Food do's and dont's

[Pipcat15]

Do any food groups or a specific food make anyone flare up. Or is there any foods that make u better. Im drinking cider vinegar at the moment cos I read its ment yo help.

[bpeal1]

I've not found any food groups that help or cause a flare myself. I tried cider vinegar a few years a go it did nothing for me apart from make me gag every time I tried to drink it. Let us know if you have more success.

Arthritis Research UK have an interesting booklet about diet which can be downloaded from this page. arthritisresearchuk.org/art...

[Chatham in reply to bpeal1]

Thanks for the link. Found it useful.

[bpeal1 in reply to Chatham]

Glad you found it useful.

[Sunflower62]

I have cut out wheat from my diet as I find this makes me flare up I have replaced it with rye bread which tastes fab also tried the rye bread with only a little wheat in it from M&S I was fine. I drink Chinese tea to help me go to the loo as I find with taking so many meds going to the loo is a problem. Did try CV but found no benifit at the time maybe it's time to try it again...

[aliCat]

I have had such a poorly year with my immune system being compromised. I have just started looking at a more natural diet - looks at making your diet more alkaline so cutting out dairy and gluten amongst lots of other stuff. Watch this space.

[Annielou]

I've tried all the natural foods recommended eg cider vinegar, natural cherry juice, flaxseed oil etc etc and can honestly say I don't think they do much. I always feel much better when I stick to a light, healthy diet with lots of salads, fish, veg and fruit - above all, no sugar. Easier said than done long term!

[Bev486]

Hi

I take fish oil tablets because they are supposed to help. I don't really notice a difference with food, however I know I am definatly sorer just before my period.

[beauty96]

Foods that cause a flare up with me include dairy foods and beef, alcohol of any type, carbonated drinks, soya and anything associated with it, citrus fruit and gluten.

[nomoreheels]

I've cut down my coffee intake dramatically & replaced it with mint teas. I find drinking it after meals refreshing & aids digestion. I've also cut down on dairy. When first diagnosed I was advised to take full fat milk, cheese, non- low fat yoghurts & cream. As attitudes have changed I now take semi-skimmed milk, less cheese, but still have yoghurts & cream. Fortunately I don't have weight issues!!

[magglen]

I do wish there was more proper research into what foods help and which maybe make things worse. I honestly haven't noticed any difference in what I eat but I do eat healthily anyway. People say oranges and tomatoes are a no-no but I haven't noticed any adverse effects from eating them.

[L1zzy in reply to magglen]

I agree magglen, I wish there was more solid advise out there, trialed and tested. I am fine with citrus. I cut out wheat and dairy for a while years ago, with no noticeable effect on RA but a bit more energy. After almost 30yrs of trying different remedies and therapys, I now rely solely on prescribed medication, including the so called disease modifying drugs. I have had numerous operations on my joints, and I now have Sjrogrens Syndrome and Vasculitis as well as problems with my bladder and my bowel. I am aware of various online publications declaring that RA is primarily caused by problems with the digestive system, and all will be revealed at a cost!! Surely if it is a proven fact, there should be more information available for sufferers of such a wide spread chronic disease.

[allanah]

Nras do a good booklet and advice on diet on nras.org.uk. Fish oils come out to be helpful and scientifically proven if I remember correctly. Fad diets are not good as you often deplete good minerals and vitamins so a good Mediterranean style diet is usually helpful . Xx

[virgolizzy]

Have any of you read or tried Sarah Ballyntynes book The Paleo Approach, which is the auto immune protocol paleo diet, or Barbara Allans Conquering Arthritis. Both explain a lot about how some foods can effect people & for Barbara she had crippling arthitis , where she coudn't walk without fainting as it was so painful & she has completely turned it around! Only each individual can work out what works for their body food wise but these books are sooo worth a try. I have other Auto immune problems & then just the beginning of dreadful dreadful aching joints & swollen fingers so decided to follow the immune protocol & I cam now say it is beginning to have an effect. Please read them, you have nothing to lose, except a few pounds on amazon & everything to gain. Good luck.

[claireyj]

Wow Virgo Lizzy I'm really interested in the Paleo and yes have recently started reading this book , am really interested in how you get on. My mums chiropractor got me into it he has patients that are fed up with all the side effects of meds , come off them and started the Paleo diet, it's changed their life !!! It's a hard diet to follow and very limiting but I'd certainly try it , I just worry about things like holidays , eating out etc. I have a young family and think it would be hard to always eat separate foods to them etc ... But am certainly giving it a lot of thought ! Apparently Americans are going crazy for it with auto immune diseases and I think it will become quite popular here - good luck Claire

[dmc12]

I know Chinese take always make me flare but occasionally I can't resist! Cider vinegar does help me too

[Karen77]

I'm following the Paleo Approach (Sarah Ballantyne's book) and I do tnk it is working. Over the past two years, I have read several books about diet, autoimmune and gut health. You will never convince me to eat gluten again. I also find that regulating my blood sugar (including avoiding processed sugar altogether) and avoiding daury both seem to help. My improvements on the Paleo Approach seemed negligible until I realised about a month ago that the first three ingredients in my probitic were all dairy! Once I changed probitic and concentrated on getting enough sleep & daily walks, Istarted to feel much better. I feel like I am now quite sensitive to changes in routine (working late hours this week and preparing for my big boy's 5th birthday party for this weekend), but realised yesterday that I have cut off the MTX (without my rheumy's knowledge, so take that as you will) now for 3 months and halved my NSAIDs (can't yet drop them altogether), and I don't feel any worse! 3 months ago, I couldn't buckle or unbuckle my kids from their car seats and I realised yesterday, that hasn't even been an issue at all for at least a month. I also realised as I closed my car's sunroof last night that my shoulder no longer hurt to do so! I still have sore swollen joints in 9 of 10 fingers, but they're not "angry" and I have some strength back! This wasn't a miracle for me, but I will say that it seems to be working!

Backing up...

In January 2013 I first gave up gluten and processed foods (excl chocolate &candy) and over the course of the year I gradually adopted a more paleo diet, removing non gluten grains, legumes and greatly reduced my dairy and sugar consumption. That year my RA went into remission enough that I was back to running, indoor rock climbing, and even went ziplining with my hubby for his birthday! But symptoms returned towards the end of the tear, which is why I've taken the restrictions further, in the hopes of identifying triggers.

If you think the Paleo Approach is too difficult, remember it's only hard unti it's a habit! I didn't think I'd survive breakfast without eggs or a day without chocolate, but I don't even think of those things anymore. Restaurants are hard but not impossible (Iate out last night!) and there are loads of recipes at phoenixhelix.com and wautoimmune-paleo.com, among others.

Sorry this is so long, but you've brought up my favourite subject! Best of luck!

[Gem33]

Hi. I started a gluten and dairy free diet and cut down on sugar 8 weeks ago and it's made a dramatic difference. This is coming from someone who really didn't believe in that kind of thing but I really wanted to cut down on my meds so gave it a go (I want another baby so curing some meds is necessary). I managed a day shopping last week which I would never have been able to do before. I'm also having regular reflexology which helps me. I have noticed that I've been a little achy. I did have a little bit of gluten a few days back and I've had a bit of chocolate so I need to get back on track. I do find very gentle exercise helps to. Walking or swimming is good for me. It's quite tough sticking to a strict diet but it really has made a difference. I would definately give it a go. Hope this helps x x x

[Pipcat15]

I have tryed dairy free and gluten free or over a month and I didn't really feel any different. I have however felt worse after eating white bread paster and rice. So turning to all wholemeal and brown rice. I also gonna try no nightshade family vegetables. ( spuds, tomatoes , peppers and eggplant). And biggest one no refined sugar that's gonna be tough. I'll see how I get on

[mille]

oranges,cheese, chocolate make me sore but cherries and kiwis, salmon and sardines ease the pain a little.

[Hidden]

Hi, I have RA and was diagnosed in 2007. I'm on Methotrexate, 20 mg. per week. Six months ago after a holiday,where I ate what everyone else was eating, I had to go on Prednisone for a flair. I felt lousy all the time. Then I heard about the Dr. McDougall diet out of Calif. It helped a woman get off Methotrexate. It is a starch based diet. I've never felt better! I'm ready to start reducing my Methotrexate. The web site is drmcdougall.com. Check out star mcdougallers. So inspiring.

All the best!

Carol from NH

[KylaC]

The only thing my consultant advised me to avoid was Orange Juice in the mornings so I swapped to beetroot juice!

[Pipcat15]

I just bought cherry juice as people say thats ment to be good.

[MarshaM]

I've been using apple cider vinegar also and I think it has helped heal digestive track for me. I also started aloevera gel (which is not easy to swallow) so I put 1-2 tbls in the top of my morning fruit smoothy and drink it quickly.

Also take one capsule slippery elm and one capsule aloe a day that helps bm constipation from meds.

Even though CV and aloe are not easy to down, I feel it can only help and one RA doc I see said great you are doing the right things to heal your insides.

[jessquilts]

I found that going "clean" helped. I eliminated as much processed food as I could and it does seem to help. The RA pain isn't really less, but the other companion problems are less, like hives, blisters, itchiness, etc. It seems to boil down to allergic type reactions to a lot of chemicals, preservatives, and pesticides. By eliminating them, I'm down to managing the RA pain, not a bunch of additional issues too.

I also found that local honey seems to help tame other allergies, so that there are less things to deal with.

I drink green tea every morning, which seems to help the pain and inflammation some. Could be the tea, could be wrapping my hands around that warm cup. Either way, it's all good, and yes, I put honey from our own bees into my tea. That way it's two for one.