Can Different Foods Help Arthritis?

Patients always ask me "Can foods help arthritis?"



The "scientific community" is mixed on this point. Some researchers say yes and others say no. Even medical doctors argue about it, but more and more people are starting to agree that eating well can help your pain.

Since food affects everything in your body it therefore must impact your arthritis symptoms. After all, it is the one thing you put in your body every day, right?

Think about it. Was there a time when you were trying to get healthy or lose weight and you were following a strict eating plan? Lots of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, not a lot of fat? And didn't you feel really good during that time? Your energy probably soared, your GI tract worked well, and you probably noticed things like your skin and hair looked a little better.

Low Glycemic Eating
These Foods Help Arthritis Inflammation

All food eventually gets turned into blood sugar. High sugar levels cause inflammation inside you. Let me explain.

How White Flour Causes Inflammation

Here's where it gets a little technical... have you ever seen a car rust because it's exposed to sea air or snow? That's called "oxidation." It's a natural process caused by oxygen reacting with a metal. When we eat, breathe, sleep, whatever - just by living - we constantly have "oxidation" going on inside us. It's almost like rusting on the inside. That blood sugar spike from that potato and the insulin release after speeds up that oxidation causing "free radicals". (You've heard of those before, right?) Those free radicals cause chaos in your body; they damage cells, they harden arteries, and they cause inflammation (and arthritis symptoms are caused by inflammation).

But if you can SLOW down that blood sugar spike and the insulin release, you can SLOW down the oxidation (rusting on the inside) AND the inflammation. And the foods that slow this process down are the ones I want you to eat; these foods help arthritis.
Make sense?

Which Foods Help Arthritis, Specifically?

Some foods like carrots have a high GI rating because they have natural sugars. In cases like this, where the food is inherently healthy (natural, raw, unprocessed, etc.) the trick is to eat smaller portion sizes to keep them from affecting blood sugar. (In the case of carrots, have one big carrot or 10 baby carrots at a sitting - not 4 big carrots or 40 baby carrots!)

Because low glycemic foods help arthritis inflammation, I recommend you eat only off the low GI list for the first month. Some people feel overwhelmed when I say that, but my response (usually) is "You can do anything for a month, can't you?"

This is your life. If arthritis is keeping you from being active and doing the things you love, then one month's time is a small price to pay. At the end of that month, you'll have gotten rid of many of your cravings anyway, and you might find that these foods help arthritis, taste great, and you love them (and they do, and you will)!

I have provided lists of low, medium, and high glycemic foods. Pasta, 100% whole wheat bread and brown rice are included in the low glycemic list. THEY ARE ONLY LOW GLYCEMIC IN THE PORTIONS INDICATED. You don't have to worry about counting calories with this eating plan, but you DO need to watch your portions when it comes to the grains.

What About Dessert? Can't I Have Dessert?

Let's talk briefly about sweets. I know as well as you do that if you don't allow yourself some treats when you are trying to eat healthy, you'll go crazy and eventually fall off the proverbial wagon. But I have good news.

1/2 ounce of dark chocolate a day can help with weight loss!

Dark chocolate is full of anti-oxidants and has chemical properties that can affect your mood (in a good way!). It can help you with your arthritis diet in two ways.

1) You don't feel deprived every day so you're less likely to rebel and eat a plate full of cookies.

and

2) The brain chemicals it releases can help you feel more even and steady which makes you less likely to run for a carbohydrate fix.

It also has been shown to reduce inflammation. So if you want to indulge, please do, with dark chocolate as your favorite sweet. :)

For more information on the Glycemic Index and a complete plan on how to make the switch, I recommend The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook. It's got great information in it and enough recipes to make it easy for you to learn which foods help arthritis without feeling deprived.

Some Definitions for You

Proteins - mostly animal products. Beef, chicken, pork, turkey, duck, shellfish, fish, eggs, and dairy products (which also count as carbohydrates, but dairy products tend to have low glycemic ratings).

Fats - Butter, oils, nuts, avocados (also a carbohydrate but it counts as a fat). Fats break down to saturated (are solid at room temperature) and unsaturated (liquid at room temperature). The unsaturated fats are ideal in an arthritis diet. I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil almost exclusively in my cooking, and the natural fats found in certain fish are excellent for joint health. Your arthritis diet should include fish two times a week as it's also an excellent protein source.

Have you been eating Low Glycemic? Got great recipes?

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