The Elimination Diet For Arthritis

Arthritis is a long-term, degenerative condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints. It may also eventually cause joint disfigurement. Although there is no cure for arthritis, diet may play a role in the severity of inflammation and joint pain. Following an elimination diet may help you identify foods that worsen arthritis symptoms. Talk to your doctor before adopting an elimination diet to address arthritis symptoms.

Role of Foods

Arthritis symptoms may be partially caused by allergic reactions to foods. An allergic food reaction occurs when your immune system mistakes a particular food for a harmful substance, according to "Arthritis Today." This causes your immune system to produce antibodies, called immunoglobulin E, which enter your bloodstream and cause inflammation in your joints. Dairy products, cod, pork, eggs and cereal are common foods that may trigger antibody production, particularly in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Beginning an Elimination Diet

Beginning an elimination diet to reduce arthritis inflammation involves removing all suspected allergens from your diet for about seven days. Focus on consuming whole foods, particularly raw foods such as nuts, seeds, vegetables, sprouts, whole-grain breads and fruits. Lean proteins such as tofu, white-meat chicken and tempeh, a vegetarian meat replacement made from soybeans, can provide energy during the elimination phase. The elimination phase may allow your body to clear out residual toxins from these potential allergens so you can accurately determine which foods worsen arthritis inflammation during the reintroduction phase.

Reintroduction of Suspected Allergens

After you have maintained a diet free of suspected allergens for about seven days, choose one of the eliminated foods and reintroduce it into your diet for one week. Take note of whether your arthritis symptoms worsen during this period. If they do not, you may continue to consume this food in moderation. If inflammation and pain increase, permanently eliminate that food from your diet. After the one-week period, select another suspected allergen and reintroduce it into your diet for one week. Continue this process until you have tested all suspected allergens and determined which foods increase your arthritis symptoms.

Considerations

It is important to avoid reintroducing more than one suspected allergen at the same time after the elimination phase. Reintroducing more than one food at a time makes it impossible to determine which food contributes to the production of inflammation-causing antibodies. Also, eliminating foods from your diet should not replace medical supervision for the treatment of arthritis.