Additional reporting by Leo Andreoli.
Choosing the #1 worst food to eat if you have arthritis It’s not easy, and that’s because an arthritis diagnosis comes with so many variables.
On the one hand, what makes a person joint pain worse may be entirely different from what exacerbates another’s, depending on Heidi TurnerMS, RDN, CDan integrative registered dietitian nutritionist with food logicwhich specializes in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Second, there are several types of arthritis, each of which can be made worse by something different in the diet. Four common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritiswhich is a wear of the cartilage of the joints due to aging; rheumatoid arthritis (RA)an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy cells and causes inflammation typically on the hands, wrists, and knees; gout, which usually affects one joint at a time, often starting with the big toe, and ankylosing spondylitis; or ankylosing spondylitis (AS)which reduces the flexibility of the spine.
RELATED: Tell-tale signs you have arthritis
“Everyone is different; one person with osteoarthritis may eat one food (and feel fine) while another may have a very bad reaction,” says Turner.
With that in mind, to find the #1 worst food for arthritis, the solution is to try an “elimination diet”, that is, eliminate foods to identify those that make you feel better when you stop eating them. Read on to learn more about how to try an elimination diet to identify foods that worsen arthritis symptoms, as well as the most likely culprits, and to learn more about eating healthy, don’t miss out. The #1 Best Juice for Everyday Drive, Science Says.
While an elimination diet will help you find the worst foods for your arthritis, Turner says processed and high-sugar foods are generally the worst foods for those with any type of arthritis for the same reasons that are detrimental to your overall health. “Foods that contain a lot of chemicals and preservatives, foods that are high in starch, sugars, highly processed grains, things like that will encourage inflammation and that’s the first thing you want to cut out of your diet and replace with whole foods,” He says. .
Subscribe to our newsletter!
New investigate of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine suggests a connection between a unhealthy gut microbiome and rheumatoid arthritis. The trillions of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract are affected by what you eat, and an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy bacteria can worsen RA symptoms, according to the study.
What are those foods that cause an unhealthy intestine? Inflammatory foods like saturated and trans fats, fried foods, corn oil, and baked goods. “If you’re working with a lot of bowel problems, then you might try to eliminate those known inflammatory foodsincluding gluten and dairy,” says Turner.
Some people with arthritis find that eating tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, and bell peppers causes arthritic swelling and stiffness. “Eating nightshade plants can irritate joints; I see it quite a bit in my practice,” says Turner.
The inflammatory reaction may be due to a buildup of a bitter-tasting chemical found in nightshade plants called solanine, according to the Cleveland Clinic. However, giving up nightshades has a drawback: you would miss out on some highly nutritious foodthe Cleveland Clinic notes.
The form of arthritis known as gout occurs when there is too much uric acid in the body and uric acid crystals build up in the joints, causing swelling and pain. Uric acid is the result of the breakdown of chemical compounds in certain foods called purines. “The gout is its own little beast,” says Turner. The worst foods to eat if you have gout are “purine-rich foods like organ meats, alcohol (especially beer), sardines and sweet drinks such as soda and juices with high-fructose corn syrup,” she says. Even certain vegetables, like cauliflower and asparagus, have more purines than others and can cause inflammation in a joint.
Because foods can affect people so differently, cutting out certain inflammatory foods and monitoring how your body reacts may be the best way to identify those that make your arthritis symptoms worse, says Turner. Other tactics to try, she says, are to adopt a paleo diet or Mediterranean style diet. Both include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and fish, and avoid added sugars and processed grains. To learn more about the health benefits of this style of eating, read What happens to your body with the Mediterranean diet.
