You may ask yourself, “Should I eat that?” Hopefully, this article will shed some light on that answer.
Typically when people are diagnosed with arthritis or bone disease, your primary physician will suggest that you go to an orthopedist or rheumatologist or another type of specialist. They’ll specify which type of arthritis you have and tell you to be intentional with physical activity. They’ll even go as far as prescribing Anti-Rheumatic drugs or other medications that help slow the progression and damage. One solution that may be underrated in terms of taking care of arthritis is dietary intervention.
Eliminating certain things you put in your body can reduce the symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis as well as improve your overall quality of life. In order to know what foods help, it’s important to know what foods to avoid as well. Here is a list of foods that are potentially destroying your bones and making your arthritis worse.
5. Advanced Glycation End(AGEs)
Bacon? Say it ain’t so! AGEs can go under the radar for many simply because it’s not a common term like salt or sugar, but avoiding this is essential. AGEs are tiny molecules made through a reaction between sugars and proteins or fats.
Consumption can come from uncooked meat and they’re formed through certain cooking methods.
The most common sources come from high protein, high-fat meat that is fried, roasted, grilled. Seared or broiled. So think, bacon, grilled or pan-fried steak, broiled hot dogs, and fried chicken.
Although this term isn’t the most common, they are in so many different foods like fries, cheese, margarine, and mayonnaise. High amounts of AGE can spike oxidative stress and cause inflammation. This inflammation can make dealing with arthritis even more difficult to handle.
4. Processed Red Meat
There is some research that links red and processed meat to inflammation in the body which is terrible for arthritis symptoms.
A diet heavy in processed red meat can cause high levels of inflammatory markers like interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and homocysteine.
Trying a plant-based diet that doesn’t involve red meat has been shown to improve arthritis symptoms.
3. Highly Processed Foods
Fast food, breakfast cereal, and baked goods are high in refined grains, sugar, preservatives, and other inflammatory ingredients that can worsen your arthritis symptoms. Diets rich in heavily processed foods can increase the chances of arthritis by causing inflammation. Foods that are processed can increase the chances of heart disease and higher levels of glycated hemoglobin. Overall, a high sugar diet is bad for your body. This includes the health of your bones.
2. Salty Food
Reducing the amount of salt you intake can show positive results for people with arthritis.
Foods like shrimp. Canned soup, certain cheeses, and processed foods are a bad idea when considering foods for your arthritis.
A high sodium diet can be trouble for those with autoimmune diseases like inflammatory arthritis.
READ: Foods to Avoid to Prevent Psoriatic Arthritis Flare-Up
1. Sugar
In general, you should avoid consuming too much sugar, but especially if you have a history of arthritis in your family.
Sugars found in candy, soda, ice cream, and many other foods contain a lot of sugar that are bad for your bones.
Sugary beverages like soda can even significantly increase your risk of arthritis.
There’s a study that shows people ages 20-30 who drank fructose-sweetened beverages five times per week or more were three times more likely to experience far worse arthritis symptoms than those who don’t.