5 Dietary Tactics For Joint Pain

1 min

A healthy diet can help the body in its efforts to heal itself, and in some cases, particular foods can lessen symptoms. To address problems commonly associated with arthritis, try the following:

1. Decrease protein toward 10 percent of daily caloric intake. Replace animal protein as much as possible with organic plant protein like organic soy, quinoa and a variety of beans.
2. Eliminate milk and milk products, substituting other calcium sources like unsweetened fortified nut milks and dark, leafy greens. Many patients also notice an improvement in pain from the elimination of gluten, even if you do not have celiac disease. It is worth a try, especially paired with your dairy elimination trial.
3. Eliminate polyunsaturated vegetable oils, margarine, vegetable shortening, all partially hydrogenated oils, and all foods that might contain trans-fatty acids (including all deep-fried foods). Use extra-virgin olive oil as your main fat.
4. Increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Wild caught Alaskan salmon and ground flaxseed are two sources.
5. Eat ginger and turmeric regularly, both of which are natural anti-inflammatories.

In particular with dietary changes, commit to a four- to six-week trial to evaluate benefits before trying something else. Often with arthritis, it may have taken years to build up, so symptoms may not resolve in a matter of days.

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