Diet That Helps Rheumatoid Arthritis
Centuries ago Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said, "let food be your medicine." If Hippocrates is right, they are there foods that have a positive impact on Arthritis? Could there be an Arthritis Diet?
Without a doubt, people with Arthritis desperately need to eat a balanced diet for overall health and weight management. Their bodies are already stressed with inflammation and joint pain such that lack of proper nutrients just adds insult to injury, literally. Studies show mixed results on the question of what diets can help arthritis symptoms.
No single Arthritis diet is yet found to be the best choice. Several elements have been shown effective. Because Arthritis is a disease with differing symptoms, the diet that works wonders for one patient may have no value to another patient. This is certainly an area that patients, with physician support, can try various approaches to find the best nutritional plan for their symptoms.
Creating an ideal Arthritis Diet is frustrating because so many foods available for purchase are far from their natural sources. Mike Huckleberry (a 100-pound weight loser) says, "If it was not a food a hundred years ago, it's not a food today." His concern is about the synthetic, hormone injected, trans fat and pesticide sprayed foods in the grocery store. People with Arthritis absolutely must have high-quality foods, particularly people with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disorder.
One form of arthritis, gout, is aggravated by foods that are high in purines which raise the uric acid level. The highest purine foods are not part of the everyday American diet including sardines, herring, mussels, smelt and the brains, kidneys, or sweetbreads of animals. More common foods with a moderately high purine level are bacon, salmon, liver, turkey, anchovies, scallops and liver. Avoiding these foods as well as alcohol are dietary approaches to controlling gout.
Fatigue and pain often cause people with arthritis to choose fast food or frozen food. These foods often lack fiber while packing in too much fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar. Standing on painful ankles or chopping vegetables with wrist discomfort makes cooking a low priority. Yet people with arthritis need to eat more fruits and vegetables as well as high-quality proteins for a balanced diet.
Osteoporosis is one type of arthritis that is known to be worsened by a lack of calcium and excess use of alcohol. Most women get 500 milligrams or less of calcium daily from food. Women who have osteoporosis, or who want to avoid getting it, need 1000-1500 milligrams of calcium daily in food or supplements.
Rheumatoid arthritis patients may find that low fat or low protein diet decreases symptoms. Identifying any food allergies is also important because of the stress on the immune system as it wrestles with the allergy.
The best arthritis diet is a balanced diet with fresh foods and variety. Any foods that are followed by joint inflammation or pain, need to be reduced or eliminated. Orthopedic Doctor NYC offering the regenerative treatment options for Rheumatoid Arthritis.