This statement comes up so very often in our forum when we follow the different reactions of diets and foods as well as meds. Found this article reflecting on the things that are not different, yet central in health. Thoughts?
" We are all different"..or are we really that differ... - NRAS
" We are all different"..or are we really that different?
Written by
Simba1992
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Simba, an interesting article and yes I agree with much of what the article suggests. We are more alike than different in many ways. Good nutrition is essential for good health. Many modern day foods, particularly but not exclusively processed foods are detrimental to our being. Modern day industrial farming with all it's concoctions taking care of the rest. Add in modern day stress and we have a recipe for ill health.
Humans live on every continent of this world and eat many different food sources, no one diet is perfect and people live to ripe old ages in every society (I am aware of the blue zones, but life is extended by a small overall percentage).
I would also add in that the society we live in today with 'rugged individualism ' we have created a feeling in many people of I'm different, I'm special, I'm unique, which contributes to the rise in I cannot eat/tolerate whatever. Add in the affluence of the West and the need to be seen, by some, for conspicuous consumption, the ability to afford expensive choices and people buy into 'food fads' which are based on shaky evidence, sometimes with no evidence at all. Many of these diets have little benefit and cause destruction to native environments when scaled up to feed the desire in the West.
It is just not possible to go back to a paleo diet for example, who can possibly know what paleolithic people ate other than in a broad sense ? Even if you could do this, where would you source that food in today's world, unaffected by air pollution, evolutionary processes and modern farming for example ? Someone living in the paleolithic period did not eat food from every continent as some of the paleo diets push forward, and most probably our digestive tracks have undergone adaptations in the time period, as have the animals the paleo diet suggests are ok to eat. It is not possible to adjust your diet to pre agricultural revolution times and live in the modern world. Rant over.
We all have individual differences in our make up, of course we do, and small numbers of people will be unable to tolerate whatever, fine. But overall we all, not just people with RD, need to eat a well balanced diet, as fresh as is possible to do, restrict our eating to maintain a healthy weight and very importantly reduce processed foods to an occasional event.
I'm a big fan of Dame Professor Sue Black, I've heard her speak a few times, she claims we don't actually live any longer than previous generations we just take longer to die. I think there is something in that.
So yes, eat well, eat healthy, develop a low stress lifestyle (easier said than done) exercise and get on with life. The rest is probably out of your control.
I quite agree with all you say Mmrr & sadly whilst there are people making £millions advocating diets that will supposedly cure all, desperate people will spend out and opt in to them.
But it's a free world (just) & if striving to be healthier ...even with no proof of success.......makes one person feel better...let them go for it.
However, it's a personal choice & no one should badger those who choose not to experiment.
If people want to spend their money in any particular diet it really is no concern of mine at one level, but at another it is if the diet involves destruction of native people's land and yet more pollution in transporting foods across the world.
I believe it should be informed choice, not making somebody rich , destroying communities with no information.
Much healthier to buy local and eat fresh, and of course as individuals we like some foods better than others. Conspicuous consumption and affluence has a lot to answer for.
In an ideal world yes...but whilst people, rich or poor, are suffering they will try anything to try to get better.
That's just human nature.
The people who sell these useless unproven eating programmes should be more accountable. But I suppose until someone dies from partaking...nothing can be done.
Guess the answe is as so often advocated here...eat sensibly.... whatever that may be!
Education is important and people need to speak out , the diet dissnae work ! other wise we will be back to medieval medicine and witchcraft ( perhaps we are still there in an advanced form)
My daughter in law is a professor of ecological economics , so these fad diets are close to my heart and I'm on a rant.
I’m in the camp that requires proper scientific research and evaluation before I’ll take a serious look. The whole diet/gut thing is becoming a bandwagon, with the usual charlatans jumping aboard. Sadly, I feel that scientists and researchers have been shoved on an endless treadmill of publish or perish - something that was confirmed to me by my sister, who is an eminent researcher in her field. The latest gem from public health in Australia is a project with a sample size of 35 (yes, 35) which somehow led to the conclusion that some sort of diet improved depression - really? You could drive a bus through the observable holes in the logic and design of that. Yet, it gets picked up and broadcast by our public broadcaster, only to become click bait for the internet “papers” who plagiarise, cut and paste, without understanding such pieces of work, and before you know it, it’s become a fact! I’m not saying that diet, gut or whatever isn’t important, but there’s a lot of proper research that needs to be done, and it would be better if it wasn’t published until there were some decent facts/conclusions positive or otherwise to talk about.
Mumble, mumble ..... I shuffle off grumbling 🤣
Mmrr in reply to
I'm with you, as said eat well as healthy as you can, maintain a healthy weight, largely avoid processes foods , but don't stress over these, as the stress is probably more detrimental than eating the pizza now and again !
I been doing all this eat this not that stuff and I am no better than I was 2 years ago. In fact I am worse off! Thinking of going back on the pizzas and chips to be honest.
Hessie5 in reply to
Totally agree!
Simba1992 in reply to
The thing is that there are proper scientific research and proof on how the biochemistry in our bodies work and how different processes in different organs are dependent on one an other and what they do. This is actually the point of the article. The science in back of this is quite durable. The difficulty being in clairyfying the essentials not presenting proof for their legitimacy. All this can be researched.
in reply to Simba1992
Well, that article didn’t come with any “proper scientific research’ or, any references. Hence my remark. I was a research student, I know how to research. For me personally, if I’d read anything anywhere that I thought was worth pursuing, I would be doing so. That is my humble opinion only 
Simba1992 in reply to
That wasn't the aim of the post. But to reflect upon how in fact we share a common biochemistry and a way the body functions, There is nothing to be proven, it's known scientific knowledge.This was presenting nothing new just an angel to reflect upon.😊
in reply to Simba1992
OK, so thoughts not discussion? I’m on the we’re all different side. Now I’ll get out of your thread, cheers
Sorry, didn't read all of this as I checked beforehand what qualifications the author had. I stand by everyone is different. As we know there are 2 different RD's & over 100 different arthritides, we often have one of them secondary to RD, that can make so many variables I don't see how we can possibly be all the same?
Them's my thoughts. 😯
The diseases are different, but I took the article to be we are more alike than different as human beings.
Different diseases may respond differently to different diets , but I suspect that will be a small effect.
I believe as well that this is true but it is also true that there are certain additives that have changed the balance in our diet as has the huge amount of vegetable oils that have changed the normal balance of omega 3 and omega 6 in our food intake.Which is seen as an imbalance with many negative consequences. This is an example of how we in fact stress our organism with PUFAs. We can minimize stress by cutting down on PUFAs or we can just ignore research and just trust that are bodies will fix the situation somehow.
So it's burger & chips tonight nmh?
I'm right with you...just not every night!
Not tonight! Home made meat & tater pie, mushy peas & red cabbage. Strangled eggs on toast (with butter) for lunch, cooking just now.
‘Strangled eggs?’ That sounds nasty!
I’m reading a book called ‘The inflamed mind’ at the moment which is about inflammation and depression. I’m finding it an informative read as his reference point for a considerable amount of his (Edward Bullmore) explanations around inflammation, the immune system and the ‘sick behaviour’ response we call depression is a RA/D patient. He only sees this patient once early on in his career but she obviously has got his attention way beyond the consultation time and he keeps coming back to her to explain what he believes is going on re the immune system. It’s an easy read with some thought provoking and relevant info in it - some of you may also find the book interesting.
All the best
Ali
I wonder what the Director of NRAS thinks of all this. Hmmm must find out. I do recall though in the beginning of my illness speaking to a representative of NRAS and her telling me that the founder of NRAS - Ailsa believes food/diet has a great influence on our symptoms! Ailsa herself has RA.
For all the newly diagnosed, please keep open minded rather than getting pulled into others negative opinions on food and it's influence on RA.
I, personally have reduced my meds a lot now in favour of food medicine which is working very well.
NRAS have a few articles on diet and RD on their pages, but only support a Mediterranean type diet to support good health, not just RD.
Hi Marie, hope you had a fun family break.
Yes I have read most of the info on NRAS. My personal info was in conversation on the phone. It was informative, fair and open minded to all type of therapies to manage RA.
We all know it's incurable at this time and no drug is going to cure it just as much as no food will either but it's not just drugs that control and prevent damage as I am experiencing and numerous other people too. It's important ( I feel) to be supportive but it's also important to be respectful to those who choose a different pathway to others who are set in their ways of what they think is right. There is no right or wrong. If there was, we would all be happy and pain free! There has to be some sort of medicine for every condition, paracetamol ( for example) for headaches that don't work! X
Yes absolutely each to their own, and as said many people eat healthily to help manage their RD, that is sensible, noone was querying eating well. NRAS, other organisations and the NHS provide good advice on these matters that people can adapt to suit their lives, I certainly do.
My concern comes when folks who are very unwell are being conned out of large sums of money to follow diets that do not work, and in some cases cause ill health, or spend large amounts of money on trying to find the perfect diet, which doesn't exist. Then spend time, limited energy and create a lot of stress for themselves, much to their detriment.
I think many of us agree on the principles of what is being said , we just have different ways of expressing ourselves.
I understand that. However there are some who are too opinionated and negative towards diets and other forms of control management of RA.
There are other others who sit on the fence. For example - They take the steroids and drugs and eat and drink whatever they want. That's fine. It's not difficult for me to eat carefully because I love what I eat. I know that isn't the same for everyone. This forum is to share experiences, not to judge or criticise. In my experience, my diet appears to be keeping inflammation at bay although I am still taking the odd pill. But far away from swallowing drugs every day. If someday someone finds a cure, I hope it's a healthy one because I don't like drugs and their side effects and the other drugs some of us have to take on top to combat side effects and so on. Minefield! I believe the gut plays a huge part in calming RA. I was personally happy to change my eating habits and it's paid off. I'm slim and I'm relatively pain free.
Further - I agree with you in regards to people trying to make money from food advice. That's plainly wrong in my opinion. If I found a cure, I would be more than happy to share free of charge.
Shelf would you be willing to share your healthy eating plan here. Understand totally if you'd rather not. But it sounds like you are on the right path with reduced meds and that's fantastic.
Yes, the thread does seem to have lost it's way, although the articles focus is on food choices and metabolism. I apologise Simba if I moved the focus off track.
As said we are more alike than different and need to seriously consider our food choices if we want to maximise our health with RD.
I think there’s an underlying truth to the article, generally speaking if everyone makes positive changes to the way they eat, it will in turn produce more positive results. But those changes may be very different from person to person.
There are by far too many variables that do in fact make us all unique.
There is no one cure or diet fits all. We all can eat the same food, take the same meds, go to bed at the same time, use the same shampoo, etc and yet we all have different experiences. Good and bad.
I remember reading about Dr. Walter Kempner who came up with the rice diet. He prescribed white rice, fruit, juice and sugar to treat arthritis, diabetes, coronary artery disease... can you imagine, but clearly this would not be a standard treatment for everyone.
I personally feel that each person needs to listen to their own body. Different things work or don’t work for different people even when it comes to diet.
Definitely, make changes, try new things and find what makes you feel good. It will probably be different than others around you. But it can be very daunting, frustrating confusing not to mention exhausting trying to figure out every diet, herb, supplement, so-called cures and spending a lot of money doing so. While we are all human and our bodies function somewhat the same, we are so far from what we were meant to be that rules about food and diet don’t really apply.
Nice clear and well worded post.
I think food and diet does apply though.
If ( for example) we were all to eat cream cakes, pies and biscuits every other day then most of us would get fat, feel sluggish and struggle to keep active.
There are super foods fortified with vitamins, antioxidants and so much goodness which has to be beneficial to us all. I personally don't follow a particular diet but I do have a great awareness of foods which support my body in a healthy way and they are foods accessible to everyone. There are numerous super foods to choose from so we don't have to be sheep following one another but rather be kinder to the human body with foods that fight diseases and allow greater mobility.
Thanks for the article Simba. The various thoughts around nutrition and healing are certainly a hot topic as i found when i mentioned gut health last week! Trying paleo at the moment (albeit leaving nuts/seeds in so we'll see.
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