I am battling osteoarthritis, and the painful inflammation around my joints has caused me to review my diet.
THIS IS A REQUEST FOR BOOK AND/OR WEBSITES THAT HAVE MORE DEFINITIVE LISTS OF WHAT TO EAT AND NOT EAT TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION IN MY BODY.
I believe knowledge is power, and I value research over wife’s tales. I have asked 3 different types of doctors at my office visits over the last 6 months, and have been underwhelmed with their lack of knowledge or resources to direct me to.
I am hoping to hear from people who have bought or read a book that was helpful in sorting out what to eat and what to stay away from. Or maybe there is a website you can refer me to?
I am looking at the BulletProof Diet and the Keto Diet, but for now just cutting out Sugar, going low carb, and learning to like veggies and include more (non-starchy) veggies in my diet.
What you want is scientific studies – popular books and diets are often just packaged “wives tales”. I’m sorry your doctors have not been more helpful, and you sound understandably desperate for good info. But I’d be looking for scientific papers to read if it were me. I had some good success with a different medical problem recently searching on the website PubMed, so you could try that.
I appreciate the replies so far, exactly what I am looking for. Will check them all out. And yes, I have read several research papers online that I have stumbled across, but would love to know where to go to get a better search for relevant studies.
I was trying to find studies that definitively linked inflammation and pain. I found one study that seemed to explain it well, but it was a college senior’s paper and I was hoping to find more studies from medical professionals to back it up.
I am in pain and want to reduce my pain. I am going on the premise that reducing the inflammation in my body will reduce the pain. I do not want to introduce prescription meds, and would prefer to reduce inflammation with diet and natural supplements. Exercise has been extremely limited due to other physical limitations, but I have started moving in the pool. Tried swimming laps and it aggravated my arthritis, so I am back to just moving around in the pool.
My c-reactive protein is off the charts, which is a test of inflammation in my body. I can tell you what I’m doing, I’ve read through tons and tons of websites and books and studies, etc. 1,000 mg of Vit C every day has shown to reduce inflammation. I am transitioning pretty full time now to the mediterranean diet. Half my food comes from fruit/veggies - a whopping 10 servings a day. I cut out white flour, sugar and processed foods. My belief from all I’ve read is sugar is just about the #1 inflaming food. I also don’t eat red meat anymore. I eat salmon twice a week. I wouldn’t jump in and do everything. Start with one thing, do it for a few weeks, then add the next thing. It has to become a lifestyle and not a diet. And keep moving, a body in motion stays in motion.
This is an interesting science-based overview of inflammation and its management (including macronutrient and micronutrient considerations), from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State:
This is supposedly a poor, very unscientific resource, but I have known two people who had bouts of osteoarthritis who claim it helped them or at least got them started on finding a nutritional plan that helped them. It’s called something like, Eat Right for your Blood Type.
My one friend who initially told me about it now follows a gluten free diet of unprocessed food. No special method.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I knew my cc folks could help me out!
And yes, I am making changes slowly. Realized I could not stick to any healthy “diet” when I really only like starchy vegetables. So October is “Love your Veggies” month for me. I am trying out veggies, and learning which veggies I like enough to put them on my regular shopping list.
If you have a Publix in your area, check out the bagged veggie dishes in the fresh produce section. You can steam the bag in your microwave, or pour them into a baking dish to bake in your oven. Wonderful combination of veggies, and sometimes herbs too, and ready in under 5 minutes if you microwave. I like having a product I don’t have to slice or chop, and it is quick and easy to cook and serve.
I find that I eat more vegetables when I buy them ready to cook as well. Yep, more expensive, but cheaper than the fresh veggies I was throwing out because I was too lazy to chop/slice/dice to prepare them! I just ordered “Plenty” (which should be arriving today) so I could be a bit more versatile in my veggie preparations.
I see an integrative medicine physician - he is the one who recommended the Weil food pyramid approach to me. I do not eat the amount of soy recommended products, mainly because I don’t care for them but also concerns about soy and cancer risks. Those may be unfounded but I haven’t had time to look into the latest studies.
I also am interested in anti inflammatory diets. My sister has severe psoriatic arthritis and I want her to at least consider it. I am trying to reduce inflammation in my own body and I’m finding that when I’m diligent my joints hurt less and I have less bloating.
I don’t care for steamed vegetables but I’ve found I eat more vegetables if I roast them.
Dig around on the website of the Low Histamine Chef https://healinghistamine.com Her focus is on seeking out low histamine food options with the benefit of reducing inflammation. I believe she is from France so I have been unable to or understand some of her products.
Her newsletters and old blogs are free.
Eat blueberries and stay away from white potatoes.
The basic idea is that certain foods cause an inflammatory reaction in certain people. Now, that’s not a new idea in the least. But, her idea is that often those current favorites of the health food craze (salmon, brown rice, oatmeal) actually cause inflammatory reactions in a large number of people.
You follow an elimination diet for a few days and then add foods in a certain order. You weigh yourself each morning. If, after the elimination phase, you find your weight has gone up the morning after adding a particular food it’s classified as inflammatory for YOU. The idea is inflammation holds on to water to deal with the issue, thus the sudden (and often several lbs) weight overnight.
I know several people who have not only lost weight but no longer have joint issues.
I haven’t tried it myself. However, all my adult life have known that certain foods simply don’t work for me. I’m much, much better off eating steak than salmon. I’m better with white rice than brown. And I simply can’t eat peas or lentils. The Path just put a systematic process around identifying the perpetrators.
OP Update. Pain from inflammation/arthritis has been reduced by 90 percent.
Have lost 25 pounds. Have more energy and more importantly have renewed hope for my future.
Your input has been helpful. I did not settle on any one exact diet plan. Eliminated 95 percent of sugar, potatoes, white flour, and rice from my diet.
Have focused on adding healthy fats and non-starchy veggies, limiting carbs, and choosing grass fed beef and butter.
Only thing I still have to work at is making sure I eat enough veggies everyday. Drinking lots of water seems to be the easiest part.
I am taking vitamins and supplements, eating fruit and choosing healthy proteins.
I am writing this update in hopes of encouraging a reader who is struggling with constant pain. I was in severe and constant pain for two and a half years.
Eliminating sugar is not hard if you make the decision to stop eating it. A decision to just cut back on sweets, like I have done in the past, actually makes it worse. You have to fight a battle every single time you are presented with an opportunity to eat sugar. Making a decision not to eat sweets, and knowing you are doing it to reduce pain, not just weight loss, has made it much easier to decline the sweets.
I do buy and eat high quality dark chocolate. At least 72 percent cacao, with chocolate being the first ingredient. It does contain 3 grams of sugar, and I can live with that.
I am posting this update to encourage others in pain. Am glad to PM with anyone who is struggling.
The Whole 30 Diet is an excellent way to find triggers. For 30 days you cut out most everything that is known to be allergenic or known triggers (no cheating!). Then you add the foods back into your diet one at a time to see what (if anything) causes symptoms.
My D did the Whole 30 diet and found that gluten seriously affected her. She had previously thought it was dairy and had cut that out. She felt better but not well enough going dairy-free. Finding out that it was gluten was an eye opener (and she happily eats dairy now!).
There is a website with tons of recipes and info but the easiest way is to get the book with recipes.
And it tastes good too!
It’s hard to cut out so much at one time–but it’s only 30 days and worth it to find what could be your triggers. And it’s healthy eating.
Powercropper, I’m wondering if you still do dairy at all. How about the nightshade vegetables? I read something years ago that they were linked to arthritis. They are potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. What about honey?