If you are suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis you already know how painful the inflammation can be to your joints. There is no specific diet that you can rely on to cure the disease but there are some food that can help lower the inflammation. These foods are not just useful in helping you deal with arthritis the natural way but also help you keep an overall good health.
Fish
Inflammation in the body is ramped up by the presence of a substances referred to as cytokines. One thing you find in fish is omega-3 fatty acid. This polyunsaturated fat plays a role in the reduction in cytokines and other inflammatory chemicals in the body. Polyunsaturated fats are also involved with the decrease in the production of LDL cholesterol which is known to be bad cholesterol. The combination of high levels of bad cholesterol and triglyceride also leads to inflammation so a person with rheumatoid arthritis needs to make sure that the level of those substances are low.
If you are thinking of eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids then go for fishes like salmons, sardines and anchovies. But remember, when cooking those, don’t use too much fire. Heat can destroy the important nutrients in the food. If possible bake or grill the fish but don’t fry it.
Fruits and vegetables
If you go see a nutritionist, he is probably going to advise you to add color to your diet. What he means by that is to add more fruits and vegetables to what you eat on daily basis. What gives color to fruits is their flavonoid and carotenoid content. These fruits are also rich in antioxidants which are important components when it comes to fighting inflammation. Of course the very much advertised vitamin C is also found in most of those fruits.
Among other fruits you can choose to take oranges, melon, tomato, carrot, squash, sweet potatoes and blueberries.
Whole grains
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study showing that people who eat more of whole grains like brown rice, barley and oatmeal tend to have lower levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP). CRP levels is what sometimes medical doctors rely on to determine how well a person is responding to treatment. It can be used as a marker of inflammation in the body.
Aside lowering the levels of CRP, whole grain foods like wheat pasta and bread help further fight the the inflammation with their selenium content. People having rheumatoid arthritis sometimes have lower levels of selenium.
Olive Oil
Studies have shown that there is a compound in olive oil that stops the productions of chemicals involved in the inflammation process. Drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen work in a similar fashion.
When going for olive oil, make sure you pick the one on which it is written extra virgin. That is the one that contains the highest content of nutrients promoting health.
As you can see you don’t always have to rely on drugs to deal with your health problems. If you pick the right food you are still going to supply your body with all the nutrients that can help you heal. For example instead of going for aspirin to fight inflammation, why not go for olive oil rather. Using natural food to deal with diseases allows you to avoid the side effects that could follow up if you were taking a drug.