Why Eat a Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet?

By David Nettles

If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you need to know about the direct link how severe your symptoms are and the foods you eat. Find out how a rheumatoid arthritis diet can help you.

Although you might be taking prescription drugs, an arthritis diet can help the medications work better.

Make Note of What Triggers Your Arthritis Pain

The first thing you really should do is keep a log of foods that appear to trigger your symptoms. These problem foods will change between individuals, which is why a log or diary is useful to trace the ones that effect you. Once you have your list, you can then cut these foods out of your meals, avoiding needless arthritis pain.

Now let's explore some of the foods that are good for a healthy rheumatoid arthritis diet.

Food That Are Good

As with any diet, 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. You might not even realize you are dehydrated, and just wonder why you don't feel up to par. Here's a hint; if you're thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Get into the habit of drinking whether or not you're thirsty.

Most fruit and vegetables are full of healthy anti oxidants which have a wonderful healing effect, but there are some to consume lightly. You can avoid the ones recognized to worsen arthritic symptoms, and focus on the good ones like apples and avocados. Don't peel your apples as the peel contains five times the anti oxidants than the rest of the apple. And of course, dark green leafy vegetables are better than paler vegetables.

What is in Your Kitchen?

You need to include in your rheumatoid arthritis diet foods that have an anti-inflammatory outcome. This will reduce the swelling in your joints and decrease your pain. Two of the best anti-inflammatory foods are possibly already in your kitchen cupboard. They 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 truly detest the taste, take garlic supplements.

Ginger: Add ginger to your food items or infuse it in a liquid to make a aromatic tea. Ginger is a little on the zesty side, and adds a warming effect to foods.

Foods to Avoid

Some of the foods that have most commonly been linked with agitating rheumatoid arthritis are things like:

Fruit and Vegetables: You may want to keep away from citrus (lemons, oranges, grapefruits), and also tomatoes. These foods are rather acidic, which seems to cause more numerous flare-ups.

Meat: The meats to eat less of are beef, pork, bacon and lamb. Essentially, stay away from meats with saturated fats. If you simply cannot do without the occasional steak or chop, make sure to trim away any visible fat before consuming.

But remember that various people will have various responses to all types of foods. This is why your own list of foods to remove from your rheumatoid arthritis diet will be valuable.

FREE Information on How to Reduce Arthritis Pan Naturally - 30425

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here