Following an Aruyvedic diet for arthritis is more than just eating the correct food. It involves treating your body like a temple and respecting the food you put into it. Taking time to chew your food and enjoy it is essential with this lifestyle. Following these recommendations can help improve both your joint health and overall lifestyle.
Fruits
You need to include a wide variety of fresh fruits in your Ayurvedic diet, according to the I Love India site. Fruits that are particularly beneficial for arthritis include oranges and citrus fruits, papayas and all types of apples. Concord, red, green and seedless grapes are other highly recommended fruits to help ease your symptoms.
Vegetables
If you love squash, you will have no problem following an Ayurvedic diet. Eating a variety of squash such as acorn, eggplant, zucchini and pumpkin is recommended. The squash can be added to soups, eaten as a side dish or as a main dish as in eggplant patties. To make eggplant patties, according to Ayurvedic Marketplace, bake an eggplant. When done, mash it then fry in 2 tbsp. of oil. You can add seasoning as you desire. Eat these patties once daily for a couple months to help relieve your arthritis symptoms.
It is recommended that you avoid eating vegetables that cause gas. Included in this category are broccoli, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, okra and potatoes (all varieties including red, yellow, sweet and white).
Dairy
Dairy is to be consumed in moderate amounts because these foods can worsen arthritis symptoms. This includes eggs, yogurt and cheese. Additionally, it is not recommended to consume fat-free dairy foods since they do not provide any health benefits.
Spices and Herbs
A diverse array of spices and herbs is essential to the Ayurvedic diet for arthritis. Not only do they add taste to the foods you eat, they can contain natural healing properties. The Ayurveda Herbal Remedy and I Love India websites claim that the best healing sources include cumin, fennel, turmeric, guggula, garlic, licorice, coriander and ginger.
You can enjoy spices and herbs in a variety of ways. Add them to your cooking or sprinkle on your meal dishes prior to serving. Make a tea out of them. A well-known healing brew to help fight inflammation entails adding 1/2 tsp. of turmeric to 1 cup of hot water. Brew for two minutes prior to drinking it.
Beverages
It is recommended that you enjoy a variety of beverages in your diet. If you can make your own juice, that would be ideal. Beet root juice, a mixture of vegetable juices and cucumber juice are all known for helping diminish arthritis symptoms states the Ayurveda Marketplace. Carrot juice and coconut water are both known to contain anti-inflammatory properties.
Make a drink of 1 cup warm water, 2 tsp. of lemon juice and 1 tsp. of honey. Dr. Kumar recommends drinking this beverage two times everyday.
Limiting your use of alcohol, coffee and black tea is also recommended. Finally, do not drink carbonated beverages of any kind since they contain nothing but empty, nutritionally void calories.
Other Recommendations
There are certain foods that you should avoid or monitor in the Ayurvedic diet. Any foods that are processed, prepackaged and/or high in fiber are not recommended. Foods containing sweets, such as white sugar, chocolate or cocoa are to be limited.
