Diet Restrictions for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Overview

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammatory arthritis in 1.3 million Americans, according to the Arthritis Foundation. RA causes the immune system to attack the thin lining around your joints, known as the synovium. Your joints become painful and stiff as the disease progresses. Dietary restrictions that eliminate food allergens and promote intestinal microflora may play an important role in controlling the inflammation and some of the pain caused by RA.

Elimination Diet

An elimination diet requires you to remove reactive foods that cause an allergic type reaction within the body. You need an elimination diet to show you what dietary restrictions help reduce inflammation. “One man’s medicine is another man’s poison,” explains Nicole Kuhl, the director of nutrition at LifeSpan Medicine in Santa Monica, California. Kuhl says that a diet that contains a lot of dairy may work well for one person but cause increased RA flareups in another. Start an elimination diet by removing all foods containing gluten, dairy, soy, corn, peanuts or nightshade vegetables from your diet for three weeks. Nightshade vegetables include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Then start adding one of these foods back into your diet every three to four days. If you notice any type of stiffness in your joints after adding a particular food, you are reactive too it. Continue to restrict reactive foods from your diet to control RA flareups.

Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet promotes an increased intake of fruits and vegetables, which contain a variety of phytoneutrients and antioxidants to help control inflammation. For example, pineapple contains the phytoneutrient bromelain for inflammation control, according to Kuhl. Ensure your vegetarian diet allows for adequate protein intake from sources such as nuts, seeds, nut butters, beans and legumes. Kuhl explains that chronic inflammation may promote the release of chemicals that cause increased protein metabolism, which can cause the breakdown of lean muscle mass. If you do not currently follow a vegetarian diet, you might want to try a less restrictive vegetarian diet that allows you to eat skinless poultry or fish to ensure you get enough protein.

Fats

Diets containing high amounts of saturated fats and vegetable oils may increase the inflammation caused by RA. Restrict your intake of saturated fats by limiting full-fat dairy products, butter, lard, most meats, palm oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter. Consume most of your fats in the form of unsaturated fats such as safflower oil, sesame oil, sunflower seed oil, canola oil, olive oil, nuts and seeds.

Considerations

A diet to control RA is very similar to one to improve your health. Ensure your diet contains high amounts of vitamins, nutrients, and fiber while it limits saturated fats, transfats, simple carbohydrates, calories and processed foods, advises Dr. Michael Hall, a family physician for DuBois Regional Medical Center in DuBois, Pennsylvania. Hall adds that research has yet to make a definitive connection between dietary restrictions and RA relief.