you feel better!

So...What is MSG?

MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a chemical sodium salt and is used in the food industry as a flavor enhancer.  Experts agree it can intensify pain symptoms in many individuals.  Like aspartame, MSG is classified as an excitotoxin and has the same potential for affecting NMDA receptors.   Again, this basically means it's a chemical substance that excite your neurons (brain cells).  Yikes!  I don't think I want that!

 Where is MSG found in my food?

MSG is used around the globe in soups and broths, sauces, gravies, and flavoring and spice blends. MSG is also present in a variety of processed foods such as canned and frozen meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, and ready-to-eat food plates, dressings, ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, sausages, snacks, some processed cheeses, soup powders for instant noodles, etc

What are nitrates?

Nitrates are ingredients added to many of the foods you eat to achieve flavor, color and stability. In addition, they help protect against bacterial growth and rancidity, enhance the flavor of foods and add shelf life to products.Comsuming an excess of nitrates can be harmful. In some studies, more than 90 percent of nitrates have been shown to be carcinogenic to bodily organs

Where are nitrates found in my food?  

Nitrates are found in lunchmeats like ham, bologna, and cured meats like bacon. 

Hint:  look for nitrate free meats and drink that glass of OJ if you decide to eat bacon (we eat bacon occasionally but not weekly).  Vitamin C is known to inhibit the conversion to nitrosamines in your stomach.  Simply speaking..Vitamin C helps. 

Bottom Line -  Food Preservatives = Bad For YOU!

***Let's remember The Goal...***
Stopping the inflammation in our bodies by
beginning the process of eating to live and not just living to eat!

Let me back up...Why am I talking about Inflammation?

Why am I talking about Inflammation? 

As a child I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and at the age of 31 I was diagnosed with Lupus SLE… I NEVER knew that the pain I was feeling was "caused" by inflammation.  Something was going wrong in my body that was causing swelling (inflammation) in my joints and now soft tissue.  

What is Inflammation? 

Inflammation is essentially the body's response to injury, and the function of inflammation is tissue healing.  Practically speaking, we are all dealing with the inflammatory process either through general injury or dietary imbalances.

So not only can injury be caused by direct trauma..but also by eating a poor diet.

Every time you eat the wrong foods, you create inflammation in your body that will slowly but surely lead to the expression of chronic pain or whatever disease you may be genetically predisposed to.  

Most people do not realize that the following conditions are caused or promoted by inflammation: aches and pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, crohn's disease, colitis, osteoporosis, acne, aging, syndrome X, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, Alzhemier’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and many many others…

Where do we go from here?

We can STOP putting things in our body that cause inflammation 

- know the 7 foods you should avoid (in this weeks posts)

We can START eating healthy foods and food based supplements

 - I've had a great experience with Shakeology

We can begin eating to live and not just living to eat! 

Inflammation - 7 Foods to Avoid...Here's #1

WHY?

     Experts agree aspartame exacerbates inflammation by means of stimulating a pain receptor in the nervous system known as NMDA.  When pain turns from acute to chronic, it involves opening the NMDA pain receptor.  Aspartame, classified as an excitotoxin, stimulates this event as the receptor is activated by the amino acid glutamate.  When it is excessively stimulated, this may cause all types of cognitive defects.  Individuals with inflammatory disorders appear to already have overly active NMDA pain receptors, making them even more susceptible. 

     The 2006 Journal of Rheumatology found that for many people, cutting aspartame out of your diet completely has a dramatic impact on inflammation and pain relief since it plays a major role in stimulating nerve pathways.

Bottom Line - Aspartame = Bad For YOU!

Sorry Diet Coke drinkers...Please know you are loved!

My Struggle with Lupus and Why I'm a Beachbody Coach!

One of the reasons I am involved with Beachbody is because of my personal journey with exercise and strength training while having an autoimmune disease. 

Almost 5 years ago at the age of 31.  I was diagnosed with Lupus SLE which is an autoimmune disease that attacks the soft tissue in your body.  I had been going through these horrible weeks where my body would just crash and I couldn't get it together physically.  I had some previous success with working out and eating well but I kept getting too thin and couldn't keep muscle.  I was weak and started to give in to the mental struggles of chronically feeling ill.  

I secretly wondered if I had cancer or something…if life was always going to be a struggle physically.   Since that time, I have tried a gluten free diet, some products for glyconutrients, clean eating diet, vitamins etc.- all of which has been somewhat beneficial. 

However, a year and a half ago, over Christmas, we saw the P90X video and my husband who just turned 40 decided to give it a try.  Me, also ready to keep pushing forward even through the Lupus flares, decided to give it a try as well.  We also decided to try Shakeology as I am always looking for good healthy foods especially in the winter when the choices are slim here in Nebraska.  

I have to say that for the first time since I can remember.. I have been able to build and sustain muscle for the last 18 months.  For the first time in years, I don't worry about my digestive issues that have always played a huge role in my day..which is really very amazing to me.  

You can see from a few of my pictures (there will be more to come… I don't like taking pictures)  that I am able to build and keep muscle which is huge in helping me maintain a healthy life and do the things I want to do.  I never would have dreamed a few years ago that I would be strong enough to ski or learn to surf… I was barely strong enough to get off the couch let alone stand up on a board in the ocean.  

So to say I'm "excited" about Beachbody and their products sounds a little cheesy to me…  I guess I'm just thankful  - excited to have my life back and to be strong enough to enjoy it.  All Glory goes to my Heavenly Father the ultimate healer and life giver!