Food and Diet Therapy:

Nutrition plays a significant role in the prevention of all types of diseases including arthritis. The first step that you should do is achieving normal body weight. Excess weight gives too much stress on the load bearing parts of the joint that is affected by arthritis. You should increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables aside from avoiding foods that are tainted with chemical preservatives. Make sure that you avoid foods that contain high concentration of saturated fats, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Limit the use of refined sugar and avoid too much sweet in your diet. One third of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis are sensitive to the nightshade family of plants. Sensitivity or allergy to the nightshade family of plants would make arthritis even worse. The nightshade family includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant and tobacco. Maintain at least 6 to 8 glasses of purified water daily because this will help flush out the toxic substances inside your body.

Recommended Foods to eat:

Green vegetables, such as watercress, parsley, celery, kale, and okra, Seaweeds, Carrots, Spirulina, Barley and wheat grass food products, Avocados, Pecans, Potassium broth, Soy products, Whole grains like brown rice, millet, oats, wheat, and barley, Cold-water fish like salmon, sardines, or herring.

Foods that you should avoid:

Foods that inhibit calcium: red meat, dairy, eggs, and chicken, Alcohol, Coffee, Refined sugar, Excess salt.

Foods with high oxalic acid content: Rhubarb, Cranberries, Plums, Chard, Spinach.

Nightshade Plant Family: Tomatoes, Eggplant, Potatoes, Peppers, Tobacco.

Buckwheat, Dairy foods, All animal fat, Nuts, oil-rich nuts and seeds, and peanut butters.

References:

Lithell H, Bruce A, Gustafsson IB, et al. A fasting and vegetarian diet treatment trial on chronic inflammatory disorders. Acta Derm Venereol 1983;63:397-403.

Sobel D. Arthritis: What Works. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1989.

Skoldstam L, Larsson L, Lindstrom FD. Effects of fasting and lactovegetarian diet on rheumatoid arthritis. Scand J Rheumatol 1979;8:249-55.

Skoldstam L. Fasting and vegan diet in rheumatoid arthritis. Scand J Rheumatol 1986;15:219-23.

McDougall J, Bruce B, Spiller G, Westerdahl J, McDougall M. Effects of a very low-fat, vegan diet in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Feb;8(1):71-5.

Hafstrom I, Ringertz B, Spangberg A, von Zweigbergk L, Brannemark S, Nylander I, Ronnelid J, Laasonen L, Klareskog L. A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2001 Oct;40(10):1175-9.

Page last updated: May 02, 2008