Are you one of the 53 million people with arthritis? Arthritis is the collective term for more than 100 joint diseases that affect both adults and children. It can cause joint pain, swelling, and inflammation and affect your freedom of movement. It can also get worse as you get older and even start damaging your organs and skin.
When it comes to choosing foods that help alleviate symptoms, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, there are food ingredients that tend to speed up, aggravate, or change your arthritic symptoms.
Arthritis affects everyone differently because there are many different diseases that fall under the same roof. However, if you are trying to treat your body as a temple to control your symptoms, you should avoid the following, especially numbers 3 and 6.
All of these ingredients can worsen inflammation and cause swelling, discomfort, pain, joint damage, and restricted freedom of movement.
9. Fried Food
Everyone loves fried snacks now and then, but how much you have can be the difference between an inflammation-free body and a body that gives you a lot of pain and discomfort!
Fried food is in no way beneficial to health. It can cause diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and inflammation that affects the joints. However, new research suggests that less fried foods can reduce inflammation, which should be beneficial for your bones.
8. Corn Oil
If you enjoy baked goods from time to time, you may find that this affects your arthritic joints. This could be because they contain corn oil, which can cause inflammation in the bones.
From now on, pay attention to the ingredients in your snacks. Make sure to include omega-3 fats like olive oil instead of corn oil, an anti-inflammatory option.
7. Cigarettes
We already know that cigarettes can affect our general health, but can also cause inflammation, which is one of the worst problems for people with arthritis. While cigarettes aren’t necessarily foods, almost 37 million people in the United States have them every day.
If you don’t want to quit cigarettes for health reasons, you can at least do it for your joints. Smokers are also at higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than non-smokers.
6. Candy
A sweet treat from time to time won’t hurt in the long run, but include it in your daily diet and you can get into trouble!
Sweets and other high sugar sweets are responsible for many health problems like poor dental health, cell aging and diabetes, but can also be responsible for gout.
Gout is an inflammatory disease that causes joint pain. Sugar increases uric acid levels, which worsens gout symptoms or creates new ones.
5. Cheese & Dairy
Milk and related products have a delicate balance between useful and harmful. However, if you are generally very sensitive to food when it comes to your arthritic symptoms, consider cutting cheese and milk.
Dairy products can cause and improve joint and arthritis pain in some people due to their proteins. While other people have no problems at all, you may want to eliminate the various milk options and see if your symptoms get worse or better.
4. Trans Fats
Of all the fats available for consumption, trans fats are by far the worst. It can cause inflammation that affects the health of your joints and increases the likelihood that chronic diseases will also occur.
Trans fats have no advantages and are widely used in many fried foods and snacks. According to studies by Harvard Medical School, there is also no confirmed “safe” level of consumption. Avoid it completely and do not eat foods with “partially hydrogenated oils” in the container.
3. MSG
MSG, also known as monosodium glutamate, plays a leading role in joint inflammation and liver health. While your main goal is to flavor food, your body won’t do you a favor over time.
Unfortunately, MSG is found in many common foods, especially in cooking and Asian sauces. However, some manufacturers also have sausages, soups and even salad dressings. Definitely avoid it, especially if you have joint disease.
2. Refined Carbohydrates
While carbohydrates aren’t the worst anti-inflammatories, they’re refined carbohydrates. White rice, bread, and even white potatoes can cause inflammation that affects the health of your joints.
These foods are known as high glycemic index foods, and too many of them can also increase the obesity rate. Do your joints and your body a favor and choose different foods. Your body and pain will thank you.
1. Alcohol
Occasional alcohol consumption does not cause your body too much pain. However, if you suffer from a joint condition like arthritis, it is better to consume it in moderation.
As most people know, alcohol can do enormous damage to your liver. If your liver is disrupted, joint pain and swelling may occur.
However, drinking alcohol has some advantages. Some research shows that up to 10 grams of alcohol a day can reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Conclusion
Once you have arthritis, you will have it for a lifetime and you will find that there are times when your pain is at its highest. While medication can help relieve pain and discomfort, there are ingredients and foods that can help or hinder you.
Note these nine items above. Everything from cigarettes to carbohydrates can cause inflammation, and you may not even know it. Take control of your diet and notice the difference!