Arthritis Diet
Arthritis Diet
Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints in the body. There may also be swelling, stiffness and pain in joints. It may affect a single joint and at times affect multiple joints. People at any age may get arthritis and there are different types of arthritis like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis etc. The causes for arthritis can be metabolic abnormalities, injury, infections, heredity factors etc. For some people certain foods may become allergens and triggers arthritis symptoms. Hence you can control your arthritis symptoms with the help of diet.
Food that Can be Taken by Arthritic Patients
It is ideal that arthritic patients remain vegetarians and avoid your intake of meat. But you can include fish in your diet. This helps you to get relief from the pain. Foods having high polyunsaturated fatty acids like omega 3 fatty acid can help you to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and the joint pain. Fish like mackerel, tuna, salmon etc are found to be enriched with omega 3 fatty acid. Soybeans, avocado, walnuts etc are also rich in omega 3 fatty acid.
Also include more fruits and vegetables in your diet and they may help you by supplementing with more nutrients and vitamins. Carrot, beet root, coconut water, coconut milk, cucumber, squashes, pumpkin, zucchini etc are ideal for arthritic patients. You can take vegetable and fruit juices, soups and herbal teas. Spices like ginger, garlic, asafetida, turmeric, cumin etc are also good.
Food to be Avoided
Arthritic patients should avoid foods like poultry, red meat and other high cholesterol and fat foods. Similarly dairy products like cheese, milk, ice cream, butter etc as they contain phosphorus and cholesterol in them which is not advisable for arthritic patients. Also avoid wheat products, refined wheat, corn etc to limit your phosphorus intake. Likewise tomatoes, egg plant, bell pepper, citrus fruits etc may also aggravate your joint pain. Also avoid the foods that consist of too much salt and sugar. Try to avoid soft drinks, cookies, chips, sodas etc. Eliminate alcohol and caffeine from your diet as they may aggravate your symptoms.
While balancing your diet you need to do exercise daily and this helps you to control your weight and symptoms of arthritis.
