hi as I’ve said before on my posts I am quite new to RA. Learning re foods etc
Last nite I added beetroot to my cold chicken dinner. And today I’m in agony. So obviously it dosnt agree with my RA. May be because it was jar beetroot in vinegar. So the vinegar must be the culprit. I just love beetroot have eaten it for years. So today have bought a bunch fresh beetroot to cook myself to see how I get on
My feet and hands are really playing up. It will take the day now for me to get back to normal
Had so much I wanted to do today but now can’t as hands so stiff and I’m limping with my feet
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this
It’s all a learning curve for me
Hope to hear from you
Lynda
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Happy2shop
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Really. Please don’t go on a wild goose chase and leave it a few days then try again as these things can just happen , it’s nothing to do with food. If foods was the answer the NHS would not use expensive medications just get GPs to dole out diet sheets. Obviously if you keep a record and can make a connection in time then it may prove useful to you but beetroot is a root vegetable so would carrots, potatoes do the same. And vinegar is sometimes touted as an anti inflammatory. So be patient and try not to solve why something happens when at this early stage you’re probably going to go mad if you look at everything which might just be a one off. Keep a note and just continue as normal and then look back over a couple of months to get a good idea if there is a connection. I’ve read so much about gluten being a cause but I’ve been Celiac for many years and it’s never affected the RA. So be open minded and inquisitive but not without scepticism.
I agree. I was eating (just for general health and had been for years) what is touted to be the perfect diet for RA when I first became ill. It came on very suddenly and very aggressively. This makes me take RA 'diets' with a pinch of salt.
Hi. So you don’t think it was vinegar. I just love vinegar and pickles plus beetroot. But once you have the stiff feeling it makes you very aware of what to eat. I just hate all this as I’m a person that used to eat virtually anything
You say you are Medway lady. Where abouts are you. I’m originally from Gillingham many moons ago. But now live in whitstable. Been here well over 20 years. Had moved to Devon when Chatham dockyard closed. Was there 10 years but then my ex husband wasn’t happy. Came back for him really as I loved it. Wasn’t back that long and got divorced.
I eat anything with vinegar in it or on it! Love beetroot, pickles and it’s never done anything to me. I’m just saying don’t be in a rush with RA patience is needed. It all takes time but why deprive yourself of something you like when it’s merely one of those things that happened that day. I know Gillingham well my brother lives in the posh bit of First Avenue and I live out in the sticks on the Hoo Peninsula. It’s a shame the great chip shop on the High Street in Whitstable with the cafe at the back has closed. But we go to Herne Bay every now and then it’s easy to park. I remember the Dockyards closing as was at the Civic Offices at Riverside. Chatham is a dive but Hempstead Valley is good and of course Blue Water. We’ve eaten in the restaurant on the sea front several times in Whitstable but it’s sometimes so hard to park much like everywhere in the SE now. And all those houses going up you can see from the A2 we years ago nearly bought a bungalow backing onto a field there. I like the art shops in Whitstable and got a couple of paintings from the one that also does frames. Small world . Xx
My friend lives in hoo on a house boat. How funny as you say it’s a small world. Yes the fish shop in harbour street was lovely. We always wondered why the chips tasty so good so asked one day what they cooked them in. It was lard. Not oil like most shops. Whitstable is hard to park unless you use gorrel tank but at a w end need to be there early. We use Canterbury more but go by bus as we are on main bus route into town. If you want to try a new cafe in whitstable then find meadow grange nursery. They have recently opened and built a new cafe all food is freshly cooked and it’s fresh not frozen. Can recommend it. X
Hi Lynda, I'm fairly new to RA too and just experiencing my first flare up. It's an automatic reaction to look for what has caused it, the lovely people on here have years of experience (unfortunately) and have some really good advice. So as medway-lady says, don't jump to thinking it's something you've eaten/done, just rest up if you can.Lil x
I don’t think you can say after eating something once that was the cause of a flare up, it’s most likely coincidence. Many people like me find that food makes no difference what so ever. If you really think food is making a difference you need to keep a food and symptoms diary and then look to see if there are any patterns.
Pretty much agree with the others you have to keep a diary for a couple of months noting food physical activity emotional stress and infections because pain and stiffness could be due to many variables or something we dontbknow about! The only foods that may affect the inflammation are pro-inflammatory foods, mostly processed food saturated fats etc which is why vegetarian and Mediterranean diet may be positive and help RA Personally I havent found links with food. You could try an elimination diet if you want to pursue the food path but it takes time and you need determination to do it !
That reminds me of when I was younger and living at home with my parents. My mum used to pickle a lot of beetroot, she would cook them first in the pressure cooker. One day the pressure release valve broke and the pressure cooker lid exploded off. The entire kitchen was redecorated with beetroot. You’ve never seen such a mess. It was even dripping from the ceiling.
You have made my morning, my mum made ginger beer and one night all of us in bed it sounded like the farm was under fire. Explosions downstairs like fireworks, breaking glass and her latest concoction had exploded. A recipe never repeated lol xx
It is not impossible, but I would imagine vinegar and beetroot are unlikely to cause flares. It can be very hard to identify triggers, especially when your RA is uncontrolled. Having said that I 100% get a flare if I eat octopus, and some other shellfish. It is likely to be a reaction to the heavy metals I think. I immediately get severe stiffness in my elbows which appears overnight and goes on for several weeks. I avoid it at all costs now.
note my diagnosis of Adult Onset Stills Disease which for me manifests as rheumatoid disease, I have other autoimmune conditions too. Unlike other posters I can say with certainty that for me acidic foods and foods with tannins increase my joint pain. Whether it’s RA pain or food related I can’t say but if I eat grapefruit for example then the next day pain arrives. It’s not infallible of course but after 45 years of Stills I sometimes eat things I know will affect my pain levels because we have to carry on and not let it beat us.
I agree with some of the earlier response. My diet is generally what would be classed as RA friendly. I haven't eaten meat for nearly 40 years, don't do bread or generally high carb meals, cut out caffeine 20 plus years ago, drink only very small amounts of beer (the only alcohol I drink) and eat very little dairy. Don't do sugary drinks etc. Dont do processed foods.I have food allergies due to heart medication so my diet is both healthy and quite plain. Only had RA the last 18 months or so. So I think if diet was the key, then I would not be suffering the way I am with RA which has basically left me disabled. Previously I ran, swam, went to gym, did pilates, yoga, tai chi. I can't even do those gentle exercises now because I can't get up and down off floor and have no balance or stability. Its been life changing.
Agree with everyone, you can’t assume that after 1 single experience. If you do want to consider diet causing flares, then keep a food diary, and do an elimination diet. Even on the right meds, flares will happen, often related to just overdoing it, the previous day.
Hi pickles often have sugar added and sugar can be a trigger for some people. I had the same reaction to pickled onions (raw orcooked onions are fine for me). The ingredients labels have become a must read for me to avoid added sugar (and other synthetic ingredients). It can be surprising what's actually in a product - I wanted some peppermint oil capsules to ease digestion and the main ingredient was sunflower oil so I put them back on the shelf!
Try Sainsbury's So Organic Beetroot, already cooked and natural and keep in fridge when opened. I use within 2 days. I have to say I do rinse each beetroot before eating I slice it. It is nice. Or there are many Beetroot juices in the supermarkets. You could try the most natural. Good luck
Take note of what medway-lady says in her post. It’s common sense! Most of the dietary suggestions are truly nonsense - all part of the “wellness industry” that is the plague of modern life. It leads to unnecessary anxiety at a time when you need a calm approach to this disease. If dietary changes could make such a difference why are we taking the prescribed medications? As medway-lady points out, we would only need a shopping list.
You can easily persuade yourself that certain foods should be avoided and others encouraged. Rheumatoid disease is a systemic autoimmune disease. Our immune system is always on the alert and ready to attack - food will not placate it. Unfortunately!
I have had RA since the 1980's and eating excessive Tomatoes and Sweet Pepper has always affected me. By excessive I mean two or three days on the trot
I’m thinking of you and wishing you luck in getting on top of everything. As everyone else has already mentioned don’t get too stuck on specific foods causing an attack. I’ve had RA for nearly 6 years and not found any food items that particularly helped or caused a Flare. Just go on your journey and possibly take notes of any foods that might be a problem and see if this happens consistently over time. Good luck
Oh what a shame, I love beetroot in either format and have no issues. I haven't noticed any particular food that affects me either way, perhaps I should make a food diaryJo
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Hi people I’m newly diagnosed with RA and Struggling with how fast it’s effecting me!
Pain all over body 
Awful pain in right shoulder and arm
Hi all new to this site! but not new to RA :(
Did you have trouble being diagnosed?
