The Best Diet For People With Arthritis
Arthritis is a medical problem that causes inflammation and degeneration of the joints. As a result, it can be very painful and it is advisable to take measures to prevent it from progressing. If you are suffering from this condition, discover in this article the characteristics of a suitable diet for people with arthritis.
Although it may be difficult to follow, we recommend you try. Think about the potentially uncomfortable and painful consequences of not doing so. Also, try to follow all of your doctor’s advice to maintain an ideal quality of life.
Foods that should be in the diet of people with arthritis
To fight the problems caused by this illness, we suggest you pay a lot of attention to what you eat. Try to include more of the following foods:
Salmon
The first of the foods that should be in the diet of people with arthritis is salmon. This is because it is rich in omega 3 fatty acids that have an anti-inflammatory effect.
It is recommended that you eat two portions of salmon a week to make the most of its benefits. If it is out of your budget range, you could replace it with tuna or sardines.
You can also make this switch to avoid getting bored of eating the same flavors all the time.
Soya
If you’ve chosen a vegetarian lifestyle, fish may not be an option for you. In this case, try soya beans and their derivatives.
This legume is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and you can eat it in a wide range of forms:
- Tofu
- Sprouted beans
- Beans
- Milk
Soya is a very complete food because it is low in fat and high in fiber and protein. For this reason it controls inflammation and improves your health in general.
You might be interested in reading: The Seven Best Sources of Vegan Protein
Given that it is such a versatile ingredient, you can eat it in any meal of the day. You just need to learn to combine it with other ingredients.
Good quality vegetable oils
We already know that extra virgin olive oil contains healthy fats for the heart and for fighting inflammation. However, it’s not the only one.
The majority of vegetable oils have the same properties. They also offer the benefits of the nuts or seeds they are derived from.
Two good alternatives to olive oil are avocado seed oil and sunflower oil. Both contain more omega 3 than olive oil and give your dishes a new flavor.
Foods that you should avoid in a diet for people with arthritis
The foods that you should avoid at all costs to reduce the effects of the inflammation include:
Fried and processed foods
Reducing your consumption of deep fried foods is key in the diet of people with arthritis. This is because these foods increase inflammation and the problems it causes.
Instead, we suggest you choose foods that have been steamed, grilled, boiled or oven-baked. We understand that in some homes this can be challenging due to habits. However, you just need a little bit of will-power to achieve the desired results.
If you find it very difficult to make these changes, seek out a nutritionist who can design a custom dietary plan for you. This tends to be an investment that gives excellent results and in a few months you’ll be able to do it for yourself.
Sugars and sweeteners
Other ingredients that arthritis sufferers should avoid are sugars, sweeteners and so on. Sadly, they are common ingredients in the majority of the products we buy.
For this reason, the ideal scenario is for you to invest in natural products and to prepare all your food for yourself. Remember that to add or improve flavor you can make use of organic honey, maple syrup, agave syrup and stevia.
You might like to read: Make Your Own Sweetener: How to Grow Stevia at Home
Another option is spices. Try to take advantage of the benefits of herbs (like mint and basil), natural flavorings (like vanilla essence) and spices (like star anise, cardamom, etc.).
Dairy products
A diet for people with arthritis should avoid dairy products as much as possible. This group of foods can cause irritation and inflammation around the joints.
However, this doesn’t happen in all cases, so you should pay attention to see if this is a problem for you or not.
If you do need to avoid dairy, remember to add protein in the form of meat or other protein-rich foods.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Back M., Hansson GK., Omega 3 fatty acids, cardiovascular risk, and the resolution of inflammation. FASEB J, 2019. 33 (2): 1536-1539.
- Nettleton JA., Steffen LM., Mayer Davis EJ., Jenny NS., et al., Dietary patterns are associated with biochemical markers of inflammation and endothelial activation in the Multi-Ethnic study of ahterosclerosis. Am J Clin Nutr, 2010.
- Chin KY., The spice for joint infammation: anti inflammatory role of curcumin in treating osteoarthritis. Drug Des Devel Ther, 2016. 10: 3029-3042.
