I didn’t write this morning because, frankly, when I returned from work, all I could think about was soaking my feet, knees and hips in hot water. I was in pain like I haven’t been in weeks!

And I’m pretty sure it was something I ate.

Maybe it’s not; but, in the last couple of weeks, I’ve eaten more processed food and more peanuts than I have in a very long time. That means, I’ve eaten more sodium than I have in a very long time. And I think it’s caught up with me.  I will have to be more sparing in my consumption of salted nuts, and those frozen vegetarian and vegan options I shared with you. Of course, there could be other causes like the physicality of my job, my shoes or the nightshades that I’ve been eating lately.

My job is physically demanding, no doubt about it. At the very least, I am standing for ten hours; but, most of the time, I’m walking around all of that time. However, it has been no more physical lately than before; so, I don’t think that’s it. We’ve discussed how vital good shoes are and my shoes may play a part. I bought them back in June. But, I bought three pair and I rotate wearing them; so, I expect them to last a couple of months longer. Neither of those factors have changed in the last week or so making me discount their involvement.

That brings us to the nightshades. While I normally eat some sweet peppers, I don’t eat a whole lot of them – maybe three a week. Eggplant is also something I’ve eaten without issue in the last couple of months. The one thing I ate this week that I haven’t eaten in quite some time are grape tomatoes. While nightshade fruits and vegetables are good for you nutritionally, some studies have shown them to cause inflammation. Since there are some 2,000 species in the Solanaceae family, of which nightshades are a part, obviously, not all nightshades cause inflammation in all people. But, I’m thinking that maybe the tomatoes cause inflammation in me. To test my theory, I’m going to eliminate them and the eggplant (for good measure) from my diet until the pain disappears, then add them back one at a time to see what happens.

Or, maybe it’s not one thing – maybe the food, my job and the shoes are working on concert with the salt to bring me down! Its a conspiracy worthy of the Tin Hat League!

In any case, while the cause may be a little difficult to pinpoint, the effect is oh, so easy to find….all the way to the depths of my soles.