Any dietary tips?

[AW600]

Has anyone tried things like cutting out dairy, taking turmeric, eating more blueberries? I know our bodies are all different, but does anyone have any positive feedback on RA symptoms with any small dietary changes?

[JenniferW]

I've just tried cutting out gluten and it made no difference at all. Turmeric didn't seem to help me.

On the positive side I found taking vitamin supplements helpful, vit D, iron (but only supplement iron on doctors advice) and magnesium.

[Madmusiclover]

The evidence is it doesn’t help sadly though obviously a healthy diet helps. I tried tumeric on doctors advice. No effect at all. I too take Vit D and iron. I also take an oil capsule as it help stops my skin flaking but I think that’s related to being a woman of a certain age…

nras.org.uk/resource/diet/

[AgedCrone]

I reckon unless you have a condition that demands a certain diet- eating what you enjoy to eat is the way to go ….obviously mostly healthy food…. that has worked for me for 20+ years!

If you feel you need vitamin supplements, ask you doctor to advise you.

[medway-lady]

I was celiac long beforeRA and I think it’s simple a normal healthy diet and normal excercise is all you came do. I think if diet cured RA the NHS would have twigged by now it’s save millions on medications. Plus if it doesn’t help then do you feel it’s your fault you have RA? I’d suggest it’s the obvious, healthy weight, no fags and all things in moderation plus if you like turmeric then what harm can it do but I do think be careful some foods might be suggested to be good anti inflammatory ones but are bad for other medical conditions. Like bananas can be good for inflammation; but totally banned for people like me with CKD.

[vonniesims]

I find sugar and processed meats affect me

[BoneyC]

When I heard on 'The One Show' from Matt Allwright that taking vitamins reduces life expectancy by about 2 years, I don't think I'll take them, only if prescribed by a qualified doctor.

A hospital dietician put me on an elimination diet for RA back in the 80's, basically stop all foods, even tap water, then reintroduce one at a time. It was very boring, lentils etc. and did not help my RA at all.

I aim to eat as healthy a diet as possible, I have the Dr. Michael Moseley cook books which are very good, simple recipes which everyone in the household like.

[Brushwork]

I actually disagree with the generic statement ‘there’s no evidence to support that dietary changes make a difference’….. My reason is this, it is dependent on your expectations. Will dietary changes cure or significantly change RA - no, it won’t. However, if the question is, will my body be better able to cope with RA and improve my general well being - yes, almost certainly.

Eating highly inflammatory foods, regularly and as a large proportion of our diet is only going to contribute to higher levels of inflammation.

If we choose to eat a healthy diet, low in inflammatory foods, and maintain a reasonable level of fitness, doesn’t it stand to reason that our bodies are better able to cope with RA and the medication we have to take.

When we add in supplements that help reduce inflammation, surely that is only going to do good, it certainly won’t do harm.

Personally, I take my meds and live as healthily as I can and I know it won’t cure me, I know my disease is only ever going to progress and my only hope is that meds continue to work, but by doing all I can to help this old body, I know I’m giving myself a better chance of putting off that inevitable progress… and of enjoying a decent quality of life for longer. My RA consultant actually agrees with this, but only if you’re comfortable with and able to do it.

There are many different takes on this subject and it been hotly debated.

Whatever you do, will be right for you…. But, please don’t spend lots of money subscribing to “cures” of any kind.

[Hidden in reply to Brushwork]

Dietary changes significantly changed my ra. I've never used medications and I'm seropositive. I've been using diet and exercise for 5 years. I suffered for the first 6 months, but I could tell that my symptoms were gradually subsiding, so I kept at it. I could tell that the disease was transforming into something manageable. I wish people more people understood how feeding your cells differently really makes a difference. But maybe I'm just lucky

[Runrig01]

I certainly find that sugary foods, or drinking a couple of glasses of wine, exacerbates my symptoms. If you’re considering turmeric check with your pharmacist, it interacts with lots of meds. I found out the hard way. I purchased turmeric from a company that sell pure turmeric, and where in Australia it is only used on prescription. I knew you couldn’t take with warfarin, but the rep advised it was safe with clopidogrel, so I purchased some, which was quite expensive. I found it gave me very good relief and the inflammation subsided quickly. However I was suddenly covered in bruises, and discovered it was the clopidogrel interacting with the turmeric, so I had to stop it. Now I research everything myself and never take anyone else’s word for it.

[oldtimer]

At the beginning many years ago, I tried a proper exclusion diet. Starting with rice I gradually added back in each food every two weeks. As far as I remember it was about two years of meticulous boring nothing except occasional false alarms. I already knew that I had flares after eating meat either from the meat or something in it. But nothing else emerged for all that work FOR ME. And it does seem to be very individual.

Best of luck on your journey of discovery!

[Ryka]

Cheese of all kinds triggers inflammation in me. Too much processed food is bad as well. I see a definite correlation between what I eat and my inflammatory condition. I also take magnesium.

[cyberbarn]

One thing to remember is that correlation is not causation. Sometimes people change something in their diet, and other things in their life change too, but here isn't necessarily a link. For instance, there is an increase in the numbers of people eating pizza that is correlated with the increase in the divorce rate. But there is no causation. Well, there might be in an individual couple where one likes pineapple on their pizza and the other one doesn't!

Another spurious correlation is that autism causes computers. As the number of people diagnosed with autism increases, so to did the number of computers in people's houses!

This doesn't mean that diet isn't important, it just means that it is complicated. We are bombarded with how highly processed foods are making people ill, but people like me that have always cooked from scratch and never eat out can still be ill. There could be other things going on in those people that take supplements that are causing reduced life expectancy; they could be taking supplements because they are ill with some other condition that reduces life expectancy.

[ChillySwimmer]

You've no doubt heard it before, but the traditional Mediterranean diet is said to be anti inflammatory. Plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, extra virgin olive oil, dairy, some fish and seafood. Limited meat and alcohol, and avoiding highly processed foods.

That doesn't mean it will cure you, but I know of several people within a relatively small online community whose autoimmune disease (psoriasis, autoimmune alopecia and yes, RA) symptoms vastly improved as a result of following this diet and other non-faddy health recommendations. Of course it could be just luck, but this diet is scientifically proven to be healthy regardless.

I'm still striving to reduce my own symptoms naturally through this method as I don't want to be injecting myself with drugs for life. Sugar is my weakness though, and kicking the sweet habit is terribly difficult even though I know it's working against me. I've never had a flare though in 18 months of using Benepali, and I largely follow the principles of the Mediterranean diet.

[Hidden]

I manage my rheumatoid and Hashimoto's only through diet and exercise. I don't think you can just do one thing, like eat blueberries, and see a difference. Your entire diet needs to be anti-inflammatory. You have to think of food as feeding your cells. I've been doing this for 5 years now. I am seropositive, and I've never been on meds yet. It works well for me - no pain and my blood work is normal - but as you say, everyone is different.

[Helys]

Yes Turmeric is really helpful to me. I take high quality capsule with black pepper which increases its absorption