Nutrition for rheumatoid arthritis is considered one of the most important components of the course of treatment. And in order to understand all the features of the diet, you need to remember what this disease is in general. So, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease of a recurrent type that affects the tissues of the joints, less often - other organs or systems.
Nutrition for arthritis is based on the principles of diet No. 10, although when drawing up a specific diet, the characteristics of the course of the disease, the ongoing drug treatment and possible disturbances in the work of other organs are taken into account.
At the acute stage of the disease, a person suffers from inflammation of the joints, in some cases this is accompanied by an increase in the size of the lymph nodes, as well as an increase in temperature. It is also possible violations of metabolic processes, which, together with high vascular permeability, leads to retention of sodium and fluids inside the tissues. The diet of the patient in this case should be made in accordance with the basic diet No. 10a.
Such a diet consists, first of all, in reducing calories (up to 1700-1800 kilocalories) by reducing the amount of carbohydrates consumed to 250-300 g, mostly easily digestible (jam, honey, sugar, etc.).
The daily dose of sugar during an exacerbation should not exceed 30 g. Partial rejection of easily digestible carbohydrates leads to a decrease in the severity of allergies and inflammation.
Note! The amount of proteins also needs to be reduced (to about 75-80 g), since they are a catalyst for hyperergic reactions, and about 60% of them should be proteins of animal origin.
But it is worth remembering that if corticosteroid hormones are used for treatment, then the amount of proteins can be increased due to the catabolic effect of these drugs.
As for fats, their amount should be reduced to 70 g per day, and a quarter of them should be vegetable fats.
The daily dose of free liquid during an exacerbation should not exceed 1 liter, alcohol and carbonated drinks should be completely abandoned.
Daily amount of liquid - 1 liter
All dishes are prepared without the use of table salt, but about 4-5 g of it are given to the patient in order to salt the prepared food. Foods with a high salt content (such as sea fish, pickles, herring, marinades, etc.) should also be discarded.
The diet should be saturated with vitamins (especially vitamins C and P), potassium, and rutin. This can be achieved by including rosehip broth, vitamin preparations, fresh fruits and vegetables in the menu.
Ascorbic acid is useful to enhance the synthesis of glucocorticosteroids used. By the way, this acid also reduces vascular permeability, and also takes an active part in the formation of the main component of connective tissues. Thanks to vitamin P and rutin, blood vessels are sealed, especially capillaries.
Food should be prepared in such a way that it is gentle on the intestines and stomach. Fish or meat should be boiled or, alternatively, steamed.
Mushrooms, broths should be completely excluded from the diet. Food should be taken five to six times a day.
In principle, when compiling a menu, it should be remembered that inflammation can be eliminated by using such products:
- anchovies, tuna, sturgeon, herring, trout, salmon;
- vegetables, other plant products;
- oils of vegetable origin (from corn, flax, soy and sunflower);
- evening primrose oil (it is made from a two-year-old primrose);
- currant;
- oil made from borage seeds.
But arachidonic acid, which is present in meat, egg yolks, and dairy products (especially those with a high fat content), is capable of activating inflammation.
Nutrition in the subacute stage of the disease
The subacute stage refers to the stage when the acute symptoms of arthritis have already been eliminated (usually this occurs one to two weeks after the onset of the acute stage). At this stage, as well as during the first days of the disease, provided that there are no inflammatory manifestations (such as, for example, fever) and the patient is in a normal state as a whole, nutrition should be based on diet No. 10.
This diet provides for an increase in proteins already up to 90 g (and 2/3 should be proteins of animal origin), often due to dairy products, and the use of fats of 85-90 g (1/3 - fats of vegetable origin).
Carbohydrates are still limited - they should be consumed no more than 300 g per day (sugar norm - 40 g). In addition, at this stage, the use of salt is limited (no more than 5-6 g, but only to add salt to cooked food).
The daily volume of free fluid should not exceed 1.2 liters.
Also, at the subacute stage of the disease, vitamin intake should be increased, for which foods rich in them should be included in the diet (wheat bran, currants, fish, meat, apples, gooseberries, buckwheat, sweet peppers, beans, oranges and lemons).
Due to the intensive consumption of vitamins and proteins, immunity increases and reparative processes in the affected areas are normalized.
It is also worth noting that at the subacute stage, an increase in the level of calcium and potassium is necessary.
Nutrition in remission
Note! In the inactive phase of the disease, if muscle atrophy is observed, the patient also needs to increase the protein content.
Coffee with strong tea should be excluded from the diet, because they can lead to increased pain in the joints. Also, as shown by studies conducted by doctors from the United States, with such a disease, it is not recommended to eat nightshade plant foods (peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants). At the very least, their number should be minimized.
Particular attention is paid to the presence of vitamin D in the body, which not only supports the metabolism of phosphorus and affects the level of calcium in bone tissue, but is also extremely important in cell differentiation. The content of this substance must be at least 80 nmol/l. There is not much vitamin D in food (with the exception of fish oil). With the described disease, the diet should be enriched with fatty fish.
Reparative processes will proceed normally in the presence of all the necessary trace elements. To strengthen the bones, you need to consume a lot of calcium, phosphorus (there are a lot of them in sea fish and seafood). A large amount of calcium salt and in dairy products.
From time to time, you need to resort to a vegetarian diet, in which dairy and animal products must be excluded (this will be discussed in the next paragraph of the article). During such periods, fruit and vegetable dishes are included in the diet.
Note! At the stage of remission, it is especially necessary to carefully monitor your weight, especially if the disease has affected the legs. Extra pounds create an additional burden on the body, so diet No. 8 should be included in the diet in parallel.
As noted above, during the diet, it is necessary to do fasting days from time to time - every week one day you should eat plant foods and dairy products. Unsweetened juices (2 liters per day) are very useful, on the basis of which fasting days are arranged according to the principles below.
- Week #1. One day the patient should consume only juices.
- Week #2. Juices should be given preference according to the "two over one" scheme.
- Week number 3. Juices are unloaded within three days in one day (“three in one”).
Folk recipes
Alternative methods can be used as an addition to the main diet for rheumatoid arthritis. So, ginger root is very effective, which should be consumed 60 g per day in grated form. The root is added to food and helps to eliminate pain.
Ginger tea is also good for arthritis. To make such tea, you need to pour Art. spoon of ginger root 500 ml of water and boil over low heat for 40 minutes. After that, the liquid is filtered, if desired, a little honey is added. Drink only after meals.
By the way, ginger is also useful in the form of a powder - you can rub it on sore joints, wrapping them with something warm after that.
Red or black pepper can also achieve significant relief from the condition.
Thanks to pepper, immunity is normalized, blood circulation is activated, toxins are removed from the body. In addition, pain is eliminated. Garlic helps a lot (two or three teeth a day), preventing the appearance of pain.
Apple cider vinegar is high in potassium, which dissolves crystals in the joints.
Video - How to treat rheumatoid arthritis with folk methods
Conclusion. Diet and drug treatment
If the patient was prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or methotrexate, then they should be taken only after meals, and the dosage prescribed by the doctor should not be exceeded. With the appearance of complications associated with the effect of drugs on the intestines or stomach, you need to observe fractional meals for some time (five times a day).
If corticosteroids are taken, protein and calcium in the diet should be increased (dairy products) as well as potassium (reducing salt and sugar intake). Finally, if glucocorticosteroids are taken, then the food should be gentle on the intestines and stomach, for which smoked meats, meat broths, soda, vegetable or fish concoctions, spices, salty and spicy seasonings should be completely excluded from the diet.
After contacting a doctor, diagnostic measures, selection of drugs that are suitable for your symptoms, patients with rheumatoid arthritis are warned that it is necessary to switch to a special diet. For some people, this can be a real blow to the usual rhythm of life, but it is an important stage of treatment. With the help of such a balanced diet, substances that are needed right now, during the period of illness and weakness, enter the body. This gives additional strength and helps to quickly begin a period of remission, because those substances that were in short supply begin to enter the body with food, giving an incomparable advantage. In terms of effect, they are similar to the action of some drugs and the possibility of discontinuation of the drug is absolutely not excluded.
There are quite a few therapeutic diets for various diseases. The diet for rheumatoid arthritis is based on diet number 10. During the inflammatory process in the cells, the synthesis and processing of carbohydrates are disturbed, the water-salt balance is disturbed, leading to fluid stagnation (edema). Nutrition for rheumatoid arthritis should include a large amount of vitamins, trace elements - which strengthen the bones and prevent them from breaking down, fluid intake is limited to 1 liter per day, and the calorie content of dishes is reduced by cutting the amount of carbohydrates.
How to painlessly switch to a daily diet?
Anyone who has gone on a diet knows the agony when you want what you can’t. It is necessary to protect yourself from "failures" and severe mental stress - switching to nutrition necessary for rheumatoid arthritis of the joints.
It is necessary to introduce dishes into the diet gradually, dynamically, carefully reducing the calorie content, the amount of sugar and coffee, flour every day. You should not abruptly drop everything and eat differently, this will add additional stress on the psyche, add digestive problems.
You need to include in your diet:
- Lean meat and fish. They have a reduced amount of carbohydrates and a large amount of protein, which affects the reduction of edema.
- Vegetables. Contain fiber, vitamins, trace elements. Many are natural antioxidants, remove toxins from the body.
- Dairy products, eggs. They are rich in calcium, which is necessary for strengthening bone mass. It is worth choosing those that are low in fat, an important food item for rheumatoid arthritis.
- Kashi. Fiber, a calming effect on the walls of the stomach, which is very useful, because you have to take drugs that irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Rosehip decoctions / compotes. An additional source of vitamins in the diet. Some decoctions remove unwanted water from the tissues.
- Fruit. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants. Replacement for sugar and sweets. What could be more useful?
- Whole wheat bread. An excellent replacement for conventional flour products, a reduced amount of carbohydrates.
This is what you can eat with rheumatoid arthritis. The body is of great benefit from them, and the disease gradually regresses. This is a real breakthrough in treatment!
It is necessary to exclude from the diet:
- Vegetables of the nightshade family - zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. These are "heavy" vegetables for digestion, they contain a large amount of starch and solanine, which can cause even more inflammation and pain in the affected joint.
- Sorrel, spinach. They contain a large amount of oxalic acid, which prevents the formation of synovial fluid.
- Citrus. Due to medication, the walls of the stomach can be irritated. Lemons, oranges, grapefruit only exacerbate the process.
- Flour. A huge amount of carbohydrates, digested for a long time.
- Sweet sparkling water. Also, a huge calorie content, combined with the ability to irritate the gastric mucosa.
- Alcohol. When used in the body, adrenaline and dopamine are released, which aggravate the disease, provoke inflammation and pain.
- Salt. It can be deposited in the joints, increasing pain and bone deformity. Promotes fluid retention in tissues, increased inflammation.
Here are the foods that you absolutely can not eat with rheumatoid arthritis. They exacerbate the course of the disease, increase the pathological symptoms. If you want to get rid of the disease as soon as possible, you should strictly adhere to the diet prescribed by the doctor. But all the same, it is worth controlling the behavior of the body, because the diet can, if necessary, be adjusted in accordance with the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
Donga diet
It was invented in the 30s in the USA by Dr. Collin H. Dong, who himself suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for many years and with the help of this diet completely cured the disease. The diet involves a complete rejection of some foods for the entire time, the diet itself lasts 10 weeks.
It is necessary to refuse products such as meat, all dairy products, vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, potatoes, zucchini), fruits (except melons), nuts, chocolate, alcohol, any food containing monosodium glutamate, fast food, soda , hot spices, coffee, drinking large amounts of liquids, picketed juices. 
As you can see, this diet is different from the one that is generally accepted. The difference in them is the rejection of meat and dairy products. But one way or another, there are certain foods that should be consumed with rheumatoid arthritis, and those that must be completely eliminated, because they can cause irreparable harm to the body.
Sample menu for the week
| Day | Breakfast | Dinner | Snack | Dinner |
| 1 day | Whipped omelette with milk, any fruit, tea. | Vegetarian borsch, a slice of whole grain bread, jelly. | Any fruits or vegetables, tea. | Boiled chicken breast, buckwheat porridge. |
| 2 day | Buckwheat porridge with milk, boiled egg, tea. | Baked vegetables, 200 gr. boiled meat, dried fruit compote. | Baked fruit, a glass of milk. | Boiled cauliflower, boiled beef |
| 3 day | Fruit smoothie, 2 boiled eggs, tea with milk. | Light chicken soup, vegetable salad, rosehip broth. | Pumpkin casserole, compote. | Cabbage, carrot and beetroot salad, boiled chicken breast. |
| Day 4 | Cottage cheese casserole, honey, grated carrots and an apple. | Stewed cabbage, steamed cutlets, vegetables, jelly. | Any fruits or vegetables. | Cottage cheese with sour cream, with the addition of berries or fruits. |
| Day 5 | Grated carrots with sour cream, 2 soft-boiled eggs, tea with milk. | Ukha (without potatoes), a slice of whole grain bread, tea. | Cottage cheese with fruit, rosehip broth. | Braised cabbage with boiled chicken breast. |
| Day 6 | Cheesecakes with sour cream, tea, fruit salad. | Baked fish, rice, dried fruit compote. | Baked apples, tea with lemon. | Diet vinaigrette (without potatoes), a glass of kefir at night. |
| Day 7 | Omelet from 2 eggs, baked apples, tea. | Meatballs with steamed cauliflower, vegetable salad, jelly. | Jelly, fruit salad, tea with lemon. | Milk porridge with vermicelli. |
The diet for rheumatoid arthritis of the joints in the acute phase provides for the complete exclusion of salt, the reduction of carbohydrates to a minimum level and the increase in protein content, together with the intake of drugs. Fats are calculated at the rate of 1 gram per 1 kilogram of weight.
Allowed the use of berries, unsweetened fruits, vegetables. The exacerbation stage itself causes a significant loss of appetite, due to an increase in the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis such as general weakness, fever, pain and inflammation.
Nutrition in remission
The patient can eat as usual, but all the same, take into account and take a sufficient amount of protein, vitamins, and dairy products in the diet. At this stage of the disease, drugs are no longer taken, so it is necessary to monitor the diet so that the body receives all the necessary substances, otherwise there is a risk of rheumatoid arthritis returning to the acute stage. 
Summarize
Diet in rheumatoid arthritis is extremely important, and no matter how it seems, the diet is of great importance at any stage of the disease. Common products in our opinion can bring relief to the symptoms, and harm. Do not neglect diet and proper nutrition. Those who were overweight at the onset of the disease, upon the onset of the remission phase, notice a fairly large weight loss and improvement in well-being. Such patients no longer want to gain excess weight back, they try to adhere to a properly balanced diet further, excluding a recurrence of an exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis.
If you follow a diet, take medications, exercise and use, coupled with treatment with folk remedies you can greatly accelerate the onset of remission, reduce the number of symptoms and their intensity as much as possible.
One of the types of suitable diets for rheumatoid arthritis "Scandinavian diet"
In any case, diet plays a huge role. It is important to remember that it can be adjusted in accordance with personal intolerance to any products, allergies. Even if a symptom worsens from one or more foods, it can and should also be removed from the diet, because why provoke the disease.
Proper nutrition for healthy cartilage and joints
A person's diet largely determines his health, different products can both improve the condition and harm it. Following a diet is necessary for everyone, as well as physical education, but this rule is neglected by many. Sometimes a change in nutrition becomes a necessity when there are diseases of various organs and systems. Let us dwell in more detail on nutrition for joints and cartilage tissue. What foods can improve mobility, relieve soreness, and help treat common conditions like arthritis and arthrosis?
- food with mucopolysaccharides
- What not to eat
- Vitamins and minerals for joints
- Nutrition for arthritis and arthrosis
There is no special therapeutic diet for people with joint diseases, but knowing the composition of the products and their benefits for the body, you can change your diet on your own in order to affect the condition of the joints and cartilage tissue.
For the prevention or treatment of arthrosis, it is necessary to select nutrition that compensates for the lack of elements important for the body. If we talk about joints and cartilage, then this is collagen. It is its deficiency that can provoke various pathologies of the joints, since it is found in large quantities in cartilage, skin and ligaments.
Nutritionists recommend for the prevention and treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system to exclude fatty foods, pickled foods, smoked foods from your diet, and give preference to fresh food, as well as salted and pickled vegetables.
First of all, thermally unprocessed products of the first freshness, that is, immediately from the garden, will be useful. They will restore the vitamin balance, saturate the joints and cartilage with microelements. Especially useful foods will be those that contain a large amount of vitamin C, because it is essential for all tissues of the musculoskeletal system. During the preparation of vegetables and fruits, it is advisable not to peel them until they are consumed, so they will retain more vitamins and minerals.
Foods high in vitamin C:
- wild rose, red rowan, sea buckthorn;
- sweet red pepper, parsley, lettuce and greens;
- cauliflower, porcini mushrooms, dill;
- lemon, tangerine, strawberry, gooseberry;
- radish, Brussels sprouts, porcini mushrooms, chanterelles.
To maintain the health of cartilage and joints, it is necessary to provide them with mucopolysaccharides in full. This substance is a natural lubricant for the joints, and its deficiency often becomes the main cause of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Mucopolysaccharides are rich in seafood, fish, mussels, algae, shrimp.
It is important to provide the body with the normal function of excreting phosphorus, which, when accumulated, interferes with the absorption of calcium and its absorption through the intestines. Food products such as rich soups, jelly, aspic dishes, various meat and fish broths will help with this.
To improve the innervation of the nerves that are responsible for the joints and cartilage, it is recommended to supplement your diet with foods high in iron - these are red meat, chicken eggs, pork tongue.
Since all the organs of the musculoskeletal system are connected, you need to take care of the condition of the bone tissue, on which the health of the joints depends. It will be useful to eat with the inclusion of dairy products - cheese, cottage cheese, milk, kefir, fermented baked milk.
Nuts, dark chocolate, buckwheat, bee honey, apricots are very useful for the musculoskeletal system. It is also recommended to include olive oil, herring, mackerel and any other fish in the diet, as these foods are rich in vitamin F. It is necessary to maintain the function of the joints and cartilage in case of their disease.
food with mucopolysaccharides
For the normal functioning of the joints and cartilage, it is necessary to maintain the level of hyaluronic acid, which provides the optimal amount of interarticular fluid. Stewed and boiled foods are suitable for this, which need to be replaced with fried and smoked ones. It is useful to drink fresh juices, compotes, kissels, fruit drinks. It is important to drink plenty of fluids, which automatically improves the condition of the body and well-being.
It is better to eat meat chilled without prior freezing. All green foods, fresh fish, hard low-fat cheese, kefir, yogurt will be useful. Do not drink while eating, it is better to do this after 20-30 minutes. Of course, for the health of the musculoskeletal system, it is necessary to exclude alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks, which accelerate the excretion of nutrients from the body and lead to early wear of the joints.
When cleaning fish, it is not necessary to throw away the head and bones. These parts are also useful for the body, you can cook the ear from them. The rule of not throwing away the heads will allow you not only to get an additional source of nutrients, but also to learn new recipes that the whole family will like.
What not to eat
Sausages, canned foods, fatty foods, cakes and sweet cream can be completely removed from the diet without loss to health. They do not bring any benefit, but only clog the body with unnecessary substances, which then have to be disposed of by strict diets. It is better to immediately remove such products from your life and replace them with delicious fresh fruits, vegetables, berries.
You should also avoid foods containing phosphates. They can easily provoke severe diseases of the joints and cartilage, including osteoporosis, arthritis and arthrosis.
The group of the most harmful products for the joints includes:
- artificially mineralized, low-alcohol drinks, sweet carbonated water;
- alcoholic beverages, beer, alcoholic cocktails;
- ice cream (with the exception of cream), fruit ice, various sweet and processed cheeses;
- semi-finished products, products from a supermarket of unknown origin.
You should not eat everything that has an incomprehensible composition. You should always know every ingredient in a dish. When there is an excess of phosphorus in the body, you can dilute the food with offal, figs, cherries and other red vegetables and fruits.
Vitamins and minerals for joints
The lack of vitamins in the body is defined as beriberi. This disease affects the body as a whole, leading to various pathological processes. Joints and cartilage suffer a lot from beriberi.
The cause of vitamin deficiency and, as a result, joint disease is the following:
- insufficient intake of vitamins along with food;
- malabsorption of substances from the stomach and intestines;
- violation of the microflora of the digestive system, dysbacteriosis;
- inflammatory and ulcerative diseases of the stomach and duodenum;
- chronic systemic diseases;
- the period of pregnancy and lactation, atypical conditions for the body.
With increased physical activity or in the absence of it, the body begins to work in a different mode. It quickly spends nutrients, causing joints and cartilage tissue to suffer. To prevent this, you need to reconsider your lifestyle and pay attention to the list of vitamins necessary for the body, which are important for joints and cartilage.
Vitamins and minerals to improve the condition of the musculoskeletal system:
In addition to the listed trace elements and vitamins, beta-carotene, which can be obtained from foods such as carrots, spinach, tomatoes, and apricots, will be useful.
Nutrition for arthritis and arthrosis
The diet in case of joint disease differs little from preventive nutrition, but it is already necessary to more strictly follow all the rules of a healthy diet. If you ignore some point during prevention and allow yourself to eat a harmful product, nothing terrible will happen, which cannot be said about this in the case of rheumatoid arthritis or arthrosis.
With rheumatoid arthritis, the body requires more vitamin C, because its deficiency can provoke the disease. Therefore, it will be useful to eat papaya, citrus fruits, lemons, apples and fish. To restore collagen levels, you can include foods such as dried fruits, pears and apricots. You need to eat fruits unpeeled, since it is in the skin that the greatest amount of useful substances is located.
It is important to remember the risk of an allergic reaction, which can have an extremely negative effect on the condition of the joints. It is recommended to take an allergy test, and only then draw up the optimal menu. In addition to compensating for trace elements and vitamins through products, the use of additional complexes may be required. These are SustaNorm, ArtiVit, Collagen Ultra, Calcemin and others.
Therapeutic nutrition can have a significant impact on human health and well-being. In addition, it often reduces the need to use drugs or protects the gastrointestinal tract from their harmful effects.
The right diet is especially important for autoimmune diseases, which are the result of the aggression of the immune system against the body's own cells. The most common disease in this group is rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is caused by joint inflammation. Under the influence of various provoking factors, the immune system triggers the inflammatory process throughout the body. The joints are the first to suffer. Articular syndrome with characteristic signs is a clear confirmation of rheumatoid arthritis. However, the disease is not limited to the joints alone. Over time, the heart and kidneys, blood vessels, and almost all organs are affected.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a joint disease with a poor prognosis. It always progresses and in the absence of treatment quickly leads to disability. Is it possible to somehow restrain the autoimmune inflammatory process of the joints? Can dietary nutrition even slightly improve the situation? What is allowed to eat with RA?
Diet
Diet in rheumatoid arthritis is extremely important. Studies have shown that reducing the proportion of animal protein in the diet of patients reduced the activity of the inflammatory process and the number of exacerbations. And the predominance of plant foods led to a significant improvement in well-being.
What is the best diet for rheumatoid arthritis? There are three main areas:
- Vegetarian diet.
- Reduced energy value of food.
- Unloading days.
It is important that when an adequate diet is observed, not only well-being improves. In patients, biochemical parameters also normalize, the level of inflammation in the body objectively decreases.
Nutrition for rheumatoid arthritis is of several varieties, but they are all based on similar principles and are used as a method of treatment.
Principles of therapeutic nutrition
Diet in rheumatoid arthritis performs several functions. It supports the body and protects vessels and organs that are not damaged by inflammation, improves the condition, and protects against the harmful effects of drugs. This is not only the treatment of the disease, but also the prevention of complications.
The principles of the treatment table for RA are as follows:
- Exclusion of provoking factors.
- The predominance of vegetables and fruits in the diet.
- Exclusion of animal protein.
- Weight normalization.
- Sparing of the gastrointestinal tract.
The exclusion of provoking factors is achieved by the introduction of an elimination diet, and the observance of the remaining points is achieved by using the treatment table number 10.
Elimination nutrition
Elimination, or elimination of provoking foods from the patient's diet, is the most important point in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Until now, it is not known for sure all the factors that cause an exacerbation of this disease or inhibit the onset of remission. But the relationship of nutrition with the period of the disease is known to any rheumatologist.
There are a number of products that are highly undesirable for rheumatoid arthritis. So, increased inflammation and stiffness of the joints can be noted against the background of the use of:
- oatmeal;
- milk;
- corn;
- bacon
- citrus fruits.
Why do grains increase joint inflammation? According to rheumatologists, this is due to the content of gluten in them. It is he who provokes allergic and autoimmune reactions in RA. Proper nutrition in this disease involves the exclusion of foods containing gluten.
Elimination tables come in different types. The most famous among them are the following:
- Dong diet.
- Eskimo food.
- Raw vegetable table.
Donga diet
This health food is widely used in the United States, but it is also used in other countries. The Donga diet primarily involves the rejection of animal meat. Poultry meat is sometimes allowed.
In addition, you can not eat foods with chemical additives, citrus fruits, drink carbonated drinks and wine. Chocolate, tomatoes, yolks are also not recommended. Preservatives are prohibited. The course of therapeutic nutrition for RA lasts about 10 weeks.
Eskimo food
Why do doctors recommend Eskimo nutrition for rheumatoid arthritis? The fact is that it has long been established that this serious disease practically does not occur among them. Based on several observations, doctors suggested that this is due to the peculiarities of their diet.
The diet of the Eskimos is dominated by fish in various cooking options, as well as fish oil. And they practically do not use milk and animal fats. Against the background of the Eskimo diet, many patients experience an improvement in their condition and well-being, inflammation, soreness and stiffness of the joints decrease.
Raw vegetable table
This method of treatment is common in Finland. What can you eat at this table against the background of RA? The following products are recommended:
- Raw fruits and vegetables.
- Sprouted grain, seeds.
- Herbal, vegetable and fruit teas, infusions, fruit drinks.
With raw vegetable nutrition, refined foods, salt, animal fats are not used. Also, nutrition is enriched with lactobacilli, vitamins and trace elements (iron, zinc).
A feature of this table is the processing of products before consumption. Grains and seeds are soaked and germinated, fermentation is used.
But most often, diet number 10 is used as a basic nutrition for RA.
Table number 10
Table number 10 according to Pevsner was developed by the author for cardiac patients. It represents a reduction in the use of salt and liquid in the diet. Table number 10 follows the principles of clinical nutrition for rheumatoid arthritis and is very often used as its basis.
Key Features of Diet 10:
- 6–8 g of salt per day, half of which is given to the patient for salting, and the rest is used during cooking.
- No more than 1200 g of fluid per day. This volume includes not only drinks, but also soups, kissels, etc.
- Foods and drinks that can excite the nervous system are prohibited. These include strong tea and coffee, alcohol, cocoa and chocolate, broths - meat, mushroom, fish, spicy and smoked products.
In addition, with clinical nutrition number 10, it is desirable to limit foods that cause flatulence, which include beans, peas, cabbage.
Subject to the tenth table, you can eat the following foods and dishes from them:
- fruit;
- vegetables;
- juices;
- cereals;
- cod;
- cottage cheese.
With diet number 10, foods are handled sparingly. Fish and meat are boiled or steamed, then they can be baked or fried. With rheumatoid arthritis, one should not be limited to two or three meals a day, the number of meals should be at least five.
Depending on the stage of the disease, various options for treatment tables are used. So, in the acute stage, it is advisable to follow a 10A diet, while in subacute and remission, you can use the usual tenth table.
Nutrition in the acute stage
Diet 10A is basic in the acute stage of rheumatoid arthritis. During this period, it is important to limit the caloric intake to 1800 kcal. This is achieved by reducing the amount of products containing carbohydrates, especially easily digestible. First of all, it is necessary to exclude from the diet:
- sugar;
- jam;
- candy;
- sweet drinks;
- chocolate.
The protein part of the diet is also reduced - mainly due to animal proteins. This reduces the activity of the inflammatory process in the acute period.
You should increase the number of foods containing vegetable fats. Their share must be at least 25%. During the cooking process, salt is not added to dishes, it is given to patients in the amount of 3–5 g. Herring and sea fish, various marinades and pickles should not be consumed in the acute stage of RA.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable disease. However, its course can be controlled by various means. And the right diet is by no means the last place in this list.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease. With this pathology, the immune system begins to perceive its own connective tissue of the joints as foreign and has a damaging effect. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by the development of a chronic inflammatory process, the signs of which are pain syndrome of varying severity, a feeling of stiffness and limited mobility in the joints.
Table of contents: We recommend reading:Without adequate complex treatment, pathology causes irreversible changes in the tissues of the joints, leading to disability of the patient. Consumption of certain foods can help relieve the condition and subside the acute symptoms, i.e. remission. Some types of food, on the contrary, can provoke an exacerbation.
In order to improve well-being in rheumatoid arthritis, the patient needs to give up spicy, fried and salty foods (especially of animal origin), all kinds of spices, marinades and alcoholic beverages. You need to eat as many fresh fruits and greens as possible, while minimizing the consumption of animal protein. Patients need to monitor body weight; extra pounds increase the load on the joints, leading to exacerbations.
Note:beneficial for people with rheumatoid arthritis mediterranean or vegetarian diet.
With a deep study of the issue of the medicinal properties of products in RA, data have been obtained that cannot be interpreted unambiguously. However, up to 70% of the patients surveyed noted that their condition improved somewhat if they followed a certain therapeutic diet. In some, stiffness in the joints decreased slightly and the intensity of pain decreased, while in others, a pronounced remission occurred.
Note:according to data received from arthrologists from the American association Arthritis Foundation, diets are ineffective for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, for example, French researchers who studied the course of the disease in adherents of Mediterranean cuisine strongly disagree with them.
Since rheumatoid arthritis is a complex treatment, it is quite difficult to find out how much the diet helped. Due to the individual characteristics of the organism and the different severity of the pathological process, the same food can contribute to temporary relief, or it may turn out to be useless in terms of treating the disease.
It can be unequivocally argued that if the consumption of a certain product correlates with the exacerbation of the disease, it must certainly be excluded from the diet. First you need to get advice from your doctor, as well as a nutritionist. Making significant adjustments to the diet can lead to a deficiency of certain nutrients and trace elements.
Exclusion of junk food
First of all, the patient needs to start adhering to the so-called. an elimination diet that helps to identify "problem" foods in order to subsequently limit their consumption or completely eliminate them from the diet.
If food can provoke the development of allergies, then rheumatoid arthritis usually worsens when it is consumed. The situation in this case is the same as with individual hypersensitivity: for some people, food can be completely harmless, while for others it can cause serious complications.
For 2-3 weeks, it is necessary to completely exclude the consumption of both the product in its pure form and all dishes, in which it is included even in small quantities. For example, if we are talking about milk, then you do not need to consume sour-milk products, cheeses, ice cream, etc. At the next stage, for 1 day, you need to return the product to the diet and carefully listen to your own well-being for several days. If an exacerbation began to develop, this suggests the presence of a connection between an attack and food. After 3 days, the experiment must be repeated. If the condition worsened several times in a row, we can assume that one of the problematic products has been detected. It should not be eaten at all now, or at least not during an aggravation.
There are a number of potentially arthritic foods that are recommended to start testing on an elimination diet.
These include:
- milk (whole) and dairy products;
- citrus;
- cocoa and chocolate;
- eggplant;
- oatmeal and flakes;
- (including corn starch);
- rye;
- millet groats;
- Fish and seafood;
- pork.
According to data obtained by French researchers at the Sorbonne University, more than 40% of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis report an improvement in their condition after switching to vegetarian diet
. It should be noted that the complete exclusion of dairy products is not required. Even the addition of oily sea fish to the diet is allowed, since it is a unique source and omega 3 fatty acids.
Many experts rightly believe that patients with this autoimmune disease are best suited mediterranean diet . It involves the consumption of a significant amount of vegetables and fruits, cereals, legumes, olive oil and nuts. The source of animal protein and many other necessary compounds is, in this case, sea fish and seafood. In Sweden, at the beginning of the century, serious work was carried out to study the effect of this diet on the condition of patients with RA. The physical condition of the subjects improved significantly by the third month.
More vegetables and fruits!
Don't skimp on herbal products. The daily diet of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis should include up to 300 g of vegetables (excluding potatoes) and at least 200 g of fruit. They contain a large number of biologically active compounds characterized by anti-inflammatory and even analgesic properties. There are many natural antioxidants in plant foods that can minimize the negative effects of free radicals on the connective tissue of the joints.
In addition, plants are an indispensable source of vitamins and potassium. In particular, vitamin B9, also known as, is necessary for the body for the normal course of the process of hematopoiesis. The compound allows to reduce side effects when taking the cytostatic drug Methotrexate. Vitamin D will help strengthen bone tissue, which is also important against the background of rheumatoid arthritis. Degenerative changes in bone and cartilage tissue develop less intensively with sufficient consumption. Supplements containing this compound, when taken regularly, help reduce the severity of pain.
Take care of your digestive system
Therapy of chronic diseases requires the regular use of pharmacological agents, many of which have a negative effect on the liver, kidneys and stomach. In this regard, it is not necessary to additionally load these organs with "heavy" food in case of rheumatoid arthritis.
At the time of course drug treatment, it is advisable to exclude from the diet:
Note:instead of fried foods, it is recommended to consume baked, stewed or boiled foods. Steam cooking allows you to save the maximum amount of vitamins possible during culinary (thermal) processing.
Don't forget calcium!
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis often involves the use of hormonal drugs from the group of corticosteroids. Their use leads to the fact that the body loses a large amount of calcium. The leaching of this important element is the cause of the development of osteoporosis. Eat more leafy greens, soy and soy-containing products, and consume low-fat dairy products to ensure that sufficient calcium enters the bone tissue.
These compounds, which have anti-inflammatory properties, are found in soybean curd, fish, nuts, and flaxseed oil. Studies conducted at the American College of Rheumatology have shown that when these foods are consumed in RA patients, pain during an exacerbation becomes less intense, and the inflammatory process is not as active. Patients are recommended dietary supplements with fish oil. A positive effect begins to develop after their regular intake for several weeks. The individual dosage should be determined by the attending physician. 
Important:in studies, patients are getting significantly more omega-3 fatty acids than are found in recommended dietary supplements.
The dose required to protect the joints, as well as the cardiovascular system, is 3 g per day. Course treatment involves taking this dosage for at least 12 weeks. A 100-gram piece of salmon contains just over 2 g of omega-3 fatty acids, so regular consumption of fish eliminates the need for supplements.
Weight control
Patients need to be careful not to gain extra pounds. Excess weight gives an additional load on the diseased joints of the lower extremities, which is highly undesirable. During exacerbations, one has to lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle, and therefore, calorie consumption decreases.
To prevent weight gain, it is recommended to minimize the consumption of the following foods:
- candy;
- ice cream;
- bakery products;
- cakes;
- sandwiches with butter;
- beer.
Important:refined carbohydrates, which are present in large quantities in any confectionery, are best excluded from the diet altogether.
Getting rid of extra pounds can significantly improve the overall quality of life, which was convincingly proven by studies conducted in 2006.
We recommend reading:Gluten or gluten are protein compounds found in most cereals. In addition, gluten is added to a variety of fast foods, confectionery, sausages, sauces, etc. In a disease such as celiac disease, the human small intestine does not respond adequately to gluten, resulting in a violation of the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Studies have shown that against the background of rheumatoid arthritis, the likelihood of developing celiac disease slightly increases. In addition, data have been obtained, according to which the exclusion of gluten from the diet, if not stopping, then, in any case, reduces the severity of RA symptoms. This therapeutic diet does not help all patients suffering from autoimmune diseases; here much depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. Limiting the consumption of a number of familiar foods can cause the body to not receive vital compounds. Before you try to improve your condition with a gluten-free diet, be sure to consult a rheumatologist and a nutritionist!
Positive emotions while eating
Exacerbation of chronic diseases is a strong stress factor. By consuming food in a calm environment, you can minimize negative emotions, since the body produces endorphins (“hormones of happiness”), which have an analgesic effect.
Drinking alcohol for rheumatoid arthritis
With rheumatoid arthritis, it is recommended to completely abandon alcoholic beverages. If the patient is taking the antimetabolic drug Methotrexate, then the parallel consumption of even small doses of ethanol can lead to severe damage to liver cells.
Trofimova Yaroslava, nutritionist
Detailed video about the nature of the disease:
Donga diet
In the complex treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and during the period of remission, it is recommended to adhere to the Dong diet, otherwise called table number 10. The main recommendation of diet number 10 is the exclusion of red meat from the diet. Following the Donga diet helps to reduce excess weight.
Diet number 10 lasts an average of 10 weeks. In addition to meat, the menu of this table must be excluded:
- Chocolate products.
- Milk products.
- Peppers, spices, preservatives.
- Egg yolks.
- Vinegar.
- Alcohol.
- Tomatoes - their ban is due to the content of the alkaloid solanine, which provokes an exacerbation. It is also found in eggplant and potatoes.
Poultry meat is allowed in small quantities.
Nutrition during exacerbations and remissions
In acute periods of rheumatoid arthritis, there should be a strict diet that completely excludes provocative dishes: salty, fried, fatty, etc. As acute inflammation subsides, it is permissible to include milk and sour-milk dishes, fish and meat in the diet - steamed and baked form.
Remission allows you to include in the patient's diet many products excluded during exacerbation in a small amount. Let's eat:
- veal, chicken;
- cheese, milk soups;
- porridge from buckwheat, oats;
- rye bread - no more than 200 grams per day;
- vegetables and dishes from them, fruits, berries;
- coffee with milk, weak tea, juices and compotes.
Depending on the condition of the patient, the following dishes can be allowed (under control):
- Borscht, soups with sauerkraut in the composition.
- Kidneys and organ meats.
- Rice and semolina porridge.
- Caviar.
- Condensed milk.
- puddings.
Diet, as well as treatment, should be prescribed by a doctor.
Compliance with a diet for arthritis allows you to reduce the doses of drugs used, including hormonal ones, improve the patient's condition, reduce pain, and return the joints to their previous mobility.
There are also theories about the effect of fasting on the cure for the disease. For more details, you can watch the video:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. , men and children are still unclear, and anything can become an impetus: from stress and depression to hypothermia and a viral infection. Inflammation affects symmetrical joints, including small hands () and legs (foot arthritis), causing their deformation and causing suffering to the patient. Systemic lesions of internal organs and tissues are also observed - vasculitis, lymphadenopathy, pericarditis, episcleritis (inflammation of the episcleral tissue of the eye), instability of the cervical spine.
Nutrition for rheumatoid arthritis in combination with drug therapy and moderate physical activity significantly improves the patient's quality of life, in some cases leading to long-term remission.
Effects of drug therapy for RA on the body
The traditional treatment of both types of rheumatoid arthritis (seropositive and), in addition to basic drugs that have a delayed effect (gold preparations, cytostatics, antimalarials, sulfonamides, D-penicillamine at the choice of a rheumatologist), includes painkillers and hormonal drugs that have many side effects. actions. Proper nutrition is aimed at minimizing the harm caused by medications. On the other hand, the task of a nutritionist when choosing a menu is to ensure that the patient receives the maximum of useful substances, and to exclude products that cause an exacerbation of the pathology (more on this below).
Groups of auxiliary drugs and their effect on the body of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs);
- corticosteroids.
On the left is a gastric ulcer against the background of long-term use of NSAIDs, on the right is rarefaction of bone tissue (osteoporosis) against the background of long-term hormonal therapy
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Medicines of this group have a negative effect on the gastric and intestinal mucosa, provoking an exacerbation of gastritis, gastric or duodenal ulcers already present in the patient, or causing their appearance with prolonged use. The diet of a patient with RA should include foods (dishes) that would protect the gastrointestinal tract from such an aggressive impact.
Corticosteroids
Hormonal drugs have a destructive effect on most organs and systems of the human body, especially with prolonged use. However, if the activity of arthritis in a patient goes off scale, one cannot do without such funds. In such a situation, proper and balanced nutrition comes first, which helps in a number of cases (increased blood sugar levels, increased blood pressure, irritation of the gastric mucosa up to the appearance of an ulcer, an increase in blood viscosity and an increased risk of blood clots, a decrease in bone density) to minimize negative the impact of the treatment.
On a note. Banana is a fruit that can replace most antacids (neutralize the action of gastric juice). In addition, it contains a lot of potassium and carotene, which is good for the heart, which often suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, as well as other vitamins, macro- and microelements. A couple of bananas a day can regulate blood pressure and blood sugar, improve mood and have a beneficial effect on the stomach in a fairly short time. However, with a high prothrombin index, eating them is not recommended.
What does the body of a patient with RA need?
As a rule, the basic therapy of rheumatoid arthritis is aimed at suppressing the patient's excessively strong immunity. Most often, the drug of choice for rheumatologists is the drug Metatrexate. Despite good tolerance by patients and smoothed side effects against the background of a pronounced positive effect, damage to the body is still inflicted. In such a situation, it must be supported with nutrition - introduced into the diet:
- ascorbic acid (acts as a hormonal stabilizer, a strong antioxidant);
- bioflavonoids (reduce the permeability of the vascular wall, bind free radicals);
- niacin (helps the stomach and strengthens blood vessels).
Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is found in Brussels sprouts, broccoli, bell peppers, rose hips, persimmons, sea buckthorn, jacket-baked potatoes, peaches, apricots, fresh green peas, sauerkraut.
Bioflavonoids of various types are found in the following products: bee propolis, medicinal herbs - tansy, cornflower, mountaineer, St. Green tea is also rich in them.
Niacin (nicotinic acid or vitamin B 3) can be obtained from tuna, turkey and chicken meat, liver, sunflower seeds, legumes, mushrooms, wheat and buckwheat germs, and yeast.
On a note. Even knowing where what useful substances are contained, it is difficult to create the right menu for yourself. Experimenting on yourself is not worth it - seek help from a rheumatologist and nutritionist.
What is prohibited
Some foods cause an increase in RA symptoms, causing persistent pain. They need to be excluded from the diet at least for a while until a stable remission is achieved.
What not to eat:
- dairy products with a high percentage of fat;
- fat meat;
- spices;
- canned food;
- sweets, including honey (limit to the very minimum, sugar should be completely abandoned);
- alcoholic drinks;
- nuts;
- nightshade - potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes;
- citrus;
- salt (limit as much as possible).
On a note. With an exacerbation, the products listed above must be completely removed from the diet.
What is allowed
If RA is in the active phase, all products that can worsen the patient's condition are excluded. There is very little left in the diet that you can eat without fear:
- chicken and quail eggs;
- skim cheese;
- rice or buckwheat porridge;
- fatty sea fish (salmon, trout, salmon), as a source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D;
- turkey meat;
- defatted river fish (perch);
- vegetable soups (see list of excluded vegetables);
- barley drink;
- baked apples;
- rosehip decoction;
- greenery;
- 1% kefir;
- herbal or green tea.
On a note. The listed products contain a lot of protein, a minimum of fat and carbohydrates. Dishes from them are forbidden to fry. It is allowed to stew in a small amount of oil, but boiling or steaming is preferable. Salt is completely excluded. It is permissible to add a little salt to ready-made dishes.
The therapeutic diet No. 10 or the Dong diet involves a reduction in calorie content (the patient should consume no more than 1800 kcal per day) and the complete exclusion of red meat. Fast (simple) carbohydrates are removed from the diet as much as possible, the amount of protein is also reduced (but not less than 90 g per day), because in a certain percentage of patients it causes an exacerbation of the condition, the amount of fat decreases, especially animals (no more than 70 g per day) .
In fact, the Dong diet suggests that for 10 days the patient will eat rice and stewed vegetables with a small addition of chicken or turkey meat. Not everyone is able to withstand such a meager menu, however, to stop the pain syndrome, you will have to make every effort and not break loose. In the future, the diet expands by including fish meat, rabbit meat, and eggs.
On a note. With rheumatoid arthritis, food is fractional - 6 times a day, more often. The main thing is not to sort out in calories. If the patient is overweight, such a diet will help get rid of a few pounds without much effort - it is no coincidence that doctors recommend it to obese patients.
Strict diet for RA
An approximate menu for a patient with rheumatoid arthritis for the day is as follows (options are possible by day of the week from allowed products):
- Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, 2 whole grain breads, 10 grams of butter, herbal tea without sugar.
- Second breakfast: cottage cheese casserole, baked apple, herbal tea.
- Lunch: vegetable soup with buckwheat, 1 standard steamed turkey cutlet with boiled rice, vegetable salad of cucumber, lettuce and 1 tbsp. olive oil.
- Snack: berry pudding or 2 egg scrambled eggs, dried fruit compote with a minimum of sugar or fructose.
- Dinner: a palm-sized piece of trout, steamed, a couple of lettuce leaves, a few slices of cucumber, 2 tbsp. boiled rice with a drop of olive oil, zucchini stewed with vegetables (carrots, onions), a cup of green tea.
- Before going to bed: a glass of fat-free kefir or natural yogurt without additives.
On a note. When compiling a menu, always follow the advice of a doctor. Although the diet is limited, but by showing imagination, many tasty and healthy dishes can be prepared from the allowed products. After the disease enters the remission stage, the menu is allowed to expand.
Knowing what food is allowed for rheumatoid arthritis, the patient will always be able to control the state of his body. When the acute period passes, consult your doctor about expanding the diet. At this time, fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits can be introduced into it (which ones the specialist will advise).
