MANAGING ARTHRITIS WITH FOOD

Food can’t cure arthritis, but it can make the disease less painful and help keep it from getting or worse. Small changes in your diet can yield big rewards in managing the disease. Every pound you carry around your belly puts 10 pounds of pressure on your joints.

#1: Fatty fish (salmon, herring sardines) or any other food with omega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, soy beans, flax seeds, canola oil and pumpkin seeds
Omega-3s decrease the production of chemicals that spread inflammation
Fatty fish also contain vitamin D, which helps prevent swelling and soreness.
Get at least one gram of omega-3s a day. Four ounces of salmon, for example, has 1.5 grams of omega-3.
Add ¼ walnuts  to a salad

Add  two tablespoons flaxseed  to your cereal.
Spend 10-15 minutes a day in the sun to trigger vitamin D production in your body.

 #2: Extra-virgin olive oil
Olive oil contains oleocanthal, which blocks enzymes involved in inflammation.
Approx 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil acts like one-tenth of a dose of ibuprofen (Source: Monnell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia)
 Eat one tablespoon a day on salads, bread or vegetables.

#3: Sweet peppers, citrus fruits and other vitamin C-rich foods
Vitamin C protects collagen, a major component of cartilage.

Eat 200-500 milligrams a day.
 An orange or a cup of broccoli will net you about 200.
High in vitamin C foods have other plant nutrients that you won’t get from a vitamin C supplement.

#4: Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts contain huge amounts of selenium Low selenium may also be linked to rheumatoid arthritis. The mineral helps antioxidants clear out cell-damaging free radicals, aids the regulation of the thyroid gland and may prevent cancer.
Eat 55-200 micrograms a day.
Eat tuna
One cup of cooked oatmeal will provide 12 micrograms

 #5: Onions and leeks
Onions and leeks contain quercetin, an antioxidant that may inhibit inflammatory chemicals (much like aspirin and ibuprofen)
Eat ½ cup of a high-quercetin food a day
Eat kale, cherry tomatoes or apples – all are high in quercetin.

#6: Tart cherries
A diet plump with tart cherries can cut inflammation. The magic ingredient is anthocyanins
Eat ½ cup of tart cherries – fresh, frozen, canned or dried – or 8 ounces of juice.

#7: Green tea
Studies show that certain antioxidant compounds in green tea lessen the incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis. One University of Michigan study found that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) lowers production of inflammation-causing substances in the body that cause joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.
Drink  3-4 cups a day.

 
Foods to Avoid

Bad food #1: Shellfish, red meat (especially if you have gout)
Why they hurt: Gout results from the build-up of uric acid in the blood, which forms crystals that painfully settle in the joints. Purine, a compound that’s abundant in shellfish, meats, high-fat dairy foods and beer, converts to uric acid. For people at risk for or suffering from gout avoid clams, oysters, mussels, anchovies, herring, mackerel, liver, brain, kidney and sweetbreads.
Alternative: No more than 5-6 ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish a day. For protein, eat some beans instead; they offer muscle-relaxing magnesium and bone-building calcium.

Bad food #2: Sunflower, safflower, corn and soybean oils
Why they hurt: They're high in omega-6 fatty acids, which increase inflammation. Alternative: Switch to healthy olive or nut oils.
Bad food #3: Sugar
Why it hurts: Studies suggest that sugar may increase inflammation. Sugar is also high in calories, which leads to weight gain leading to additional pressure on your joints.
Alternative: fresh fruit; 2-4 half-cup servings a day.

 

Yours in health,
Dr. Velonda
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