With a direct connection between the foods that we eat and the severity of symptoms experienced by arthritis sufferers proven beyond a doubt, it stands to reason you ought to be paying a lot of attention to your rheumatoid arthritis diet.
You might be taking prescription medications, but there’s far more you can do to help your body feel better.
Make Note of What Triggers Your Arthritis Pain
The first thing you ought to do is keep a log of any foods that seem to trigger your symptoms. These culprit foods will differ from person to person, that is why a log or diary is useful to track down the ones that do it for you. Once you have your log, you can then remove these foods out of your diet, avoiding needless pain.
Now let’s explore some of the foods that are good for a healthy rheumatoid arthritis diet.
Good Foods for Arthritis Symptoms
As with any condition, the ‘take in plenty of fluid’ rule applies. Don’t forget to keep your liquid levels up, like water (best), soups, unsweetened juices and herbal or green teas. We often don’t even realize that we’re dehydrated, but wonder why we aren’t feeling up to par. Here’s a tip; if you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Get into the habit of drinking whether you’re thirsty or not.
Most fruit and vegetables are packed with healthy anti oxidants that have a great healing effect, but there are a few to consume lightly. Just steer clear of the foods recognized to worsen arthritic symptoms, and focus on the good food items like apples and avocados. By the way, don’t peel your apples as the skin contains 5 times the anti oxidants than the rest. And of course, dark green leafy vegetables are best.
What’s in Your Kitchen?
You want to add to your rheumatoid arthritis diet foods which have an anti-inflammatory effect. This will reduce swelling in your joints and decrease pain. Two of the best anti-inflammatory foods are most likely already in your kitchen cabinet. These two are:
Garlic: Eat more of this pungent bulb, as it’s full of anti-inflammatories. Eat it raw if you can, as cooking destroys some of the anti-oxidants. If you really dislike the taste, take garlic supplements.
Ginger: Add fresh, ground or powdered ginger to your meals or infuse it in a liquid to make a aromatic tea. Ginger is a little on the spicy side, and adds a warming effect to meals.
Foods You Should Avoid
Some of the foods that are most commonly linked with exacerbating rheumatoid arthritis are foods like:
Fruit and Vegetables: You may wish to steer clear of citrus (lemons, oranges, grapefruits), as well as tomatoes. These foods are rather acidic, which appears to cause more frequent flare-ups.
Meat: The meats to steer clear of are pork, lamb, beef and bacon. Essentially, stay away from meats with saturated fats. If you simply cannot do without the rare steak or chop, be sure to trim away all visible fat before consuming.
Something to keep in the back of your mind; different people might have different reactions to foods. This is why your list of foods to do away with from your rheumatoid arthritis diet will be very useful.
Treat Arthritis Naturally — FREE Information
Prescription drugs are an option, but here’s more FREE arthritis information and how you can feel better naturally.
