Hello everyone, I’m new here.I’ve just been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 3 weeks ago, and I was started on treatment straight away.
I’m just wondering is there a specific diet anyone follows that helps with symptoms?
I also need to lose weight so any advice would be great . Thanks
Welcome to our select group of RA warriors and I hope you find help and support from us when you need it.
The NRAS website offers excellent advice to those newly diagnosed and you will see that a Mediterranean diet is recommended. Search on this site for plenty of posts on diet. Some sufferers have tried other more extreme diets, with varying degrees of success. I have tried excluding various foods but found it had no effect on my symptoms, which were severe as my RA was very aggressive. It's finally coming under control thankfully but I have put on weight because I had to take steroids for many months.
Here's a link to the RA site's New to RA pack which you can order as hardcopy or download:
nras.org.uk/publications/ne...
The site also has lifestyle advice on diet, stress and fatigue management.
Good luck!
Aww thanks amill lolabridge. I’ll look at that .
I’m glad your starting to feel better.
My consultant mentioned steroids I’m just fearful as fir the weight, but then will do anything to help with the pain/ symptoms.
X
Avoid steroids if you possibly can. I couldn't as I my pain and mobility was very bad and I needed them to try to continue to live independently (I live alone). I hope the treatment you've been given works quickly and well so you don't need the steroids.
Hi Pinkplum! Welcome!
There are many fats (especially vegetable oils like rapeseed UK, canola USA), that are extremely bad for us.
Adopting healthy eating should avoid inflammatory foods and some ingredients in bought foods that are not made from scratch. And reducing those will maximise your body’s chances of staying as healthy as you can in order to tolerate drug treatments as best you can too.
So I think it’s admirable that you’re finding out and going to modify your lifestyle that way. 🙂
Oils/fats and dairy are big problems for RA. Lots of greens and plant based diet are more helpful to eliminate inflammation
This site has some useful information. versusarthritis.org/about-a...
Interestingly I’ve always been told that it was sunflower oil we should avoid and we should use rapeseed oil or olive oil instead.
I’ve never had an issue with dairy either. This disease is very individual so it’s a case of finding what works best for you.
Hi Pinkplum,
My personal experience and research beyond the realms of this site and advice from the Rheumatology dept., is that diet is very important. I think I was very fortunate that I had been vegetarian for some years before the onset of RA (or at least before it was diagnosed). I follow a practically, but not strictly vegan diet with virtually no refined sugar. I believe it helps me.
It is important to add that we are all different and what might work for one, might not for another. That goes for medication too.
My advice to you is to research, research and research. The better informed you are, the better you are able to be pro-active in your disease management and that, I believe, is essential. Our specialists are brilliant and can offer us knowledge and guidance, but we know our bodies.
Oh, I needed to loose some weight and used Dr Michael Mosely's Fast 800 diet as a guide. His books are worth a read, especially in relation to inflammation.
Best of luck.
Hi Pinkplum - welcome to the forum a great place for advice and lovely people 😌.
As mentioned, everyone is different so listen to your body. I would recommend keeping a journal and monitor how certain foods make you feel.
I cut out dairy, sugar, meat, pasta, gluten the whole lot, this was not ideal as I became too thin people worried. I had to bring back in good fats and proteins, reduce my fibre as it fills you up leaving little room for others food groups. (I brought in good quality supplements too).
In essence eating clean, no processed stuff, try and prep and cook your own food worked for me. It's all about balance and substitute things you loved for something other. Snack well if you can. Fruits for example became my sweets; grapes, dried mangos, blueberries. I adore dairy free chocolate now.
In all honesty - please don't get too caught up with what you eat as it drives you nuts, I would find I would stress as I deprived myself. Find what you love, limit the bad stuff. You then get to love your new way of prepping and eating.
Wishing you well 😌 Hessie
Thank you everyone for all your advice. It’s appreciated 😊
Hi Pinkplum. as far as diet and RA are concerned people can get a little obsessive about it and, I'm sure' you will come across people who recommend extreme and, frankly, ridiculous diet options. As far as I am concerned the important things to consider are ensuring that you eat a healthy diet, plenty of veg, etc, Avoid processed foods and, finally, get as much exercise as you are able. One thing I have found useful is to keep a daily diary. I keep a record of what i eat every day and also how I am feeling.If I notice that I feel worse after eating particular foods then I try cutting them out. I know this is rather general advice but we are all different and there is no one solution which will suit us all. Good luck.
Here is a new study that suggests an anti-inflammatory diet helps:
everydayhealth.com/rheumato...
I mostly try to follow an anti-inflammatory diet and it works very well for me. It gets challenging during celebrations and social occasions, so I adhere to it most of the time, not yet 100% of the time. My rheumatologist is amazed by my high energy and low/no disease activity, she says I have more energy than regular people who don’t have RA. In my view, it’s my diet that makes the difference.
I had erosions on the fifth joint base of my right foot (tailors bunion) when I was initially diagnosed, and I could not walk barefoot on hardwood floors because of the pain in my soles. After medication, the swelling went down and I became pain free, I could move the joint again and my feet look normal. Now, I only get occasional pain when I eat or drink certain things, or am in extremely cold wet weather, or when one of my 4 dogs steps on that part of my foot when I am barefoot. Yesterday, I had some pain after raking and hauling the leaves in the yard in the cold rain for several hours, which I think is because my feet were cold and wet, but the pain is gone today.
Also, I just LOVE all types of dairy, including many types of cheese, milk, whipped cream, pizza, etc., but it sadly seems to trigger pain along the outsides of my feet, emanating down the sides from the fifth base of each joint. So I am learning to love e.g. earl grey tea with ginger, honey and lemon, instead of milk. Occasionally, regardless of the consequences, I indulge and have a latte or whatever I am not supposed to have anyway. But I don’t make it a habit!
If you are one of the people whose RA symptoms respond to diet, that is a great thing! 🥳It gives you some control over the disease. Broccoli, leafy greens, wild caught salmon, sardines, bananas, organic blueberries, cherries, and carrots are staples in my diet.
Thank you Nocciola, I’m trying to change my diet. Like you I love dairy especially in my tea.
I’m glad things have improved fir you with your feet., I have pain in my feet to although not near to the extent you have. My hands are worst affected at the minute followed by feet and knees , I’m noticing pain in other areas now to Luke hip. But early dats for me I’ve just take my 3rd methotrexate dose today.
Thank you for advice I’m going to give it a good shot. 😊
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