Rheumatoid Arthritis Nutrition Guide
Alternative health practitioners will always answer yes to this question, primarily because they’ve seen distinct changes in their rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Eliminate Food Sensitivities if You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
One nutrition approach to rheumatoid arthritis is to discover what food sensitivities and allergies a rheumatoid arthritis patient has. There are companies such as ALCAT (www.Alcat.com) that can run tests to determine food sensitivities of 100+ different foods, herbs and spices.
She Wouldn’t Give up Her Family’s Favorite Foods
I recall one patient I had over the years who was a female attorney. She was disabled because of rheumatoid arthritis that had progressed to the point in which her joints were deformed in her hands and feet. She was in a wheelchair.
The results of her food sensitivity report (an IgE test) showed she was highly allergic to tomatoes and some other foods. She stated she absolutely had to have tomatoes, wheat and cheese in her diet because she was Italian. She couldn’t fathom the idea of living without them, even though they were clearly contributing to the inflammation in her joints.
This was unfortunate because there have been numerous other cases in which those with rheumatoid arthritis gave up the offending foods in their diet and noticed a huge change in their symptoms. Some were walking for the first time in years. The inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis can be completely incapacitating.
What would you do if your favorite foods were contributing to your rheumatoid arthritis? Would you find a way to give them up? How much would you prioritize your health over your current nutrition?
Mediterranean Diet May Help Those with RA
Another nutrition approach to rheumatoid arthritis is the Mediterranean diet. This diet uses olive oil and bans other vegetable oils that can be contributing to free radical production that is linked to inflammation and pain.
Vegetable oils are polyunsaturated oils with a chemical structure that is subject to oxidation. When oxidation occurs in the body at high rates, then the damage occurs to the tissues and starts with the weakest tissues first. In rheumatoid arthritis, the weakened areas are the joints and immune system.
The Mediterranean diet is one high in vegetables as well, and it has significant amounts of fruit, too. These fruits and vegetables provide plenty of antioxidants. The antioxidants quench free radicals that contribute to joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.
Two Ways to Take Action Now for Your Rheumatoid Arthritis
Now you have two new ideas about what you can do to impact your own rheumatoid arthritis. You can obtain a food sensitivity test and follow it to the letter. If so, look for a change in four days, as it takes four days to clear the body of a food reaction from allergens or food sensitivities.
You can also begin eating a diet closer to a Mediterranean diet. There are plenty of resources online for this. Give yourself at least a month to see changes. If you believe the changes are a little stunted, make sure you run the food sensitivity test. Hidden food reactions are very common.