Foods that cause achiness in the body
In this part of my Healing on the Danforth Website that I have called “Health Tips” I try to offer a few words of advice that I hope will help you to a place of better health and wellness. I add tips of encouragement on the subject of appropriate exercises, stretches and nutrition and ideas that you can add to your repertoire for lifestyle improvement.
In this particular blog posting, I admit my writings are close to a confession of things that are detrimental to my own health. In this recent holiday season, I have indulged in foods that I should have limited or excluded from my diet. Mea Culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I can come up with all sorts of excuses but they are sort of feeble. In the middle of the night, I could feel small twinges of achiness which I think are the consequences of my recent actions. However, I am grateful for this cue for correction.
A Christmas cake made from my mother’s old recipe including a bottle of brandy, bottle of apricot brandy, a marzipan icing made with Amaretto and topped with a royal icing. How could I possibly reject my mother?
Over the recent holiday season, this latest malaise, in this case very modest, was because I had indulged in foods that had triggered an inflammation. These are foods that generally I keep out of the house so that I am not tempted. The intent is good. Again, this biblical saying seems appropriate: "the flesh is weak, but the spirit is willing”
There are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is a healing response to an injury, for example when you cut your finger and there is redness, swelling, pain and heat. When short term, it is an important part of the healing process. What one doesn’t want is if the inflammation is long term or chronic. That kind of inflammation is a factor in such diseases as obesity, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, diabetes Type ll, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, some forms of cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s Disease.
I am not going to self-diagnose but I am aware of certain conditions that are relevant to my own medical health. Three years ago, my A1C/Total Haemoglobin blood work came back defining me as diabetic. Through intermittent fasting and exercise I have reversed that. This is not a reason to be complacent so I still have to be attentive. The path to good health is a journey and I think it is important that we do not accept ill health as a natural consequence of aging. Certainly genetics plays a part but, through our own diligence, we can ease the path forward.
A bread - even if it is a healthy bread - is still a Carbohydrate !
However, I do know my sins. Refined sugars, as stated, can definitely be a temptation. Refined carbohydrates are also a problem because they lack fibre. It is the fibre, among other things, that slows sugar absorption thereby preventing spikes in blood glucose levels. Examples of refined carbs include pasta, white rice and items made with white flour including white bread. It is the sugar spikes that trigger the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines.
This holiday season I have also indulged more heavily in full-fat dairy products - specifically the cheeses. These fats can trigger or worsen inflammation in the joints resulting in pain.
A few cheeses and a delicious Chianti
Now that the holidays are almost over, it’s time to turn the page, forget the past and focus on the things that contribute to a more healthy lifestyle.
In a future blog, I will more extensively tackle the subject of inflammation and its detrimental effects on our lives.
Meanwhile I wish you a happy and healthy New Year.
