Juicing for Joint Pain

For years I have suffered from joint pain.  I would wake up in the morning with sore fingers and find myself running them under the hot tap just to get them moving.  I had loads of tests but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong.  They suggested I had fibromyalgia, which seems to be the diagnosis they give when all other testing has been exhausted.  I was miserable and at the time very overweight.

I watched a programme called 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' and decided I would embark on a 30-day Juicing diet, see if I could lose a few pounds. I am not going to lie to you,  it was the hardest diet I have ever embarked on.  However the upside to this hellish experiment?  The weight just dropped off, some days it was as much as a KG a day, I was thrilled.

More amazing though, as I woke up on day 10 PAIN-FREE! I didn't need to warm my hands under the hot tap.  My hands didn't hurt.  I got out of bed and I realised nothing else hurt either, not my knees, hips, arms nothing.  I wandered around my bedroom thinking this is impossible and maybe I was just having a 'good' day.

However, the more days I juiced, the better I felt, the pain never returned.  It was amazing.  It was at this point I decided to start researching some of the fruits and vegetables I was juicing to see what qualities they might possess as far as anti-inflammatories go.

It turns out some of these ingredients are superstars, in fact, all of them are in their own way.  For example, pineapple is literally natures anti-inflammatory.  It has a something called bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, one cup of fresh pineapple is a great source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, so you really can't lose.  The more I researched the more I realised that these fruit and vegetables had to be the reason for my lack of pain. My favourite recipe in our book and is heavy on the pineapple is 'Pineapple Pleasure'. This one really is a pleasure to drink, it's sweet goodness is delicious.

Unfortunately,  I am allergic to all over the counter synthetic anti-inflammatories which over my life has been a complete pain.  But now if I get pain caused by inflammation I revert back to juicing.  A side note is I have found pineapple a lifesaver during chest infections too, especially with my kids. 

I wanted to share my findings with the world! So, I thought the easiest way to do this was to write down all the recipes I have been using over the years in an eBook.  With the help of my lovely partner, we have just finished writing 'Juicing for Joints' and it is my great hope that you will get as much relief from these recipes as I did.

I would absolutely advocate you do at least a 10-day juice fast to cleanse and detox your system, to begin with, and then just add one of these delish juices to your diet every day.  Definitely watch 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' it is so inspiring.

I intend to follow my own advice as over the last couple of years I have fallen back into old ways.  I have lapsed with my juicing and my joint pain has returned.  So, this is day 1 for me too but what's great is I know that what I am embarking on really works. 

I would love to hear how you get on, which juices you love and which juices you hate....my least favourite is anything green and my favourite is anything yellow.  However, knowing something is really good for you and is actually helping can really make something more palatable!

You can pick up our book from the Kindle store on Amazon.  It's called 'Juicing for Joints'