I want to talk about something that a lot of people don’t really think about until they start getting aches and pains, likely after they’ve been retired for a while, perhaps sitting around the house a little bit too much, and all of a sudden your hips are hurting, your fingers are tight when you wake up in the morning, or your back is hurting all of a sudden, or you can’t move your shoulder up any more. I’ve had all of that by the way.
I’ve never been one to worry about my diet until all of that stuff started happening to me.
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Aches and Pains After Retirement - Start Here
Video Transcript
So, I want to tell you, besides intermittent fasting, something that I think helps a whole heck of a lot, is lowering the amount of sugars and carbohydrates in your everyday diet. And I know this is not what a lot of people want to hear because most people, like myself, love things like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes.
However, I can tell you, quite honestly and truthfully, that I did a lot better when I cut those things back dramatically. The morning tightness in the fingers completely left, my knees healed, I mean, I believe in God and I believe in his healing miracles, however, I also need to tell you that God sometimes works with you in other ways, like perhaps to encourage you to change your diet and that would also lead to your health being revived.
Cutting Back on Carbs Cuts Back Aches and Pains!
So, one way I’ve cut down on carbs is to eliminate typical breakfast foods. Now, this is a little bit easier for me simply because I am doing the intermittent fasting diet and starting my day at 11 a.m. with eating, so I skip the typical breakfast which for most people is something like pancakes or eggs or cereal, and cereal is a big one.
If you’re trying to be healthy, a lot of people go with oatmeal and I have nothing against all that stuff, but when it’s in a regular rotation on a daily basis or multiple times per week, it starts to build up, especially when you have carby stuff for lunch and dinner and maybe even dessert on top of it.
Carbs like pancakes are usually made with all-purpose white flour, and I don’t want to burst your bubble, but that stuff is is pretty tough on your body. And I think if you give it a try, try to eliminate, let’s start with the white flour, try to eliminate the the white flour products, especially if they are not homemade.
So, if you’re buying Eggos, or some kind of breakfast cereal that starts with some kind of wheat in the ingredient list, I’m here to tell you that if you just start by cutting that out and substituting with something a bit healthier, you’re going to probably start feeling a lot better within a fairly short amount of time.
However, if you were to completely cut out sugar, I know not a popular thought, but if you were to try to cut out sugar completely, I think you’d find that your life would change. There’s a lot of foods that are are kind of hurting you and a lot of them come from the processed foods that we buy in a box.
So, if you want to just keep it simple, can I just encourage you to stay away from anything that comes in a box, anything that you store in the pantry and instead try eating things out of the refrigerator.
A New Breakfast
This is my breakfast (see video image above). I know you probably think I’m nuts because if you’d have told me 10 years ago that I’d be eating apples, carrots, and hummus for breakfast, I would have told you you were absolutely insane. But, I have to tell you, I’m really looking forward to eating this and I want to wrap this up so I can get started.
I’m finding that the apples, because I don’t eat a lot of sugar, are incredibly sweet to me and the carrots, even the carrots are incredibly sweet. And then there’s the hummus. I’ve always loved hummus, hummus is chickpeas ground up with some garlic and Tahini, which is sesame butter, and the juxtaposition of the hummus, which has almost like a savory, tart (almost) flavor because it also has lemon, next to the sweet vegetable and fruit, is is quite yummy.
I think that if you start to move towards these types of foods gradually, you might find yourself actually liking them.
TIP: Read Our Article “Feeling Old? 5 Reasons to QUIT Eating Sugary Foods Right Now!“
Ditch the Boxes, Embrace Real Food
So, can I encourage you today to take the boxes and forget about them, the boxes in your pantry, anything that you’re eating out of a box, please, for your health, stop. The easiest way to stop eating something that you don’t want in your diet is to get it out of your house.
If it’s in the house and you’re in a hurry or you’re just feeling tired and you just want to eat something, something to fill that void, you’re going to go for the easy stuff in the pantry, everybody does it, it’s completely natural and expected. So, if you take it out of your cupboard, out of your freezer, wherever it is, and you purchase some healthy things instead.
Buy a bag of carrots, buy a bag of apples, cut them up and stick them in the fridge. You can put them in water, the carrots you can put in water and they stay quite fresh. The apples, they might get a little brown but, you can squeeze a little lemon on them and that’ll keep them fresh looking or just cut them as you go.
The point is: Whatever’s there and handy is what you’re going to grab to eat and when it’s easy and accessible and you feel good about the choice, it starts to become easier to make those choices [and thereby help all those aches and pains!].
So here I am today encouraging you to toss the boxes, start trying to eat some healthy stuff. Good luck!
End of Transcript
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Facts About Processed White Flour and Sugar
Processed white flour and sugar linked to inflammation causing joint pain
Processed white flour and sugar are common ingredients in many foods and have been linked to various negative health effects, particularly inflammation, which can result in swollen fingers, painful hip joints, knee issues, and shoulder problems.
White flour lacks nutrients, spikes blood sugar leading to inflammation
Processed white flour is stripped of essential nutrients, leaving mainly starchy endosperm that rapidly converts to sugar in the body. Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard nutrition professor, explains, “Refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and sugar, can cause rapid spikes in blood glucose levels, leading to increased insulin production and a subsequent inflammatory response” (Ludwig, *Always Hungry?*). This inflammation can manifest as physical ailments, including joint pain and swelling.
Study shows high glycemic foods (white flour, sugar) increase inflammation markers
A study in the *American Journal of Clinical Nutrition* found that “consumption of high-glycemic index foods, which include white bread and sugar, was associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers in the blood” (Liu et al., 2002). Similarly, Dr. Andrew Weil notes, “Inflammation is a common underlying factor in diseases such as arthritis and other joint-related issues” (Weil, *Healthy Aging*). High sugar intake, like that from processed white flour, exacerbates these conditions.
Sugar creates AGEs which trigger inflammation, linked to joint pain
Sugar’s role in inflammation is well-documented. High sugar consumption can lead to increased production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which trigger inflammation. A study in the *Journal of Nutrition* confirms that diets high in refined grains and sugars are linked to increased inflammation and a higher risk of chronic disease (Qi et al., 2006). This inflammation often presents as joint pain, including in the fingers, hips, knees, and shoulders.
Reducing white flour and sugar lowers inflammation, improve health
Reducing intake of processed white flour and sugar can significantly improve health by lowering inflammation. Opting for whole grains and natural sweeteners is a proactive step towards reducing inflammation and enhancing overall well-being.
References
– Ludwig, D. (2016). *Always Hungry?*. Grand Central Life & Style.
– Liu, S., Willett, W. C., Stampfer, M. J., Hu, F. B., Franz, M., Sampson, L., & Manson, J. E. (2002). A prospective study of dietary glycemic load, carbohydrate intake, and risk of coronary heart disease in US women. *American Journal of Clinical Nutrition*, 76(1), 204-211.
– Weil, A. (2005). *Healthy Aging*. Knopf.
– Qi, L., van Dam, R. M., Liu, S., Franz, M., & Hu, F. B. (2006). Whole-grain, bran, and cereal fiber intakes and markers of systemic inflammation in diabetic women. *Journal of Nutrition*, 136(11), 2868-2873.
