Certain foods inflict pain. I’m not talking about the flash of heat from eating hot peppers, but real, chronic pain. Pro-inflammatory proteins activate nerve cells, while other foods trigger immune cells to attack normal, healthy cells. Some pain-inducing foods are even thought to be “healthy.”
How Foods Inflict Pain
To understand how certain foods can trigger pain, you first need to understand inflammation and the role that it plays in diet and disease.
Inflammation is a normal immune response that helps protect the body against injury and infection. When you get a bug bite, for example, you might start to notice a bit of swelling and itchiness as your immune system springs into action.
Some conditions cause the immune system to set off this inflammatory response even when there are no foreign organisms to protect against. This causes the immune cells to attack the normal, healthy cells in the body, resulting in tissue damage and pain.
Certain types of pro-inflammatory proteins also work by directly activating nerve cells, which can both initiate and intensify pain. (3)
Some conditions commonly associated with inflammation and pain include:
Celiac disease
Leaky gut syndrome
Arthritis
Food allergies and sensitivities
Lupus
Ulcerative colitis
Crohn’s disease
Gout
Headaches/migraines
Final Thoughts on Pain-Triggering Foods
Diet, inflammation and pain are all intricately connected and can have a huge influence on your health and pain status.
Certain foods may trigger inflammation and pain in certain people, along with other adverse side effects.
However, keep in mind that not all foods affect everyone in the same way. You may experience negative symptoms to one or two of these foods; others may not affect you at all.
Identifying your trigger foods through medical testing or an elimination diet can be a powerful way to reduce chronic pain and promote better health.