Improving my arthritis symptoms: Does diet play a role?

Improving my arthritis symptoms: Does diet play a role?

There is no doubt a healthy body nurtures a healthy mind. But what does your body require to stay healthy? A healthy diet is almost certainly a big part of it! On one hand, a healthy diet helps the body actively participate throughout the day, whilst on the other hand, it works as a shield against all hazards that may compromise the immune system, We may all be well aware of the term arthritis, but how many of us understand it well? Probably very few! Generally, many of us think that any type of joint pain is Arthritis –  not entirely true! There are more than 100 types of arthritis discovered to date and the development of these are dependent on numerous factors such as age, gender, family history, and genetics that ultimately influence whether or not the body develops arthritis.

Signs & Symptoms

Notably, not every joint or muscle pain is arthritis but a few common and obvious symptoms might leads to developing arthritis. As we all know, backaches, creaky knees, and elbow pains are common in the elderly. But when talking about arthritis, this is more than just an old age disease. We see many of the young ones suffering from it and having severe symptoms.

Commonly diagnosed arthritis include Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Seronegativearthiritides( like Lupus and Ankylosing spondylitis ), and gouty arthritis ( an example of crystal arthritis ). These types of arthritis differ in their nature, but they all come up with some common signs and symptoms that include:

• Pain and stiffness of the body
• Trouble in moving around
• Pain and Swelling in joints
• Skin or eye infection( seronegative arthritis )

The above signs and symptoms could of course vary from person to person depending upon their nature. Some people experience milder symptoms whilst others may have moderate or more severely debilitating symptoms.

Curing arthritis through a healthy diet?

Despite all advancements in the medical field, one always wonders why we are still unable to find a cure for this widespread condition yet? How long do we have to wait for a magical treatment? Is it that hard to find the answer?

The first hurdle is that there are over 100 different types of arthritic conditions and that arthritis is more of a spectrum. All these conditions share common symptoms such as joint pain and inflammation which are trickier to prevent than one might think.

Secondly, it is a general misconception that arthritis is confined to old age. Even osteoarthritis( aka. Wear-and-tear arthritis ) could develop in an earlier phase of life, usually secondary to some sort of trauma.  Unfortunately, with all of these conditions, only symptoms can be treated instead of the root cause.

A balanced and healthy diet fulfilling all of the required vitamins one’s body needs can do wonders. It is not only beneficial for a healthy lifestyle but it gives an enormous amount of energy to deal with any kind of pain that a physical body may be enduring.

What to Eat

Specifically talking about dealing with the pain after developing arthritis, a well-balanced healthy diet gives you massive energy to help buffer the body pain whilst engaging the body into different work modes throughout the day.

The dictum ‘You are what you eat’  is very true. Research has shown us what you eat has a profound impact on your overall health and wellness including your ability to cope up with arthritis.

Healthy eating for arthritis is very simple; it is more or less the same as healthy eating for everybody else. Vegetables and fruits should cover the largest portion of your every day, every meal dietary composition. A Mediterranean diet is highly recommended for arthritis patients. A healthy and well-balanced diet might sound expensive and look complicated but it does not have to be.

Our body needs healthy fats because fats help us to get more energy as well as absorb more nutrients. So choosing healthy fats might be another progressive step towards a healthy diet. Fish, pulses, nuts, and olive oil are good ingredients.  Drink plenty of water, that’s what your body needs anyway.

The best way to adopt healthy eating is to consult a physician or a dietician. You might get beneficial tips regarding portion, size, and intervals of eating.

What not to Eat

The best way to keep inflammation under control is to have an anti-inflammatory diet. The foods we eat have an incredible impact on our bodies. Some might cause inflammation while others fight inflammation, so it’s very important to avoid having meals that cause inflammation.

Anything with Gluten is better avoided. Nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes could aggravate inflammation. Processed fast food, barbecued, blackened foods, and processed sugar in any form might cause inflammation which further leads to more pain if you already have arthritis.

How to Eat

We already discussed what to eat and what not to eat to fight arthritis; moreover, the ideal amount of healthy food might help a long way.

Know your ingredients, cook from the scratch, instead of buying already cooked or cut food from stores and try to make your meal naturally adding up ingredients yourself to maintain a balanced diet.

Having a healthy meal doesn’t necessarily mean putting all of the healthy stuff into one single meal rather slow down your meal and consume in small portions.

Avoid binge eating.

Healthy Lifestyle

Undoubtedly, one of the best defenses against arthritis is making a lifestyle choice- such as maintaining a healthy weight to take the pressure off the joints, low impact exercises like yoga or cycling, and avoid smoking. These lifestyle behaviors may not help in curing arthritis but will certainly help to improve the quality of life.

For further consultation on diet, lifestyle modification, and arthritis, please contact Dr. GowreesonThevendran or visit www.orthofootmd.com.