Wonder Foods to Help Ease Arthritis Pain

Are you suffering from arthritis? Arthritis is an incapacitating condition that causes pain and discomfort. It also leads to stiffness in the joints and muscles, stopping you from doing simple tasks which many take for granted like walking, moving, lifting and standing. Many struggles to do even the simplest of tasks, like opening a jar or walking downstairs. Arthritis can affect anyone at any stage, including young people and children.

Although there are no diets or food supplements that will cure arthritis completely, some people do find that a change in diet can improve symptoms and assist to manage pain, and the difficulties of everyday living.

According to India’s eminent dietician and nutritionist Avni Kaul, the most critical link between your diet and arthritis is your weight. Being overweight puts an additional burden on the joints, especially weight-bearing joints, the back, hips, knees, feet, and ankles. Having excessive body fat may also increase inflammation in the body, making your joints more painful.

A good diet could also help to protect you against some possible side effects of arthritis medication, and a healthy diet may also help to defend against heart disease which can sometimes become complicated due to certain types of arthritis.

In this article nutritionist, dietician and wellness coach Avni Kaul shares wonder foods to help ease arthritis pain. Here they are.

Calcium

Calcium, along with nutrients like magnesium and vitamin D, is essential for maintaining healthy bones. Deficiency of calcium increases your risk of osteoporosis, which is even more of a risk for women after the menopause. Many people with arthritis are also at risk of developing osteoporosis.

Food with calcium are:

• Dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt (low-fat ones are best, skimmed and semi-skimmed milk contains more calcium than full-fat milk).
• Calcium-enriched milk made from soya, rice, and oats.
• Fish that can be eaten with the bones (like sardines and canned salmon).
• Green leafy vegetables.

Omega 3

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been seen to help some people with inflammatory types of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, as it can reduce the number of delicate joints and shorten the time people feel joint stiffness. They can be found in rapeseed oil, oily fish, free range eggs, and fish oil supplements. Fishes like tuna, salmon are a good source of omega 3.

If you want to increase your consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, eat oily fish at least twice a week. Though, it is not recommended to eat oily fish more than four times per week so you may want to consider a supplement. It is better to take pure fish oil rather than fish liver oil.

Garlic

Garlic is a member from the allium family which also includes onions. These items contain a compound called diallyl disulfide that can help with a number of diseases, including arthritis. This compound also has some effect in limiting cartilage-damaging enzymes.

Broccoli

Rich source of vitamin K and C, broccoli also consists of a compound called sulforaphane, which could help prevent or slow the progression of osteoarthritis. Broccoli is also rich in calcium, which is well known for its bone-building benefits.

Green Tea

Green tea is filled with polyphenols, antioxidants known to reduce inflammation and slow cartilage destruction. Antioxidant in green tea called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) obstructs the production of molecules that cause joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Flaxseed

You can make some room for flaxseed. Flaxseed is considered to be one of the healthiest foods. It has some unique qualities to ease arthritis particularly rheumatoid arthritis. Only two tablespoons of ground flaxseed contain more than 140% daily value of the inflammation reducing omega 3 acids. You can use flaxseed as topping for salads or mix them with cereal while consuming.