Does the food you eat help?

[Misty71]

Hi everyone, I've been reading a book about the alternate day diet and throughout the book they refer to autoimmune diseases and how the diet has been shown to help ppl with athritis and other inflamitary conditions. You are expected to eat normal one day and on the next only eat only 20% of your normal dailly intake of calories. Most of the research has been done on animals but from what i'm reading I am thinking of giving it a go. The findings have shown marked reduction in blood readings and reports much less pain to the point of almost feeling normal (whatever normal is). I was just wondering has anyone tried this way of eating and what if any results you have noticed.

Thanks to all and hope you're having a good day.

[Hidden]

Hi Misty I have been following a diet recommended by a herbalist over the past 4/5 months. Most of the time i stick to it, now and then i give up. I reduce acidic foods and increase akeline foods e.g. of acidic foods include caffeine, diary, breads, alcohol etc and the other includes vegetables some fruits some fish etc - very similar to what we read in good eating plans everywhere. I am experiencing a flare up at present and for the past 10 days i have been sticking to the good food and no caffeine or alcohol. This has happened before so I have come to the conclusion that whilst some foodstuffs exacerbate a flare up, they don't actually cause it.

On another note my boss is doing the alternate day diet and is really enjoying it and feels as though it is working.

[SarahKate-NRAS]

Hi Misty71

When it comes to diet and RA, there is no specific evidence that particular foods will affect the disease, whether it be in a negative or a positive manner. However, some people do find that certain foods seem to aggravate their RA symptoms, but which foods do this will vary from person to person. If you feel that any particular foods seem to be aggravating your symptoms it may be worth cutting them out of your diet, and monitoring any changes this makes. This can be done by writing a food and symptom diary, which monitors what you eat and how your condition is.

The usual advice from rheumatologists is therefore to follow a healthy, balanced diet, following the DoH guidelines of eating 5 portions of fruit and veg each day, keeping a healthy weight level (as excess weight can put additional strain on the joints) and exercising to help maintain mobility. Recent studies have also suggested that a Mediterranean-style diet (including olive oil) may be beneficial, and there is some evidence to suggest that Omega 3 fatty acids can have a positive effect on the joints (specifically, fish body oil).

We have an article on diet and RA which you may find interesting, and there is also quite a lot of useful information on the Arthritis Research UK website. I have included links to both below.

NRAS Diet and RA:

nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

ARUK Diet and arthritis:

arthritisresearchuk.org/art...

I hope this is helpful.

Kind regards

Sarah Kate

NRAS