the other day i posted how i started to drink some Pumpkin Spice creamer and my weight went up as did the pain in my hip. i advocate using real food as often as possible and avoiding inflammatory foods which include wheat, dairy, hydrogenated fats to name a few. so this little experiment with the artificial non-dairy creamer was an eye opener! does a tablespoon or two a day in my coffee really make that much of a difference? well, i can now say emphatically YES!
within 2 weeks of adding this into my diet, my hip pain was almost excruciatingly high and almost unbearable. i had to start taking more fish oils (anti-inflammatory EPA component) and also some Advil (although i know this can also be toxic to the liver! but it helps the pain!). i had also noticed that i gained a few pounds but it was all that mushy stuff around the belly! not evenly distributed over my body. and yes, i can feel and see that 3 pounds around the belly! YUK! but when i looked at my diet, overall there was nothing inflammatory in it. lots of green vegetables, raw nuts, natural locally farmed chicken and eggs, herring, water. Ok, maybe i had a bit more coffee which is also acidic which could have added to this pain. but that hydrogenated fat in the creamer was really the only explanation i could find for this belly fat and increase in pain. was it really just that simple? well, now that i have stopped using it for the past 4 days, i can honestly say that my weight has come back down and the belly is shrinking (although not as quickly as it came on). so yes, it does make a difference.
the challenge for most is that they do not eat a clean diet most of the time, and the hidden hydrogenated fats in processed foods can go undetected if you consume it regularly. it might taste good, but what is it really doing inside? creating inflammation! and that is the cause of many auto-immune diseases, too including flibromyalgia, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. so could eliminating this one ingredient help symptoms and pain subside? YES! it may take a couple of weeks to make the transition, but if you don’t take care of it now, then it will continue to create inflammation inside of you and wreak havoc on your body and immune system. 
the trouble is that when we consume a lot of processed foods, and continue to do so, our bodies get somewhat accustomed to feeling a certain way, or it will adjust and learn how to cope with these crap ingredients in the system. you get overloaded with the toxins and inflammatory ingredients that you may not even notice you have symptoms anymore! you find a new ‘normal’ or you just accept that you will fight you weight just for that little amount of mouth pleasure or taste sensation. Only you can decide whether it is worth it or not. but personally, i would suggest to eliminate the hydrogenated fats as this will help to eliminate the inflammation in your body, and will help you eliminate pain as well as excess weight around your belly. it could be the first step to a better quality of life and better looking and feeling you!
if you have questions about this or other nutrition topics, feel free to contact Nutrition in Motion at www.n-im.net
Great article, Joanna. I will refrain from the use of those flavored creamers in my coffee. It’s amazing how just one little, seemingly harmless item can do so much damage.
thanks Don – yes, one little ingredient. once in awhile i think you are okay. but continuous use is where the real problem is.