5 Foods to Avoid If You Have Pain

Most of us have a pain-in-the-neck friend or relative in our lives but when it's real physical pain that personally affects your joints or your body, it can really cramp your lifestyle.

Rodale Wellness came out with a list of '5 Foods That Make Pain Feel Worse' and to be honest, it's pretty eye-opening.  These are things you probably indulge in every day or every once in a while and would think could be doing you more harm than good.  Whether it's inflammation or chronic pain, having less pain should be your goal, not more pain.

Here are 5 things you may want to stay away from that may help reduce the pain:

• Refined Oils - that includes the popular cooking oils you pick up in the grocery stores, like canola, corn, veggie, and soybean oils that are "pro-inflammatory."  Instead, stick with coconut oil or grass-fed butter.  And by the way, coconut oil does not have to taste like coconuts.  I picked some up from a health food store in Endicott with no taste or smell.
• Alcohol - is not a friend of pain
• Sugars - while it's easier said than done, try to reduce your sugar intake and that includes "hidden sugars in breads, pasta sauces, and condiments such as ketchup.
• Caffeine - coffee, tea, soda all will aggravate the pain.
• Gluten and Dairy - you may be allergic and may not know it.  Try to eliminate these foods to see if you feel better.

[via Rodale Wellness]