A focus on an improved diet can help those with arthritis manage their symptoms and reduce some of the pain they suffer with the chronic condition. The most common type of arthritis, affecting around eight million people in the UK, is osteoarthritis where the cartilage around the joints wears away. This condition usually affects older people, particularly women, but can develop at any age where you have suffered a fracture or joint injury.
With no cure available for the condition, treatment centres on alleviating the symptoms, reducing inflammation in the joints and offering pain relief. For those seeking a natural way of dealing with arthritis, a change in diet is simple but known to be highly effective.
The first step is to eliminate processed and convenience food and ditch fast food or junk food from the menu – all are generally high in fat, sugar and salt, and may also contain chemical additives that can irritate digestion and interrupt the immune system.
Foods known to cause allergies should be next on your banned list – this includes wheat, eggs, peanuts, dairy and corn. Certain types of fish and shellfish are also troublesome but good fish to incorporate more of in your diet include oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring and tuna. These are high in omega 3 fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation.
Gluten is a problem for many people and cutting out products containing gluten can bring symptoms relief for arthritis sufferers. This means avoiding wheat, rye, barley, spelt and oats. Do include vitamin supplements and look for foods known for their antioxidant qualities and eat them fresh to get the maximum benefit. Go for organic fruit and vegetables that are free from pesticides and artificial fertilisers.
Keep a food diary for the first month and take a note of which foods irritate your symptoms and which ones alleviate them.
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