04/25/2026
Self-Care: A Transparent Moment 💛
I’ve been struggling with an inflamed knee off and on for a while. I do have arthritic tissue in my knee, so that part is real. But recently, I learned something that made me pay closer attention.
One day, I was hobbling to the elevator on my way to the movies because my knee was acting up. A nurse was on the elevator with me, and when I thanked her for holding it, she shared that she had dealt with knee issues too—especially related to menopause. Then she said something simple:
“Get off processed sugar.”
I had heard before that processed sugar can work against the body, but I hadn’t fully connected it to what I was feeling in my knee.
For me, processed sugar looked like caramel lattes or frappés, banana nut loaf from Starbucks, and even smoothies that seem healthy but still contain added sugar.
So last Wednesday, I decided to stop.
What really hit me is that I was taking turmeric supplements, collagen, and hyaluronic acid to help with inflammation—but as long as I kept consuming processed sugar, I was defeating the purpose of the support I was trying to give my body.
Today makes 4 days without processed sugar, and I can honestly say my knee is feeling better and better. The inflammation is going down, and I’m feeling encouraged.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about listening to your body and paying attention to what may be working against your healing.
💛 Self-Care Reminder:
Sometimes the thing we keep reaching for may be the very thing getting in the way of us feeling better.