Monday, December 28, 2009

How to Eat a Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet

By David Nettles

With a direct link between the foods that we take in and the severity of symptoms experienced by arthritis sufferers proven, it mean you should be paying a lot of attention to your rheumatoid arthritis diet.

Although you may be taking prescription medications, an arthritis diet can help them work better.

Discover What Triggers Your Symptoms

First thing you should do is keep a log of any foods that appear to trigger your symptoms. These problem foods will change from person to person, that is why a log or diary is useful to trace the ones that do it for you. Once you have your record, you can then cut these foods out of your diet, avoiding needless pain.

Next up: some foods that ought to be included in a rheumatoid arthritis diet.

Food That Are Good

As with any condition, the 'take in plenty of fluid' rule applies. Remember to keep your liquid levels up, like water (best), soups, unsweetened juices and herbal or green teas. You could be dehydrated and not even know it, except that you feel out of sorts. Here's a tip; if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Get into the practice of taking in liquids whether you are thirsty or not.

Most fruit and vegetables are chock full of healthy anti oxidants that have a great healing effect, but there are some to watch out for. Just steer clear of the food items recognized to worsen arthritic symptoms, and concentrate on the good foods like apples and avocados. By the way, don't peel your apples as the skin contains five times the anti oxidants than the rest. And of course, dark green leafy vegetables are best.

What's in Your Cupboard?

You need to include in your rheumatoid arthritis diet foods that have an anti-inflammatory effect. This will reduce inflammation in your joints and decrease your pain. Two of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods are possibly already in your kitchen cupboard. They are:

Garlic: Increase your intake of this humble bulb, try to eat it raw whenever you can; as with most foods, cooking destroys some nutrients. It's delicious in healthy dips and guacamole. If you really detest the taste, take garlic supplements.

Ginger: Add fresh, ground or powdered ginger to your meals or infuse it in hot water to make a delicious tea. Ginger is a little on the zesty side, and adds a warming effect to meals.

Foods to Avoid

Now how about the foods to avoid (or eat less of)? Some foods associated with flare-ups include:

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

Meat: The meats to steer clear of are beef, pork, bacon and lamb. Basically, stay away from meats with saturated fats. If you simply can;t do without the rare steak or chop, make sure to trim away all visible fat before eating.

Something to keep in the back of your mind; different people may have different reactions to foods. This is why your own list of foods to remove from your rheumatoid arthritis diet will be valuable.

Free Information on How to Treat Arthritis Naturally

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