The Best Diet For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Arthritis is a disease that causes inflammation and breaks down the joints. It can be very painful and it is therefore important to do your best to relieve the symptoms. Here is the best diet for rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Although it may be difficult to follow, we recommend that you give it a try. Think about the potentially unpleasant and painful consequences of not doing so. Also, try to follow all of your doctor’s advice to maintain an ideal quality of life.

The best diet for rheumatoid arthritis patients

To combat the problems caused by this disease, we suggest that you pay close attention to what you eat. Try to include several of the following foods to form the best diet for rheumatoid arthritis:

Fat fish

According to the Arthritis Association, we Danes still eat too little fish. It is especially important for arthritis patients to eat a varied diet, including fish such as salmon. Fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which according to nutrition expert Martin Kreuzer can stimulate the immune system.

Eat two servings of fish a week – or more – to get the most out of the benefits. Salmon and herring are best because they are fatty. If it is outside your budget, you can replace it with tuna, sardines or flaxseed.

Soya

If you have chosen a vegetarian lifestyle, fish may not be an option for you. If so, try soybeans and other soy products.

This legume is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and you can eat it in a wide variety of forms:

• Tofu
• Bean sprouts
• Prayers
• Milk

Soy is a very complete food because it is low in fat and rich in fiber and protein. For this reason, it controls inflammation and improves your health in general.

Since it is such a versatile ingredient, you can eat it at any meal during the day. You just have to learn to combine it with other ingredients.

High quality vegetable oils

We already know that extra virgin olive oil contains healthy fats for the heart and for fighting inflammation. However, that is not the only thing.

The majority of vegetable oils have the same properties. They also offer the benefits of the nuts or seeds from which they are derived.

Two good alternatives to olive oil are avocado kernel oil and sunflower oil. Both contain more omega 3 than olive oil and give your dishes a new flavor.

Foods that you should avoid in a diet for people with arthritis

The foods that you should avoid at all costs to reduce the effects of inflammation include:

Fried and processed food

Reducing your consumption of deep-fried foods is key in the diet of people with arthritis. This is because these foods increase the inflammation and the problems it causes.

Instead, we suggest you choose foods that are steamed, grilled, cooked or oven baked. We understand that in some homes it can be challenging because of habits. However, you only need a little willpower to achieve the desired results.

If you find it very difficult to make these changes, seek out a nutritionist who can design a specific diet plan for you. This tends to be an investment that yields excellent results and in a few months you can do it yourself.

Sugar and sweeteners

Other ingredients that people with rheumatoid arthritis should avoid are sugars, sweeteners and so on. Unfortunately, they are common ingredients in most of the products we buy.

Therefore, the ideal scenario for you is to invest in natural products and prepare all your food for yourself. Remember that to add or enhance the flavor you can make use of organic honey, maple syrup, agave syrup and stevia.

Another option is spices. Try to take advantage of herbs (like mint and basil), natural aromas (like vanilla essence) and spices (like star anise, cardamom, etc.).

Dairy products

The best diet for rheumatoid arthritis should avoid dairy products as much as possible. This group of foods can cause irritation and inflammation around the joints.

However, this does not happen in all cases, so you should be aware of whether this is a problem happening to you or not.

If you need to avoid dairy products, remember to add protein in the form of meat or other protein-rich foods.