Foods to Avoid If You Have Arthritis

Foods to avoid if you have arthritis include a bunch of the foods you eat on a daily basis. If you have painful arthritis, you may wish to avoid some of these foods to decrease your dependence on over the counter and prescription medicines.

It is amazing at how much the foods we eat affect our bodies. We all know that eating some foods may trigger migraines and allergies. You may think these claims are hoaxes but if you suffer from a painful condition such as a migraine or arthritis then you will do what you can to ease the pain.

As a teenager, I heard that if you give up red meat you could relieve some of the pain associated with arthritis. I gave up eating red meat for the most part, sticking with chicken, turkey and pork and I did feel better, but I still needed the occasionally juicy cheeseburger. As an adult, I still do not eat much red meat, and I do not miss it.

Alternatives for Arthritis web site has a list of foods that will make you more pain free if you have arthritis. I was amazed at some of the foods listed on this web site. The animal protein was something I knew to avoid. However all the foods in the nightshade family I had no clue they even existed until I began the research for this article. Tomatoes, white potatoes and peppers all are in this nightshade family.

When you stop to think about it, most of the time we as Americans will eat a white potato at a meal, at least a few times a week. The American meal for a hard working mom or dad is usually red meat, potatoes and a vegetable and it has been that way for decades. How can we eliminate white potatoes from our diets especially in the northeastern part of the United States when we are so accustomed to this type of dinner? Simple fact we cannot eliminate it but we sure can cut down on the red meats and white potatoes.

Substitute turkey and chicken for the red meats a few more times a week and skip the white potatoes and substitute sweet potatoes or brown rice. White rice is also an arthritis pain inducer so it is best to limit that as well.

To prevent painful arthritis flare-ups, it is best to eliminate or at least reduce the use of the following foods in our diets. Dairy products, as they are animal protein. We also need to limit red meats, sugar, salt, caffeine, and tomatoes and other foods in the nightshade family.

The nightshade family includes tomatoes, eggplant, and tobacco. Yes, even smoking can contribute to the painful flare-ups of arthritis. To read more about how your diet affects your arthritis check out this site, which is full useful information.

http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/arthritis.html

http://alternatives4arthritis.com/avoid.html

http://www.arthritis-glucosamine.net/article-detail.php?ID=68