3 Surprising Foods That Are Ruining Your Joint Health

When you’re trying to soothe stiff joints and fend off conditions like arthritis, the old saying “you are what you eat” rings especially true.

Certain foods cause inflammation and contribute to the breakdown of cartilage. And these joint-busting foods are so commonly consumed that they’re probably sitting in your kitchen right now.

Things like juice, lunch meat, and artificial sweeteners may all be contributing to your joint discomfort.

But don’t worry, there are lots of healthy alternatives out there. Here's just a few of them... 

Processed meats, such as the sliced deli turkey, are sneaky culprits behind increased joint discomfort.

That’s because they contain more advanced glycation end products (AGEs) than most other meat. AGEs have been linked to inflammation, which in turn can cause some seriously stiff and achy joints.¹

So the next time you’re making yourself a sandwich, try using thinly sliced grilled chicken breast.

It’s a great source of lean, healthy protein, and you can even grill up a few chicken breasts to use throughout the week in sandwiches, salads, or whatever else you’re preparing.

Juice — specifically the concentrated juice that you can find at grocery stores across the United States — is essentially liquid sugar.

And processed sugar is one of the worst possible things you can consume for joint health. Just like processed meat, sugar has AGEs, which wreak havoc on your joint health.

So swap out your glass of juice with a cup of green tea  — not only will it decrease your sugar intake, it will also improve your joint health.

One study found that green tea contains a type of antioxidant that can help improve arthritis-related immune responses and can help ease some inflammation.²

Now, this swap may seem like one of the hardest ones to do — especially if drinking juice is a daily habit — but it’s definitely worth trying. 

Even something as small as a tablespoon of vegetable oil or sunflower oil can increase joint discomfort.

That’s because those kinds of oils have an excessive amount of omega-6 fatty acids. Now, you do need omega-6 fatty acids for normal development, but when you consume too much of it, this can trigger your body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals.

So the next time you're cooking dinner, reach for a bottle of omega-3 rich olive oil or avocado oil.

The omega-3 fatty acids found in these two oils can actually help soothe achy joints.³ They also have many other benefits, such as improved heart health.

Helping soothe achy joints can be as simple as making these small changes to your diet.

However, if you’re really struggling with joint discomfort and stiffness, swapping out foods might not be enough... And in that case, it's time to add a supplement to your routine.

But with hundreds of joint supplements to choose from, how do you pick the right one?

Well, a good place to start is a website called Smarter Reviews. 

At Smarter Reviews, they employ a comprehensive evaluation system and measure the full value of products. Specifically, they look at the safety, projected effectiveness, clinically-studied ingredients, return policies, and overall customer satisfaction of each product. This method is known as the Smarter Reviews Ranking System.

And after extensive research, testing, and metrics provided by their ranking system, they’ve put together a definitive list of the best joint health supplements available right now.

Click Here For The Best Joint Health Supplements Of 2018 

Sources:

1. Ramasamy R, Vannucci S, Yan S, Herold K, Yan S, Schmidt A. Advanced glycation end products and RAGE: a common thread in aging, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and inflammation. Glycobiology. 2005;15(7):16R-28R. doi:10.1093/glycob/cwi053.

2. Singh R, Akhtar N, Haqqi T. Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechi3-gallate: Inflammation and arthritis. Life Sci. 2010;86(25-26):907-918. 

3. Simopoulos A. Omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease and in growth and development. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;54(3):438-463. doi:10.1093/ajcn/54.3.438.