1. Healthy Diet, Healthy Body
Rheumatoid arthritis diets have gained lots of attention and criticism in recent years; however, the facts are clear. While there is no diet that will cure your arthritis pain, you can control your symptoms by losing weight and learning which foods aggravate or help to soothe your symptoms. Losing weight may be the most important reason for changing your diet in order to control your symptoms, as excess weight causes excess stress on bones and joints.
2. Arthritis Changes Your Metabolism
Believe it or not, chronic inflammation experienced by those with rheumatoid arthritis spurs the production of cytokines which in turn increase the rates of protein breakdown and resting metabolism. This means that in order to help control inflammation and pain, those with rheumatoid arthritis should increase healthy calories and protein in order to meet their basic nutritional requirements. Increased calorie and protein intake should include fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, fish and healthy fats, such as sunflower, olive and avocado oil.
3. Give Your Diet a Boost
Due to the increased metabolism and production of cytokines, malnutrition is a common problem in arthritis patients, often aggravating symptoms. While healthy diet is the best place to turn for your basic micronutrients, there are some antioxidants and vitamins for arthritis which can help to soothe pain and boost nutrition. The most commonly recommended are folic acid, Vitamins C, D, B6, B12 and E, calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium. Always follow your doctor's or the manufacturer's instructions for dosage information.
4. Watch What You Eat
While food cannot technically cause rheumatoid arthritis, there are many foods with inflammatory properties, increasing your painful symptoms. Trans fats and saturated fats as found in animal products such as meat, milk and eggs should be limited as much as possible. Additionally, chemically processed foods and sugars will also make your inflammation worse. It is also believed that vegetables in the nightshade family, which contain the chemical alkaloid solanine, may also trigger pain and inflammation. These vegetables include potatoes, eggplant and tomatoes.
5. Foods That Soothe Your Symptoms
Just like there are foods with inflammatory properties, there are also foods which tend to have anti-inflammatory effects. Protein may be the most important macronutrient for treating arthritis; however, it should come from healthy sources such as beans, nuts, fish and lean poultry. Omega-3 fatty acids from freshwater fish or flaxseed oil is also considered to greatly help those with arthritis. If you cannot get the recommended 2 grams daily in your diet, you can supplement with fish oil capsules. Finally, drink plenty of water to keep your joints lubricated and your body free of pain-causing toxins.
