Food and Diet on Arthitis

Food and Diet:
Eating foods that are right for your body will support physical health and mental health. Certain foods that may cause arthritis symptoms in some people and for general information about good nutrition for everyone.

Eating to be Healthy

Foods to eat that support overall good health:
If you have food allergies or food sensitivities, it is important to eliminate problem foods from your diet. It is also important to eat foods that support good digestion.

Foods with high nutrient density.
Look for foods with high nutrient density. This means eating whole, unprocessed foods. A healthy diet will consist of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables (lightly steamed is best), whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fish. Cut back on dairy, eggs, and red meat. Avoid foods made with hydrogenated oils. The best oils are cold-pressed. Avoid sugar and refined flour.Organic food is best because:

• Your body's detoxification systems do not have the additional stress of eliminating pesticides.
• Organic food is grown in richer soil that gives food higher levels of vitamins and minerals.
• You are supporting a healthy environment. Traditional farming methods can result in pesticides getting into our ground water.

The Macrobiotic Diet:
Many people have cured themselves of serious illness by following this diet. It is so different from the standard American diet that if you want to try it, it will be helpful to take some cooking classes.
The basic diet:

• 50% of each meal consists of whole grains. Usually the grain is brown rice, but any grain is acceptable.
• 20-30% vegetables. At each meal, there will be a balance of root vegetables, vegetables that grow above the ground, and dark leafy green vegetables.
  
• Root vegetables include carrots, onions, daikon radish, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, and burdock.
• Above-ground vegetables include winter and summer squash, broccoli, green cabbage, celery cabbage, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts.
• Leafy dark green vegetables include kale, collards, parsley, and watercress.


• 5-10% beans and sea vegetables. Beans include azuki beans, chick peas, lentils, and soybean products such as tofu and tempeh.
  
  Small amounts of sea vegetables with each meal supply valuable minerals. They have a fishy taste, and people who don't like fish may have trouble eating them. The most mild-tasting of the sea vegetables are arame and wakeme. If you do all right with arame and wakeme, try some of the recipes with kombu. Kombu is only a little stronger-tasting and in addition to all the good minerals, kombu is excellent for the digestion. Put a small piece of kombu in the cooking water when you make beans and you won't have a problem with intestinal gas.


• 5-10% soups made from any of the above ingredients.
• Typical condiments include soy sauce, sea salt, sea salt with ground sesame seeds, brown rice vinegar, ginger, and miso.

Chewing is stressed with this diet. It is recommended to chew each mouthful 50 times. The extra saliva created by all this chewing is beneficial in the digestive process. Dr. Galland says, "Saliva contains a substance called epidermal growth factor (EGF), which stimulates growth and repair of tissue."

What about juicing and raw foods?
The macrobiotic diet consists mainly of cooked foods. Some people do better on a diet with significant amounts of raw vegetables and with juiced fruits and vegetables.

Foods You May Have to Avoid
There is no one food or group of foods to give up that will help all or even most people with arthritis. Some people report benefits from altering their diet, but it is very individual. You have to do a lot of detective work.

Some people feel better when they give up animal protein.
Some people feel better when they give up all foods in the nightshade family.

The nightshades are tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers (includes bell peppers, cayenne, chili, paprika, pimiento) and eggplant. The nightshade family also includes tobacco and belladonna. The nightshade family can be tricky. After eating a tomato, it can take as long as 48 hours before a reaction occurs. And it can actually take as long as six months for all reactions to stop. This means if you want to test for nightshades you may need to completely give up every member of this family for six months. You must carefully check all labels. Prepared foods often have potato starch or tomato paste. Relish may contain peppers or paprika. Anytime you see "spices" listed under ingredients, the food may contain paprika or pepper.

Some people feel better when gluten is eliminated from their diet. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Some people feel better when they give up all dairy products.

The problem may be molds. Foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, nuts, berries, cantaloupe and honeydew melon get moldy easily. If you react to these foods sometimes, but not others, you may be allergic to certain molds rather than the foods.

There are many other foods that can increase arthritis symptoms. Sometimes the only way to identify these foods is to either go on a fast with nothing but water for five days, or try a rare foods diet.

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