1. Manage Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
Over two million people in the U.S. suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Classified as an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis causes the body's immune system to attack the tissues in joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful and debilitating disease that strikes people of all ages, although it affects women more than twice as often. Additionally, people with rheumatoid arthritis have a higher risk for stroke and heart attack.
2. Diet to Reduce Joint Pain
Medical professionals already know that eating oily fish reduces the inflammation that comes from arthritis in many people. Two diets receiving notice in the arthritis community are the macrobiotic diet and a vegan diet. The significance of the macrobiotic diet may be that it recommends vegetables, including root vegetables, make up 20 percent to 30 percent of a day's dietary intake. Researchers have already started to study the effect of a vegan diet on arthritis. Stockholm researchers provided rheumatoid arthritis patients with either a vegan, gluten free diet or a traditional diet from all food groups. Root vegetables, corn, fruits, nuts, millet, rice, sunflower seeds and buckwheat made up the vegan diet. Those who followed the vegan diet found an increase in the amount of protective antibodies that fight compounds in the body linked to arthritis. Additionally, researchers noted a decrease in the total and LDL (bad) cholesterol that leads to heart disease.
3. Dig Into Root Vegetables
Root vegetables are those that grow in the ground. The best known root vegetables are probably potatoes, carrots and onions, but other varieties include daikon radish, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, beets and burdock. Root vegetables contain all kinds of nutrients, including Vitamin C, iron, folate and potassium. Additionally, the deeper colored root vegetables contain loads of antioxidant phytonutrients like carotenoids and anthocyanins. Root vegetables often come with fiber and a low calorie count. Perhaps best of all, root vegetables tend to be some of the least expensive varieties of vegetables.
4. Add Veggie Variety to Your Diet
While some root vegetables are tasty when eaten raw or steamed, you can also add them to stir-fry, stews, soups and casseroles. When buying root vegetables, choose firm vegetables with a good, deep color. Avoid shriveled, cracked or bruised vegetables. When cooking root vegetables, be careful not to overcook, which leads to a mushy vegetable with fewer of the vital nutrients that make you healthy and that may provide arthritis pain relief.
