Diet for rheumatoid arthritis

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

During many diseases, the quality of the diet has almost the same effect on the health of the body as the treatment with medications. It is impossible to bring rheumatoid arthritis into remission without proper nutrition - medical remedies will eliminate the symptoms of the disease only for a short time, and then the pain will return.

The exact cause of this disease has not been established. Factors causing exacerbation: the introduction of infection, trauma, osteoarthritis, allergies, treatment with certain medications, metabolic disorders, stress factor and the like. That is, autoimmune reactions - macrophages begin to attack protein structures produced by the ligamentous apparatus of the joints against the background of reduced immunity.

General principles of the diet for rheumatoid arthritis

Since one of the reasons for the exacerbation of the disease is allergy, it is necessary to exclude from the menu products that are allergens for a particular patient

There is a whole list of foods that should not be eaten for allergies:

1. milk;
2. citrus;
3. cereals: wheat, corn, rye, oatmeal;
4. pork;
5. nightshades: eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes;
6. chocolate…

But it is very likely that this food is harmless, but other foods cause an allergic reaction in a particular case. To check the reaction of your own body, they analyze the nutrition that preceded the deterioration of the condition, and exclude any dish from the diet for a week.

Then it is injected for 1-2 days and again their own feelings are analyzed. There are no changes, which means it is worth testing a different product.

One of the best diets for exacerbating inflammatory processes in the joints is Mediterranean. The daily menu consists of 80% plant foods - fruits and vegetables, the remaining 20% - nuts and sea fish

Such food is not suitable for everyone, some are trying to switch to a vegetarian diet, where the ratio of lactic acid and vegetable products is 50/50.

• Fruits and vegetables for joint diseases are needed because they contain a certain biological phytochemical complex that has an analgesic effect. Potassium and vitamin C are replenished from vegetables. Most of all potassium is found in potatoes and bananas, vitamin C in currants, citrus fruits, cherries, and herbs.
• With rheumatoid arthritis, it is important to observe not only the diet and diet, but also the technology of cooking.

The treatment of the disease is long - even express therapy with special means lasts at least 2 months, all this time the digestive organs and other organic systems are exposed to increased stress. For example, the use of non-steroidal drugs negatively affects the state of the gastric mucosa, corticosteroids have a depressing effect on the hematopoietic system. Elimination of drugs from the body is an increased burden on the kidneys and liver.

That is why food that enhances the secretory function of the digestive organs is excluded from medical nutrition: solid fats, spices, strong tea, coffee, alcohol …

Hormonal drugs increase the leaching of calcium from the body, which provokes the development of osteoporosis of the skeletal system and joints

Therefore, leafy greens, dairy products, and sometimes soy are mandatory in the menu.

If possible, unload damaged joints. To do this, you need to follow a diet not only in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but also completely switch to proper nutrition

You should eat in small portions, 4-5 times a day, so as not to gain weight.

In the exacerbation stage, reduce the calorie content of dishes - at this time, physical activity is limited, and excess weight is the load. An increase in body weight can cause severe deformation of the joints of the lower extremities.

It is advisable to completely exclude from the diet:

1. alcohol is a very high-calorie drink that also stimulates appetite.
2. baked goods;
3. fatty meals;
4. refined carbohydrates - sweets, ice cream, treats with dyes and flavor enhancers;

With inflammatory diseases of the joints, salts begin to be deposited in them, forming osteophytes - bone protrusions. In most cases, these are uric acid salts, which are formed during the breakdown of purines - substances that enter the body with food

A large amount of purines is found in meat - especially in pork and lamb, in some varieties of oily fish, in offal, in canned food … These foods are excluded from the diet for rheumatoid arthritis, but a high content of purines and some plant foods: sorrel, spinach, beets … They will also have to be excluded from the daily menu with an exacerbation of the disease.

The stress factor negatively affects the general condition, negative emotions can provoke an exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis. Emotional instability while eating disrupts the absorption process, nutrients are not absorbed

You should always eat in a calm atmosphere, you should not be distracted by extraneous matters - reading, watching programs, food should be thoroughly chewed.

Diet for rheumatoid arthritis - menu, options

It is impossible to say for sure that such a diet should be followed for joint inflammation caused by rheumatoid factor. What can and cannot be eaten largely depends on the clinical picture, the nature of the treatment, the patient's condition and his anamnesis.

Several diet options for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

With exacerbation

Complete rejection of salt.

1. For breakfast: buckwheat porridge, egg omelet, tea, baked apple.
2. Lunch: vegetable soup, noodles with lean beef (boiled fish), compote.
3. Dinner: carrot and beef cutlets, potatoes or noodles, weak tea with lemon.
4. Snack - kefir.

Mediterranean diet. You can stick to it all your life

The diet includes cereals, pasta, a lot of vegetables and fruits, olive oil, legumes and nuts. As close as possible to a vegetarian diet.

• A gluten-free diet is suitable for those who have an autoimmune reaction against the background of an inflammatory process in the joints that has caused diabetes mellitus. Products with gluten protein are completely excluded from the diet - it is found in wheat, rye, barley and other cereals. Such nutrition is not suitable for everyone - the lack of nutrients that are present in gluten-containing foods can provoke an exacerbation of the disease.
• In the USSR, diet meant tables. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, table No. 10 was more often intended.

Approximate menu - table number 10:

1. Breakfast: oatmeal, boiled in water, with a small piece of boiled chicken, sauerkraut - a handful, weak coffee without milk.
2. Snack - berry jelly.
3. Lunch: vegetarian borscht, boiled potatoes with a piece of boiled fish, dried fruit compote.
4. Afternoon snack: rosehip broth and unsweetened toasted biscuit or baked apple.
5. Dinner: cottage cheese, pilaf, berry juice.
6. Before going to bed - kefir.

One of the best diets is Scandinavian, salt-free. This food option is designed for 3-4 months

In the first 10 days of the diet, decoctions of potatoes, parsley, herbal teas, vegetable broths and a minimum of low-calorie foods are used. For 2-3 months, the diet consists of berries and vegetables, brown rice, soy products, vegetables and nuts.

Then the exit from the diet begins - fish and dairy products are introduced into the daily menu.

Eating with rheumatoid arthritis can lead to both an exacerbation and ensure a stable remission of the disease, but there are no clear recommendations on how to make a diet. Patients choose a diet by analyzing their own feelings, based on the recommendations of the attending physician.