3 Foods Making Your Back Pain Worse (And What to Eat Instead)

Here's what most people don't understand: the foods you think are healthy might actually be triggering inflammation throughout your entire body. And that inflammation? It's showing up as back pain, joint stiffness, and that constant feeling of being trapped in a body that just won't cooperate anymore.

I see this pattern all the time in my practice. Someone comes to me after trying everything—physical therapy, chiropractors, massage, pain medications. Nothing provides lasting relief. They're frustrated, exhausted, and starting to believe that this is just what happens when you get older.

But here's the truth: age isn't the problem. What you're eating is.

What Happens When You Eat Refined Carbohydrates

When you eat refined carbohydrates—and this includes most bread, pasta, and cereal, even the versions labeled "whole grain"—your blood sugar spikes rapidly. Why? Because these foods lack the fiber, fat, and protein needed to slow digestion down.

Your body responds to this spike with inflammation. It's not subtle, and it's not theoretical. Research shows that within just three days of eating a diet high in refined carbs, inflammation markers start appearing in your tissue.

Think about that for a second. Three days.

Now, here's where this connects directly to your back pain. When inflammation becomes chronic in your body, your muscles respond by getting stiff and tight. Studies confirm that people dealing with back pain have significantly greater muscle stiffness in their lower back compared to people without pain.

That tightness you feel every morning when you first wake up? That stiffness when you bend down to pick something up? That's not just because you "slept wrong" or because you're "getting older." It's your muscles reacting to chronic inflammation.

The Sugar You Don't Even Know You're Eating

Here's something that surprises most people: the average person in the United States eats about 22 teaspoons of added sugar every single day.

Now, before you say "Well, I don't eat that much candy," let me be clear—this isn't just coming from obvious sources like cookies, donuts, and soda. It's hiding in foods you eat without a second thought.

Bread. Pasta sauce. Ketchup. Salad dressing. BBQ sauce. Crackers. Even "whole grain" cereals.

You're eating sugar with almost every meal, and you don't even realize it. And every time you do, you're feeding the inflammation that's causing your pain.

The Oil Problem Nobody Talks About

But it's not just the refined carbs and hidden sugars. There's another issue, and it's in almost every processed food you eat: vegetable oils.

Most packaged foods—crackers, chips, bread, nuts, salad dressings, fried foods—contain processed oils like soybean, cottonseed, canola, or corn oil. These oils are loaded with omega-6 fatty acids.

Now, your body does need some omega-6. The problem is the ratio. Ideally, you want a ratio of about 1:1 up to 4:1 omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. This balance helps keep inflammation in check.

But most Americans? We're sitting at a ratio of about 16:1.

That massive imbalance drives inflammation throughout your entire body. It shows up in your back, your joints, your muscles—everywhere. And as long as you keep eating these oils, you keep feeding that inflammatory fire.

The Three Foods You Need to Stop Eating

Let's get specific. If you're dealing with chronic back pain, stiffness, or joint issues, these are the three categories of foods you need to address:

1. Conventional Bread and Buns

Most bread—even the "whole wheat" or "multigrain" versions—contains refined flour, added sugars, and processed oils. That combination is a triple threat for inflammation. The refined flour spikes your blood sugar, the added sugar makes it worse, and the processed oils tip your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio even further out of balance.

2. Traditional Pasta

Regular pasta, even brown rice pasta from conventional brands, is essentially refined carbohydrates with minimal nutritional value. It digests quickly, spikes your blood sugar, and contributes to that inflammatory response we've been talking about. Plus, most pasta sauces are loaded with added sugars, making the problem even worse.

3. Commercial Cereal

This might be the worst offender. Most cereals—even the ones marketed as "heart healthy" or "whole grain"—are packed with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and artificial ingredients. You're essentially starting your day with an inflammation bomb, then wondering why you feel stiff and sore a few hours later.

What to Eat Instead

Now, here's the good news: you don't have to give up bread, pasta, or cereal entirely. You just need to choose versions that support your body instead of working against it.

For Bread:

Look for organic, non-GMO, gluten-free options that don't contain unbleached enriched flour. Some brands I recommend to my patients include:

• Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Mountain White
• Food for Life brand
• Udi's brand
• Base Culture (which is also grain-free)

Yes, these cost more than conventional bread. But think about what you're spending on pain medications, doctor visits, and treatments that aren't working. This is an investment in actually feeling better.

For Pasta:

Switch to brown rice or chickpea pasta from quality brands. Look for organic, non-GMO options without artificial ingredients or enriched flour. Some good choices include:

• Jovial Organic Brown Rice Capellini or Tagliatelle
• Lotus Foods Brown Pad Thai Rice Noodles

These alternatives have more fiber, digest more slowly, and don't create the same inflammatory spike as conventional pasta.

For Cereal:

Find grain-free options without artificial ingredients or enriched flour. Three Wishes makes a grain-free cereal that several of my patients have had success with. Or consider alternatives like:

• Eggs with vegetables
• Greek yogurt with berries and nuts
• Smoothies with protein powder and healthy fats

The key is to start your day with real food that provides sustained energy without spiking your blood sugar.

Don't Forget About the Oils

While you're making these swaps, pay attention to the oils you're cooking with and the oils in the packaged foods you buy.

Avoid: Soybean, cottonseed, canola, corn, vegetable, and safflower oils

Better options: Palm oil and olive oil

Best choices: Avocado oil and coconut oil

When you're shopping, read the ingredient labels. If you see soybean oil or canola oil in the ingredients (and you will, in almost everything), consider whether there's a better alternative available.

What to Expect When You Make These Changes

I need to be honest with you about something: this isn't an overnight fix. You're not going to swap your bread tomorrow and wake up pain-free the next day.

But what you're doing is removing the fuel that's been feeding inflammation in your body—sometimes for years. You're supporting your spine, your posture, and your mobility from the inside out. And that's the kind of change that actually lasts.

Most of my patients start noticing a difference within two to three weeks. They wake up with less stiffness. They can move more easily throughout the day. They have more energy. And gradually, they start doing things they'd stopped doing—getting down on the floor, gardening, taking longer walks, playing with their grandkids.

That's what happened with my patient I told you about at the beginning. And I've seen it happen dozens of times since then.

This Matters More Than You Think

I know what you want. You want to keep up with your grandkids without feeling like you're going to pay for it for the next three days. You want to travel without having to plan your entire day around how your back is going to feel. You want to do the things you used to do—gardening, woodworking, playing on the floor—without thinking twice about it.

You want to prove to yourself and everyone around you that you're not done yet. That you're not "just getting old." That the best years of your life aren't behind you.

And here's what I've learned after years of working with people dealing with chronic pain: you're not wrong to want those things. And more importantly, they're possible.

But they require you to look beyond symptom management and address what's actually causing the problem. For many people, that means changing what's on their plate.

The Real Issue Isn't Your Age

Your body is responding to what you're feeding it. That's not a metaphor or a motivational saying—it's biological fact. When you consistently eat foods that trigger inflammation, your body responds with inflammation. When you remove those foods and replace them with options that support healthy function, your body responds to that too.

You're not "just getting old." Your joints aren't "wearing out." Your back isn't "giving up on you."

Your body is doing exactly what it's designed to do—responding to its environment. Change the environment, and you change the response.

Start Small, But Start Today

You don't have to overhaul your entire diet tomorrow. Start with one meal. Start with breakfast. Swap that conventional cereal for something grain-free, or switch to eggs and vegetables instead.

Pay attention to how you feel. Not just immediately, but over the next few days and weeks. Notice if you wake up with less stiffness. Notice if you have more energy in the afternoon. Notice if activities that used to leave you hurting don't seem as bad anymore.

Then make another swap. Replace your conventional bread. Switch your pasta. Start reading ingredient labels and choosing oils that support your body instead of working against it.

These might seem like small changes. But small changes, done consistently, create significant results. That's not hype—that's what I've watched happen with my own patients, over and over again.

Getting Personalized Help

If you're dealing with chronic pain and you want to dig deeper into what's specifically happening with your spine and posture, I offer Virtual House Calls where we can address your unique situation. We can look at your specific symptoms, your history, and lifestyle, and give you the next steps that makes sense for you—no matter where you are in the world.

Because while the information I've shared here applies broadly, your body is unique. Your pain pattern is unique. And sometimes, you need someone to help you connect the dots between what you're experiencing and what's actually causing it.

The Bottom Line

You're not "just getting old." Your body is responding to what you're putting in it. Change what you're eating, and you change how you feel.

Start with these swaps. Pay attention to how your body responds. And watch what happens when you stop feeding the inflammation that's been causing your pain.

You deserve to feel strong, mobile, and capable—no matter what your age says. And it starts with what's on your plate.

Strong Spine Resources:

Book Your Free Virtual House Call Here: https://www.drwohlfert.com/house-call 

Canyon Bakehouse, Mountain White Bread: https://amzn.to/49beZks 

Food For Life: https://amzn.to/4rWNbaP

Base Culture: https://amzn.to/3Yd4O8Z 

Simple Mills: https://amzn.to/44lU7Ew 

Jovial Organic: https://amzn.to/4oTryWf 

Lotus Foods: https://amzn.to/3YoY5bM 

Three Wishes Cereal: https://amzn.to/4q6Swus 

📖 FREE miniclass to help improve your spinal health: https://drwohlfert.com/spinalhygiene/