Can explain the food and body pain connection?

[wonderoushope]

Hi there,

I've noticed since being off a restrictive diet in the last number of months, and eating more foods with gluten, preservatives, or getting a reaction in my stomach from FODMAPs that I've seen an increase in pain in my body, like thumbs are now sore, my calves are becoming tender and sore, my knee now is aching and I am much stiffer when I wake-up, more headaches and migraines. I just wanted to understand... would this be an inflammatory response? I do see my aches and pains settle down when I eat very clean food.

I am going back to clean eating but just wanted to understand why this response particularly gets triggered when eating "bad foods".

Is this something typical in CFS or more Fibromyalgia?

 

[Timaca]

I don't know the answer to your question, but some foods give me headaches, joint pain and nerve pain. Right now I don't eat any animal protein (except very fresh fish--on rare occasion). I don't eat gluten or oats. Just recently I tested corn again and seemed to do okay with a small amount, but it isn't really in my diet much yet. Nuts seem to be okay, except walnuts, which I will retest.

Whether it is an intolerance or an inflammatory response, I'm not sure...but it does seem some foods are quite a problem for me.

It seems also that chicory root fiber (found in Naked Juice Blueberry Machine Juice) is also a problem for me (I drink about 1/4 cup of the juice a day). I am also exploring xanthan gum as a problem (it's in the gluten free flour mixture that I've been using).

It certainly is trial and error....but every little thing I can find to help me feel better is helpful!! Good luck to you!

 

[Judee]

My understanding is just that it creates a lot of inflammation in the body.

I do so much better on an low allergy diet (not necessarily with the ME/CFS but with not getting sinus infections, headaches, IBS, etc.) but it does get hard though when you have to keep eliminating things.

 

[ChrisD]

@wonderoushope I've had to cut out most of the foods you mention, I most definitely cannot eat FODMAPS, Histamine, Oxalates, Fructose, Alcohol, Gluten, other sugars and so on.

I would put this down to suspected SIBO and Leaky gut but also I have Lyme and co infections and I am not sure if there is an interaction there as well. Look up LPS regarding leaky gut, Lipopolysaccharides and their effect on inflammation in the blood and brain.

I've found that a restrictive Keto Carnivore hybrid diet helps me stay pain free and recovering better https://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/carnivore-diet-for-me.57009

 

[rel8ted]

My understanding is just that it creates a lot of inflammation in the body.

I agree. I do much better on a completely grain free, sugar free diet. Almost no digestive issues, less inflammation - my shoes are now all too big, but not so much a noticeable reduction in pain. I am disappointed about that last part.

 

[Wishful]

ME seems to involve changes to the immune system. So, a food might trigger an immune response (maybe no pain directly), which alters the ME response, which alters immune responses elsewhere in the body, resulting in pain.

While it's nice to know exactly what biochemical reactions are occurring, the important thing for us is to figure out which foods do give us a negative response. It's different for each of us, and it's time consuming, but worth doing. It's also an adaptive process, so some foods that were okay the first time you tested them might cause problems later, so watch for that. Likewise, some bad foods might be okay after a while, so you might want to try them again if you really crave them.

 

[Tammy]

am going back to clean eating but just wanted to understand why this response particularly gets triggered when eating "bad foods".

Certain foods feed viruses and or bacteria that are causing your symptoms.

 

[Wishful]

I'm pretty sure that viruses don't actually eat; they just cause cells to make copies of the virus. Foods can affect how well your body fights viruses, which is a subtle but important difference.