Best Foods for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Diet alone can't fully reduce the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, but many people with rheumatoid arthritis believe diet plays a key part in minimizing their symptoms.
Here are some diet tips to help you control your arthritis.
Top Diet Tips
- Following a ‘Mediterranean style’ diet may improve your symptoms (see below)
- A lower salt diet may also be beneficial
- Other more unusual foods to eat if you can find them, or enjoy them, to add to your diet;
- Ground flaxseeds - a good source of omega-3s
- Ginger and turmeric powder have been shown to help reduce inflammation
- Borage seed oil (in capsule form)
- Green tea
- It is important to maintain a healthy weight. Healthy eating combined with regular exercise will assist in the loss of body fat.
arthritis of the handMediterranean Diet Concepts
- Reduce the amount of saturated fat from bacon fat, salami, meat fat, chicken skin, fried food, commercially made cakes and biscuits
- Eat more omega-3 and mono-unsaturated fats which may help control inflammation
- Olive oil in moderation
- Fatty fish are a rich omega-3 source, eat fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, herring and other cold-water fish
- Nuts are high in mono-unsaturated fat. Almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and walnuts. Watch the quantity of nuts, as they are high in calories, even though they are good fats. 30g handful serve is ideal
- Lots of fruits and vegetables, these are rich in antioxidants which can reverse the effects of inflammation. In fact, a vegan diet has been shown to be very effective in RA symptom reductions.
- More wholegrain foods like oats, grain breads, brown rice etc. rather than white options.
- Beans and legumes are rich in protein, good for muscle mass maintenance, containing antioxidants and other healthy nutrients. Good choices are soybeans, red kidney beans and black-eyed peas.
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