Arthritis and Food

When it comes to specific foods we should all aim to eat an anti-inflammatory diet which basically means avoiding foods that promote inflammation and eating plenty of foods that tend to reduce or limit inflammation.  While this might sound like a complicated way of looking at things, the idea can be implemented into your life pretty easily.

AVOID:

Any food that tends to make you feel unwell, bloated, gassy or mucousy. These are all signs that your body is mounting an immune response to the foods that you’re eating and this means it’s promoting inflammation. Listening to your body really is the first step in eating well.

Try to eat as little processed food as possible, many of the chemicals added to foods to extend shelf life are known to cause gut inflammation. While these things might be okay once in a while we all need to be mindful of how much processed foods can creep into your staple foods.

Take away foods; apart from the salt, sugar and fat overload in so many take away meals and the havoc that wreaks on our metabolism regulating hormones there is the other evil of bacterial overload that so often comes from foods that are kept warm for prolonged periods. We all understand the concept that bacteria stimulate the immune system to produce inflammation but some how we forget that it applies to the food we eat… so next time you see food being kept nicely warmed to 35-45 degrees in a bain marie just remember that that also happens to be the perfect incubation temperature for all kinds of nasties.

EAT MORE:  These foods have all been shown to help reduce some aspect of inflammation

Omega-3 fatty acids Salmon, herring, mackerel (not king), sardines, anchovies, rainbow trout, oysters, eggs, flaxseed (seeds & oil) and walnuts.

Extra-virgin olive oil Use olive oil when cooking and it’s best added at the end of cooking for it’s anti-inflammatory effects.

Antioxidants May help prevent arthritis, slow or limit its progression & relieve pain.

Vitamin C Guava, sweet peppers, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, pineapple, lemons, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, kidney beans, cauliflower, red cabbage, mangos.

Selenium Brazil nuts, tuna, crab, oysters, lean beef, cod, whole grains, turkey & wheat germ.

Carotenes Sweet potato, carrots, kale, butternut squash, turnip greens, pumpkin, mustard greens, red pepper, apricots and spinach.