Are you suffering from joint pain and unable to find relief no matter what you do or what medicines you are prescribed? If so, you are not alone. Literally millions of people suffer from joint pain and the most common area of the body typically affected is the knees. Not only does this excruciating pain make it difficult to walk but even seemingly small things like getting out of a chair or bending to pick up something off the floor can be almost beyond your tolerance.
The good news is that recent research and clinical studies have shown that a plant-based diet may be able to alleviate much of that pain, although it may involve reducing or eliminating some foods you enjoy regularly.
Relief While Waiting for Results
As with any changes in your diet, it can take time to see results. Sometimes you will feel better in a matter of days but other times it will be a gradual improvement. There is one proven way to get instant relief without the dangers of addictive prescription pain killers and that would be a procedure called ‘trigger point therapy.’ These are injections that target muscles weaving around joints that get inflamed and extremely painful. Trigger point therapy for knee pain from Kneecare Clinics could provide the relief you need.
Plant-Based Foods to Avoid
Perhaps it’s better to start with a few of the foods you should avoid because these are a large part of the problem in the first place. The reason why you are asked to avoid them is the reaction they cause, which leads to inflammation that is the ultimate cause of the pain. Foods and drinks that may contribute to inflammation in those tender joints are thought to include:
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Chocolate
- Dairy
- Meat
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Corn
- Bananas
- Alcohol
And those are just a sampling of foods to avoid. It is suggested that you try a month-long elimination diet to see just how effective it is to eliminate these foods. However, if you want even better results, you should be looking at foods with proven anti-inflammatory properties.
Foods Shown to Reduce Knee Inflammation and Pain
While the list of safe foods looks much shorter than the list of foods to avoid, this isn’t really the case because of the way they are categorized. A quick look at the following list of plant-based safe foods will show you just how versatile this can be:
- Cooked green vegetables
- Cooked yellow vegetables
- Cooked orange vegetables
- Rice
- Non-citrus fruits cooked or dried
Now imagine all the spices that have anti-inflammatory properties, and you will clearly see that there are a million and one ways you can prepare these foods for an amazingly tasty and healthy meal.
While the ultimate goal is to avoid all foods proven to cause inflammation, it probably is unrealistic to do so. The key is to use them as sparingly as possible so that you aren’t undoing all the good you’ve done by switching to a plant-based diet for the reduction of joint pain. With a bit of experimenting, you will find what works for you.