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Arthritis: Over 60 Recipes and a Self-Treatment Plan to Transform Your Life
Have a good laugh
Laughter and a positive attitude are powerful medicines to be taken in large and frequent doses. When someone is in pain or discomfort they have a tendency to turn emotionally inwards. Before they know what has happened, the pain is worse. And as the pain gets worse, they withdraw into themselves. Laughter brings out the best in people. Let it lift you when those aching joints are getting you down.
To brighten your spirit:
Chapter 1 About arthritis
The aim in this part of the book is to get you started on the Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet. After basic information about arthritis in several of its more common forms you will read about food and diet, and how they affect inflammatory illnesses.
Coming from ‘arthron’, the Greek word for joint, arthritis literally means ‘inflammation of the joint’. It may surprise you to know that about 200 different illnesses, all causing degeneration of joints and soft tissues, are classified as arthritis. Millions of people around the world suffer from some form of this illness, and in the United Kingdom one quarter of all visits to the doctor relate to its symptoms.
Although there are a surprising number of different types of arthritis, the great majority of people suffer from either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis vary in their degree of severity, ranging from very mild discomfort to crippling. As you would expect, those with milder forms of these conditions will experience a greater degree of healing on this diet than those who have already suffered a major deterioration of joints. However, everyone should improve, and many will experience a return to normal activity.
Osteoarthritis is due to ‘wear and tear’ on joints, and most people beyond the age of 65 are affected to some degree. Athletes, or people involved in vocations that repeatedly use one or more joints – such as dancers and typists – may begin suffering from signs of arthritis at a relatively young age. Osteoarthritis may co-exist with other forms of arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis. It frequently occurs in the weight-bearing joints of the knees, hips and feet. Bony lumps, called ‘nodes’ sometimes form on the ends of finger bones, causing a gnarled, enlarged appearance. Stress, wear and tear can also cause slow deterioration of the discs between the spinal vertebrae, leading to pain and stiffness in the neck and back.
Heat and redness around an affected joint is common, and cold packs help dull the sensation of pain during the early part of an attack. Warm packs relax muscles surrounding joints, and are effective after acute pain has subsided. Remove warm packs after 10 minutes.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving the immune system. About three times as many women as men are affected. It is thought that some factor in the environment triggers an abnormal immune response in the joints. Many experts agree that specific foods may trigger inflammation. Unfortunately, not every case of rheumatoid arthritis responds to the same stimulus, and it is necessary to identify the specific food, or foods, that affect an individual.
Rheumatoid arthritis begins gradually with aching and stiffness. At first it may involve only one joint, but soon spreads to others, tending to affect the same joint on both sides of the body. Small lumps under the skin may appear around the elbows. Sufferers may get very tired, but experience a great deal of difficulty sleeping. A minority of sufferers will experience other symptoms, including skin rash and ulceration, enlargement of lymph nodes, and inflammation of tissues around the lungs and heart.
Bearing all this information in mind, just how does the Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet work? Its success relies on three objectives. The first is to eliminate from the diet all foods that trigger, or aggravate, abnormal inflammation in the joints and tissues. The second is to reduce the symptoms by supplying the body with nutrients known to strike at the stiffness, swelling and aching caused by inflammation. Many scientists believe that free radicals are a primary factor in causing inflammation, and foods used in the diet are rich sources of natural antioxidants that block inflammation. The third objective is to supply, through both food and dietary supplements, substances that help rebuild the internal components of joints destroyed by wear and tear.
Now that you know how the diet works, the following chapter will explain which foods are best for success.
Gout is a form of arthritis caused by a build-up of waste products in the blood. For more detailed information about it clickhere. For more detailed information on all forms of arthritis clickhere.
Chapter 2 Food, supplements and medication
‘People are more easily convinced of the power of magic, than convinced of the healing power of nutrition.’
The above statement – one I often use to open seminars – is, sadly, very true. Yet you can halt the pain of arthritis by changing the way you eat. In most cases, the difference will be so great it will change your life forever. All that is required for this transformation is the knowledge of which foods to avoid and which to enjoy, and a commitment to staying on the diet long enough to experience its benefits. Once you have experienced the improvement it brings about you will be very reluctant to return to your old ways. The path to success is not easy, however. You will be giving up foods and drinks that are part of most people’s daily lives – for example, coffee, alcohol, bacon, bread and sugary sweets. These changes will be easier if you understand why they are necessary. Use this book as your guide, and you will soon find that you feel better, look better and no longer crave the foods that trigger the pain that once overshadowed your life.
Several years ago a group of women attending a community meeting about nutrition were asked for a show of hands as to how many agreed with the statement: eliminating a single food from the diet can change a person’s health. Less than a third agreed. During the discussion that followed, some people were slightly amused by the question: after all, they ate a ‘healthy’ diet, how could that do them harm? When asked to describe a ‘healthy diet’, it was generally agreed that a healthy diet consisted of foods they ‘had always eaten’. In fact, none of us eats ‘what we have always eaten’. Differences in food production and processing – along with changing cultural influences – have subtly reshaped both the content and nutritional value of the food we eat. A healthy diet entails eating a high proportion of fresh fruits and vegetables, pulses, grains and nuts, and a modest amount of meat.
Many consumers are confused by all the dietary advice provided in the media these days. What should we listen to: old advice that we have followed for years; or new opinions still untested by time? Listen to both, and then ask yourself which makes good sense. If promises made for a wonder food sound too good to be true, they probably are. If someone tells you that a special diet will help control an illness, ask why and how it works. That is why you should take time to read all the information in this book, rather than just trying the recipes. You need to become familiar with your enemy in order to beat it.
Do eggs dangerously increase levels of blood cholesterol? The answer to this question is an example of how conflicting information about the health value of a food arises. Until the medical community became convinced that high levels of blood cholesterol were a significant risk factor in coronary artery disease, eggs were looked upon as a safe and healthy food, ideal for all the family – including infants and the infirm. Then came the theory that the cholesterol contained in foods, such as egg yolk, increases the level of blood cholesterol. As a result, people were advised to reduce their intake of eggs to as few as two per week. Recently, scientific research has established that the cholesterol contained in eggs has very little effect on blood cholesterol: saturated fats, such as those found in red meat, are the culprits. Eggs contain a far lower percentage of saturated fat than a portion of cheese of equal weight and, when enjoyed in moderation, they are an easy-to-eat food, high in the protein and vitamins our bodies need. Produced by free-range hens fed on grain and free of infection, eggs are a welcomed part of breakfast, lunch or dinner. You will see in Parts Three and Four that eggs are very much a part of the Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet.
Basic nutrition
Food is the essential link between your body and the rest of the living world. For optimum health, there is no substitute for a diet based on leafy vegetables, root vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains and various forms of meat. Eat food in a form as close to its natural state as possible: fresh, raw or lightly cooked, unsalted and without artificial flavours, colours and preservatives. That way, you will be giving your body the nutrients it requires.
Plants contain natural compounds that have healing properties. Ginger, for example, is not only a good source of B-vitamins, magnesium and zinc, but also contains a substance that helps control nausea. Chilli peppers contain a substance that fights pain. (More examples are found here.) So to get the most from your diet, include a wide range of foods from plants, and vary what you eat.
A balanced diet contains a healthy combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It may surprise you to know that international experts recommend a diet containing about 50 per cent carbohydrate, 30 per cent fat and 20 per cent protein. The healthiest carbohydrates come from grains, root vegetables and fruits. Sources of protein should be as low-fat as possible. Red meat (muscle) and full-fat milk products are high in saturated fats, which should be limited to no more than 10 per cent of the total calories consumed. Organ meats such as liver and kidney are relatively low in saturated fats, as are tofu and other plant-protein products.
It is widely believed that fats are bad for us, and that all fats should form a minimal part of a healthy diet. This is not true. Our bodies need fat, and deficiencies in certain fats lead to illness. Fats are a compact source of stored energy. They also aid the absorption of vitamins A, D and E from the gut, and form important parts of cell membranes, hormones and messenger molecules in the body. For good health, enjoy oils obtained from plants, and oily fish. These provide healing substances that people suffering from arthritis need to help fight pain. More is said about this when the omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish oil, are discussed. (See here and here.)
If you are a vegetarian, ensure you eat at least one meal a day that combines grain and one or more pulses; for example, rice and beans. All the amino acids (protein building blocks) needed by the human body are found in plants, but not in the combination required by the human body. The amino acids we must obtain from our diet are called essential amino acids, and must be supplied in the same meal. More in-depth information can be found here.
Vegetarians may not benefit from this diet as much as people who eat meat because they will not benefit from the healing properties of liver.
Foods that harm
Things we eat may cause harm in several ways:
Here are some examples:
Arthritis sufferers, and people concerned about the health of their bones, should be aware that rhubarb contains oxalic acid, which inhibits the body’s ability to absorb calcium and iron from other foods. (The acid is concentrated in the leaves, which are poisonous and should never be eaten.) Rhubarb aggravates gout and rheumatoid arthritis, and may even cause an attack if eaten in excess. It may also increase the risk of kidney stones in some patients. If you cook rhubarb, do not use aluminium pans, as the acid juice dissolves aluminium from the surface, leaving it in the food for you to eat. Aluminium may be harmful to the body. Rhubarb is not the only plant containing oxalic acid. Smaller amounts are found in spinach, sorrel and chocolate.
Certain foods can trigger an allergic reaction – some people are allergic to nuts, for example. Seafood, especially lobster and prawns, may also cause problems.
This is a good opportunity to talk about the difference between an allergic reaction and food sensitivity (also known as food intolerance). These two conditions are frequently confused.
An allergic reaction is a serious matter that has immediate consequences. It is caused when the body’s immune system has built up antibodies to one or more substances in a particular food. Symptoms include hives (urticaria), severe breathing difficulty, rash, swelling of the tongue and throat, and – in extreme cases – shock and death. Tingling of the lips and mouth after eating a particular food is a sign that an allergy to a particular food may be developing. If you experience such a response to a specific food, obviously it is prudent to avoid it.
Food sensitivity, or intolerance, is far less dramatic, but can cause serious symptoms that may vary from person to person. Migraine headaches, nausea, indigestion, eczema, stomach upset and hyperactivity have all been linked with food sensitivity. Symptoms do not appear with the speed seen in allergic reactions, and it is frequently difficult to identify the exact cause of the problem. In order to identify which food is causing the symptoms, an elimination diet is usually necessary.
For a few days the sufferer is placed on a diet based on foods known to cause little, if any, intolerance. This gives the body time to rid itself of substances that may be causing the problem. Following this rest period, other foods are introduced one at a time. Most will cause no recurrence of symptoms, and thereafter can be safely added to the diet. As more foods are introduced, almost inevitably one new item will cause symptoms to reappear. When this occurs, the culprit (or one of them) has been identified and the person on the exclusion diet will know to avoid that food in the future.
The Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet includes an elimination diet that should help you identify your sensitivity to foods that can trigger, or increase, the painful inflammation of arthritis.
Certain foods known to cause sensitivity are eliminated from the Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet. These are:
ALL PRODUCTS MADE WITH WHEAT AND OTHER GRAINS CONTAINING THE PROTEIN GLUTEN (RYE, BARLEY AND OATS)
More is said about this later (see here). For the moment, however, you need only be aware that gluten is often the cause of health problems ranging from migraine headaches to coeliac disease – a debilitating condition characterized by diarrhoea, bloating, and even anaemia. Coeliac disease can cause serious problems in some people, and even mimic the symptoms of certain forms of cancer.
Cutting out gluten will improve your general health and nutritional status. It will also help control the inflammation that causes much of the pain of arthritis.
ALL FOOD AND DRINK CONTAINING CAFFEINE
Some experts believe that caffeine increases the swelling and pain of inflammation. Many people find that removing this one source of trouble from their diet dramatically improves their life.
ALL PROCESSED FOODS, INCLUDING SALTED AND PRESERVED MEATS
Removing processed foods from your diet may seem daunting, but the rewards are great. You will be eliminating major sources of additives and unnatural chemicals from your body. You will be choosing not to eat foods that have been milled, stewed, or baked to the point that all the precious nutrients they once contained have been removed. And you will be leaving room in your diet for foods that are full of natural flavour and nutrition.
If you have gouty arthritis, the problem of diet becomes more complicated because liver and all other forms of offal should be avoided.
Foods that heal
How can something as basic as food heal? How can it be true that simply by changing the content of your dinner plate you can beat illness and heal damaged tissues?
Nothing in your body is static. Every moment of every day billions of cells are in constant change. They form, fill with molecules that conduct the chemical processes of life, and eventually die. It is said that over the course of seven years every molecule in the body is replaced. What we eat, and therefore supply to the body to reconstruct itself, determines its health and strength in the future.
When illness or injury damages the body, eating foods rich in the nutrients needed to replace and rebuild tissues promotes healing. When arthritis is present the nutrients most needed are protein; the B-vitamins, plus folic acid and biotin; vitamins C, E, B12, and D; the minerals selenium, manganese, iron, calcium and zinc; and certain specific fats known as omega-3 fatty acids.
The foods rich in these nutrients that form the basis of the Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet are:
(More about healing foods can be found here and here.)
People with gout should enjoy celery and cherries several times a week. Both are thought to contain compounds that help the body eliminate uric acid. Celery also contains an anti-inflammatory substance.
Most of these nutrients play numerous roles in human metabolism. It is unnecessary to know all the details, but the following list identifies the specific role that makes them appropriate for arthritis sufferers: