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Arthritis Diet
The right diet can ease and even remedy some of the symptoms of arthritis.
There are two kinds of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis – A degenerative condition that often occurs with age. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness and pain in the affected joints. Being overweight can sometimes worsen symptoms due to the greater load on the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis – an inflammatory condition involving multiple joints. The joints often swell and cause pain. Sometimes the sufferer (typically adult women) will go through periods of remission.
Nutrition to Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
Unfortunately there is conflicting advice regarding diet for arthritis. Despite some clinical trials taking place, many results are considered to be a placebo affect. However there are some guidelines that may help.
- Oily fish – such as cod liver oil supplements, tuna, salmon, and sardines.
- Vitamin C – found in many foods such as kiwifruit, peaches, oranges.
- Vitamin E – Unsalted nuts
- Turmeric and ginger – anti-inflammatory foods (use in curries, soups, or stews).
- Some report that a vegetarian or vegan diet has helped.
Conquering Arthritis: What Doctors Don’t Tell You Because They Don’t Know by Barbara D. Allan, has many helpful tips for sufferers based on Barbara’s years of experience working with RA patients in her medical practice.
Available from Amazon →
Foods That May Aggravate
- Some report that vegetables from the solanum (or nightshade) family cause problems – potatoes, capsicums, eggplant, and tomatoes.
- Foods high in saturated fat – such as full-fat dairy, fatty meat, baked foods.
- Dairy products
Finding What Helps You
The only way to find out if something is aggravating your arthritis is to constantly monitor your diet. Do this by keeping a journal of what you have eaten, and what pain you experience. If you begin to notice any patterns (such as joint pain the day after eating a certain food), you will need to try and isolate the cause.
Take the food out of your diet for a week, and see if you experience the same arthritic symptoms. In order to make any correlation, you will need to do this 3 times.
Bookmarks
Arthritis.org – Official site of the Arthritis Foundation.
www.niams.nih.gov – National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
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References:
- Allan, Barbara D. Conquering arthritis : what doctors don’t tell you because they don’t know : (9 secrets I learned the hard way. Saint Louis, Mo: Shining Prairie Flower Productions, 2009. Print.
- Panush, R. S., Stroud, R. M., & Webster, E. M. (1986). Food‐induced (allergic) arthritis. Inflammatory arthritis exacerbated by milk. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 29(2), 220-226. link
- Hafström, I., Ringertz, B., Spångberg, A., Von Zweigbergk, L., Brannemark, S., Nylander, I., … & Klareskog, L. (2001). A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens. Rheumatology, 40(10), 1175-1179. link
- Darlington, L. G., Ramsey, N. W., & Mansfield, J. R. (1986). Placebo-controlled, blind study of dietary manipulation therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. The Lancet, 327(8475), 236-238. link
I have been reading various books around what could help with arthritis and have put all the thinking together to create the right eating plan for me. This includes:
1. The IBS Low Starch Diet (Carol Sinclair) which recommends a low starch diet – eliminating wheat / cereal products gave me a huge improvement.
2. Type 3 allergy testing and removing those intolerances from my diet. Wheat did not show up in the blood test so it is not perfect since how your body digests foods (or fails to) can’t easily be tested for.
3. The Inflammation-Free Diet (Marian Reinagel) which ranks the inflammatory effect of thousands of foods. From this I am able to balance inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods – farmed salmon is highly inflammatory which could be why Susan can’t tolerate it (wild salmon is highly anti-inflammatory).
4. The Body Talks (Judy Cole) which explains how food is digested and used throughout the body. Fantastic, clear book that also strongly recommends eliminating food intolerances and following a low starch diet as the only way to heal your body. This book really combines all the above thinking. From this I am able to understand various foods (protein, fat, carb and starch) so that I can combine them correctly and healthily.
i had RA way back 1999-2000,but I never experienced it again even until now. I choose to pick what I eat, I didn’t eat any pork or beef, just chicken meat, vegetables and fruits, I avoid fried or oily food, I just eat steamed or boiled vegetables instead.I don’t eat beans & eggplant.I usually put my hands and feet deep in a basin of warm water with a lot of salt in it. I also drink a lot of water, and of course prayers that God will heal me from RA and He did!
IAM A 38 YEAR WITH RA. I HAVE HAD IT FOR 3 YRS NOW, I’M LOOKING FOR A GOOD DIET PLAN. IF ANYONE CAN HELP. IM CURRENT TAKING METHOTREXATE SHOTS,SULFASALAZINE,PREDNISONE,DECADRON AND TAKING RITIXAN EVERY TWO WEEK EVERY 6 MONTH. PLUS ON TOP OF THAT I GOT TO HAVE DOUBLE KNEE REPLACEMENT IN AUG. CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP
I have RA and I have to use a lot of drugs and painkillers.I started a diet 10 days ago. It is called PALEO-diet. You can find a lot of information about it on the internet. I cannot say enything yet, but I’m hoping that I will see some change on my bloodtest result.Also I use omega3 tablets in high dose (1g EPA/ day)
I have just been diagnosed and wish to know which foods and drinks I should avoid. Thankyou.
Hi,
I am a suffer of RA, and I suffer with fibromyalgia. I am taking vinegar(tb spoon with 1/3 cp water), and soverign silver. My family suffers with diabetes and this has helped a lot. Exercise helps too, but it is hard because you are in pain. I get the swelling mainly in my fingers. If you suffer with gout, seafood tends to make it worse. Celery and vegetables tend to help. Our body is on 5% acidity, so vinegar puts back what we use. Hopes this helps! Plenty of water helps too.
Pls can someone offer some advice I am 29 yr old male with arthritis in my knee and ankle and I have severe gout which I get a bad bout of 2 if not 3 times a month. I am currently on allipurinol. I finshed an antibotic the end of january and started the allipurinol. I am currently very bad again and have been put back on the antibiotic and off the allipurinol. I Have altered my diet and dont eat red meat anymore or white bread. I really am looking for other methods to help my arthritis and get an idea of foods that help.
oh has anybody experienced that horroble skinsensation when somebody wants to touch you. It almost creeps me out its so bothersome!! I felt bad I snapped at my sone who was trying to hugme and rub my shoulder.!!! Ulc! Its so icky adn the sesation drives me up a wall!!
I am 35 years old adn Have RA. Today, I am very uncomfortable. Neck to limbs I have this dull stiff ache. I am very interested in a diet plan instead of medications. I am not one who likes medication. I fear them greatly. I had fusion done inside mr lower back and a disc replacement. ANd it is highly likely i will be oing for more in the upper region of my back neck area. I am tired of the unpredictability! One minute my hands work fine then the next they dag when I type or get stuck. I am als tire of being criticized by people who don’t know me adn having sticker for the upfrnt parking that is usually for elderly or worse and more obvious things. When I really sit down adn ponder ths idea if it is true That I Have RA, I get frustrated. I have three children that I alone provid and car for. Iant to wrestle themon the floor or take long trips. There are many times I over do myself and prove stubborn adn do things anyway. My youngest is three. I get down when the pain or stiffness like now hits. Nd I even get crabby without control of it. just dont want to fully admit that I hae to slow down adn ask for help. Im use to be te helper not the one asking for it. example my sidewalk needs to be shoveled I can tdo that but I didnt ask for help until the city left a voice mail. I explaned otthem but i dont think they can do aything abut it without it costing me a ton. Well I just want help with times like this an not sure what the rules are…Thanks
To elsy,
Dear Elsy, I found two books the day I was diagnosed with rhumatoid Arthritis. One was titled: There is a Cure for Arthritis by Paavo Airola. The other was Freedom From Arthritis through Nutrition by Dr. Welch. The first book gave me hope–very inspirational and furnished proof of the possibility. The second showed me how. I refused to read because I was tired of reading books about “coping with” or “managing your” arthritis. I was determined not to take any of the harmful meds that my dear belated friend, whom I cared for as a teenager, took. Having seen her suffering I knew there had to be another way. God is not cruel. So I read those books and followed every word in the second one. I did not, however order any of the offerings but relied on the water alone. Distilled water. It worked. I found that corn, unboiled or unsoured milk, All oils on the shelf in stores except olive, canola and linseed were bad for me. eliminating these things and following the Welch technique in the book freed me of arthritis from 1990 until last year when I worked upright for more than 24 hrs and ate whatever was around. I was helping someone to move. Confident, tho, that I can do it again. Best to you, SB
There are way more than two types of arthritis. Gout type, psoriasis type, etc., etc., etc.
The authors should have their names listed and/or a link to the editor beside each diet description for corrections.
Thanks for helping. I had gouty arthritis three years back. I am taking alluporinol since then. Now the uric acid level is 6.5. Ther is no pain but all joints seems uneasy and some time i uneasy to close my fingers.
So, please what may be the remedy.
Thanks
An anti inflammatory diet should include herbs, spices, and tea!
I find turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ginger, and green
tea a must for feeling well. A steady, daily diet of these is all I
need to alleviate stiffness and pain, in addition to foods such as
salmon.
plz could any one send me all the food that I should avoid inorder to be cured from arthritis
I had both types of arthritis cured by having my type 3 allergies tested in a blood test, cut out all 50 foods I was allergic to and have been arthritis free for 19 months. I had very bad arthris in my knees, I could hardly walk, I now do squats.
Having lived with Rheumatoid ARthritis for over 10 I can attest to the fact that diet really does make all the difference.
I have, because of dietary changes, lived an active life again for the past 8 years, without all the pain and suffering associated with RA.
I follow a diet very similar to what you recommend on this site, although I have a challenge with eating salmon. Isolating food groups is the perfect way to determine which foods cause the most harm for your particular body, as mentioned above.
Susan
http://www.LivingWithRheumatoidArthritis.com