Eating is Complicated

Over the last several years I’ve dealt with increasing levels of inflammation. It mostly manifests as joint and back pain, and I’ve noticed a number of things that affect the amount of pain I feel. Those things include sleep, stress, but most of all diet.

So the question is, what should I eat? That’s a great question, and I don’t know the answer.

I think I’ve read books and articles for and against almost every food, except sugar. Sugar is the one thing that is universally condemned (to my chagrin, since that was my favorite food group).

Are spinach and turmeric anti-inflammatory? Yes — unless you’re sensitive to oxalates. Are berries anti-inflammatory? Yes — unless you’re sensitive to fructose. Is salmon anti-inflammatory? Yes — unless you’re allergic to fish or sensitive to mercury. On and on it goes.

Unfortunately, it seems that there isn’t a guaranteed approach for every individual. The best way forward is found through trial and error. 

For me, it’s been mostly error. It seems like I react to almost everything. Also, I’m reacting to more foods over time, so my choices keep shrinking. At this point I’m fairly sure I can eat meat, fish, and cruciferous vegetables without getting a reaction, but it’s tough to tell. I’m not the best practitioner of elimination diets. It’s tough for me to add things back one at a time, which is the entire point of the exercise. 

As for what I know, it looks like gluten, nuts/seeds, and sugar give me problems. It seems like dairy does as well, along with fruit and nightshades. I think at this point I need to shift my mindset from considering which foods to avoid to which foods are ok (as I said before: meat, fish, cruciferous vegetables, salt, and water).

This is not a fun process. It’s interesting to observe that the difficulty in abstaining from most foods is entirely psychological. I’m not hungry at all – meat and broccoli are very filling. I eat twice a day and never feel compelled to snack. I can eat as much as I want and not gain weight; it almost seems like calories are irrelevant if I stick to these basic foods. I’ve lost 20 pounds in 5 months, mostly fat.

And I’ve had zero fun doing it. Oh, it’s your birthday? Happy birthday! I’ll pass on the pizza and cake.

We’re going out to eat? Great! Hi, I’ll have a steak with no seasoning and no sides please.

You’ve got a new recipe? Let me know how it goes. I’m going to eat ground beef again.

People need food for nutrients and energy, but that’s not how food is experienced in our society. At least, that’s not how I experienced it. Maybe it would have been different if there were times when I didn’t have enough food, but I was fortunate that was never the case.

Food for me was fun. A celebration. A reward. A break. Stress relief. Entertainment. A social event.

It is no longer any of those things. It is 100% about getting nutrients and calories, and it’s a bit depressing. I miss experiencing food as fun or a celebration.

But I also miss the days when I was pain free. When I could walk down the stairs without difficulty, or pick something up off the floor without any issues. 

It’s been a long time since I’ve had ice cream, and it’s been a long time since stairs have been easy. I’d rather experience the second thing.

My diet’s been leaky lately and I’ve paid for it (with inflation and inflammation). Fruit is presented as healthy, but for me it’s another form of sugar. “Nature’s candy,” I’ve heard it called. I need to get back to basics — meat and cruciferous vegetables.

Of course, I often make my path harder by framing it as “forever” instead of “one meal at a time.” That is a great strategy for failure, and I’ve failed often.

Elimination diets don’t yield results unless you are 100% compliant for a long stretch of time, often 100 days at minimum. “Do or do not, there is no try.” (I forget who said that, but it must have been Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, or Winston Churchill, as they seem to be the only people who are ever quoted.)

It’s easy for me to fall into the trap of “fruit is healthy,” “almonds are healthy,” etc. I haven’t fallen off the wagon with candy or ice cream, but for me, nuts and fruit yield the same result: pain.

Pain is a great teacher. If I don’t learn the lesson, pain will keep on learnin’ me until I yield. Today, I yield. Sometimes, it is through yielding that we find a solution. 

If I see a fresh bowl of berries, my attitude might not be so firm. But I don’t have to worry about that — I need only be concerned with right now. If I can remember that, I’ll have more success.

PS, to any of you who were wondering, losing 20 pounds does not automatically make you feel better!