Chronic Conditions
Jigsaw Health Products
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Arthritis: Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations to improve symptoms
The quality of your health depends upon many pieces that not only include the health of your bodily systems, but also include a healthy diet, exercise, and spirituality.
Diet. Treatment of arthritis may center on developing healthy dietary guidelines, in addition to making some key adjustments in your relationship with food. Dietary recommendations include:
Increase your omega-3 essential fatty acid intake and decrease your omega-6 intake. Omega-3 essential fatty acids can dramatically reduce inflammation, while an excess of omega-6 can increase inflammation. Decrease the amount of polyunsaturated oils in your diet that contain omega-6 (such as sunflower, safflower, or corn oil). Increase your intake of omega-3 with fish oil, ground flax seed, minimal-mercury tuna, and wild-caught salmon.
Choose monounsatured oils. Olive oil is a healthy monounsaturated oil that is used in the Mediterranean diet (a diet praised for its anti-inflammatory effects on the body).
Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. A low-fiber diet can contribute to systemic inflammation. Liberally add ground flax seed (which is also high in omega-3 fatty acids) to many of your favorite recipes, smoothies, shakes, and salads. Also try coconut flour which is 58% fiber!
Eat fruits high in vitamin C. These help relieve inflammation. Choose blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi fruit, peaches, mango, cantaloupe melon, and anti-inflammatory fruits like apples.2 However, try to moderate your intake of citrus fruits that may be too acidic and irritating, such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruit.
Eat fresh produce high in carotenoids. Carotenoids are found in yellow and orange fruits and vegetables. A British study at the University of Manchester Medical School showed that subjects who ate a diet high in dietary carotenoids dramatically reduced their risk of inflammatory arthritis. Carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, and cantaloupe are some examples of foods that contain carotenoids.3
Eat superfoods that are rich in antioxidants. When you’re at the supermarket, just remember this rule of thumb: The deeper and richer the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more antioxidant power it has. Choose the most colorful fruits and vegetables in the produce aisle to benefit from powerful antioxidants. Vibrant choices include blueberries, red grapes, mangos, pomegranate, dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach), Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash.
Increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D. Those who suffer from arthritis may suffer from coexisting bone conditions as well. In order to protect your bones, choose foods that are naturally high in calcium such as mustard greens, broccoli, spinach, collard greens, and turnip greens. Foods rich in vitamin D include mercury-minimal tuna, sunflower seeds, and wild-caught salmon. Also, moderate exposure to sunlight increases vitamin D production, which helps the body absorb calcium.
Add anti-inflammatory herbs to your diet. Herbs like turmeric, ginger, and garlic have powerful anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that naturally help boost the immune system.
Other dietary recommendations:
- Add healthy saturated fats to your diet, such as organic virgin coconut oil.
- Choose organic, cage-free eggs.
- Choose unpasteurized, raw dairy items that have live, active cultures (probiotics), such as yogurt and kefir.
- Drink room-temperature purified water throughout the day. Foods to AVOID when treating arthritis:
- Avoid nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. These types of foods tend to aggravate inflammation and pain in people who have arthritis.
- Avoid dairy products, especially if you are lactose intolerant. Food allergies produce systemic inflammation and can aggravate the symptoms of arthritis.
- Avoid products that contain gluten, especially if you suffer from gluten intolerance. Avoid white products such as refined white flour, white bread, cakes, cookies, bagels, pasta, and processed snack foods.
- Cut back on red meat. Red meat can be very acidic. Keeping your body in an alkaline state can help reduce systemic inflammation. Choose less acidic meats such as poultry and fish instead.
Other foods to avoid:
- All simple or refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, crackers, etc.) – Read more about good carbs and bad carbs.
- All foods containing refined sugar or artificial sugar-substitutes such as Aspartame and Splenda®. Choose a natural sweetener like Xylosweet instead.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Limited cheese and wine
- Fungi such as mushrooms
- Pickled foods
- Sweetened fruit juices, since they spike blood sugar levels too rapidly
- Carbonated soft drinks that cause blood pH levels to become acidic
- Bottom crawlers such as oysters, clams, and lobster that may contain toxic levels of mercury
- Deep-sea fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish that may contain toxic levels of mercury. Choose minimal-mercury tuna instead.
- Farm-raised fish that contain PCBs and not enough omega-3 essential fatty acids, due to their land-based diets. Choose wild-caught salmon instead.
- Nitrites found in processed foods such as hot dogs, lunch meats, and bacon
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in many foods as a flavor enhancer
- Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils found in many processed foods, deep-fried foods, fast foods, and junk food. Read more about trans fats.
- Limited caffeine intake. While moderate amounts of caffeine may be beneficial, excessive consumption of caffeine can cause the body to become more acidic, and disrupt the body’s systems.
Exercise
While it may sound painful to exercise with arthritis, there are techniques that you can use to keep yourself flexible. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are three types of exercise that are best suited for people with arthritis:
- Range-of-motion exercises help maintain normal joint movement and relieve stiffness.
- Strengthening exercises (weight training) help keep or increase muscle strength. Strong muscles help support and protect joints affected by arthritis.
- Aerobic or endurance exercises (bicycle riding, swimming) improve cardiovascular fitness, help control weight, and improve overall function. Weight control can be important to people who have arthritis because extra weight puts extra pressure on many joints. Some studies show that aerobic exercise can reduce inflammation in some joints.
Your healthcare professional may recommend physical therapy to help create a low-impact exercise plan that is tailored for your level of physical ability. The focus of physical therapy should be to protect the joints, while increasing strength, flexibility, and range of motion.
Other Tips for Treating Arthritis
- If you are overweight, make every effort to lose the extra pounds. Excess weight puts undue strain and stress on the joints, and can even damage knees and ankles. Eliminating excess weight can relieve the pressure on the joints and reduce the symptoms of arthritis.
- Talk to your healthcare professional about a supervised modification elimination diet. Basically, you start this diet by restricting yourself to eating only non-allergenic foods. Slowly, you reintroduce potential problem foods to see if you have a reaction to them. By identifying food intolerances and food allergies, you can eliminate problem foods that are causing undue systemic inflammation.
- Stop smoking. Cigarettes contain well over chemicals, many of which increase inflammation, and greatly aggravate chronic conditions.
- Go outdoors and obtain healthy amounts of sunlight. Moderate exposure to sunlight increases vitamin D production, which is essential for good bone health. People with arthritis are commonly deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Without adequate amounts of vitamin D, the body cannot effectively absorb calcium, which is essential for bone health.
- Heavy metal toxicity can produce vague symptoms that sometimes are mistaken for other chronic conditions. Discuss heavy metal toxicity with your healthcare professional before receiving any diagnosis or treatment for a serious chronic condition. Read more about heavy metal toxicity.
- If you have dental amalgams, or “silver” fillings, get an evaluation from a mercury-free dentist who specializes in the safe removal of mercury amalgam fillings. Find a mercury-free dentist in your area now.
- If you need help covering the costs of getting your "silver" fillings removed safely, the Jigsaw Health Foundation may be able to assist you. Read more about the Jigsaw Health Foundation.
Additional Information about Arthritis
- Arthritis Overview
- Common symptoms of arthritis
- Common causes of arthritis
- Help me choose a natural and alternative treatment for arthritis
- Conventional or prescription medications used in the treatment of arthritis
- Cited Sources and Additional Reading for arthritis
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
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