Diet For Arthritis
The Best Diet for Arthritis
You can plan a diet for arthritis that may help alleviate some of the symptoms that you experience. A healthy diet is important for everyone, whether they are affected by arthritis or not. Some arthritis patients look to a diet to drastically improve their outlook, but the link between arthritis and diet is complex.
There is some evidence that diet could influence several types of arthritis, but you need to consider what the type of arthritis is involved, and what type of diet. One example is gout, which is affected by uric acid levels. A diet low in purine-rich foods and alcohol can lower your levels of uric acid in the blood, and can lessen your chances of having an attack of gout. Purines are natural substances that are found in some foods, and alcohol alters the metabolism of purines. Changes in your diet can change the frequency and severity of attacks of gout. Modifications of your diet, for arthritis, can also be used in some cases instead of gout medications, for those who can't tolerate them.
Extra body weight puts a strain on your joints and that can influence your arthritis, since your joints were already burdened. Clinical studies have proven that people who are more than twenty percent overweight have more arthritis problems. The joints that bear weight are most affected by obesity. The extra burden placed on these joints (spine, feet, ankles, hips and knees) can increase joint pain in those areas.
Sometimes a patient enters a vicious cycle of not feeling well, increased pain, a more sedentary lifestyle, and more weight gain. Patients who have osteoarthritis deal often with weight gain problems. People who have rheumatoid arthritis and are on prednisone therapy are warned that they may experience fluid retention, increased appetite and weight gain.
Some foods also trigger an allergic reaction in people with arthritis. No one food type has been singled out, but some foods in general CAN affect the functioning of your immune system. Examples of some of the reactions can include hives, rashes and asthma. The foods that sometimes cause adverse reactions in people with arthritis include excess salt, red meats, chocolate, preservatives and additives, sugar, tomatoes and peppers, dairy products and caffeine. If you can eliminate these, it would help your diet, for arthritis' purposes.
Even if food allergies could be considered a cause of arthritis, people could be allergic to different foods. You can test yourself for food allergies by eliminating foods one by one and seeing if there is any improvement in your arthritis.
Try to eat foods from all four food groups, so that you can attain the target of 40+ nutrients that are essential to helping you maintain good health. Avoid fatty foods and salt, and any other foods that exacerbate your arthritis.