To combat osteoarthritis symptoms with proper nutrition

The Greek physician Hippocrates - the founder of Western me
dicine - suggested 400 years before Christ, that nutrition has significant effects on our health. That goes also for the health of the joints. Some foods seem to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis, and other products again just seems to aggravate the inflammation in the joints. What you should do and what you should eat less if you suffer from joint? In this article we will elaborate on that.

This is healthy eating

You suffer from wear or inflammation in the joints? Then the same rule applies to you and everyone else. And that in any case remain healthy or healthier to eat. That is not such a complicated job. Eat two our fresh vegetables and two servings of fruit. Add to that two times a week a meal with fatty sea fish on the table. Eat varied, at regular times and especially not too much. The fact is that all the excess kilos are an additional burden on the joints. So a healthy weight is just as important as healthy eating. In addition, drink enough during the day (mineral) water, tea and fresh juices. If you follow these basic guidelines seriously, you're already well on the way.

Omega-3 is good

To joint pain, it is important to eat plenty of foods with omega-3 fatty acids. This fact possess anti-inflammatory properties. Oily fish such as salmon, highlight reel, herring and tuna are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. But shellfish are a good source of these very healthy fatty acids. It comes to lobster, crab, shrimp, prawns and especially Groenlipmossel. The latter crustacean contains the famous Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, a number of rare omega-3 fatty acids with a powerful anti-inflammatory action. In addition, shellfish contain a number of nutrients for joints such as glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid. The disadvantage of shellfish is that they sometimes can contain toxic substances. Eating a lot of extra fresh vegetables there may reverse the adverse effects thereof.
To increase the intake of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, you can eat more spinach and purslane. Meat also contains beneficial fatty acids for the joints. However, it is so, the more the animals will have been able to move freely, the more Omega-3 fatty acids is stored in the meat. So choose especially for organic meat or scharrelvee.

More nutritional support against osteoarthritis

It is known that some foods have a mild anti-inflammatory or protective effect on the joints. It is therefore wise to put on the menu regularly these products. These vegetables and fruits can help with joint problems: raw garlic, onions, squash, beets, broccoli, fresh legumes, cabbage, avocado and black berries (fruit and nuts). Fresh ginger in China for centuries been a well-known folk remedy for joint pain. It contains active ingredients that reduces the pain and improves the motility. If you regularly cook with turmeric, then add some extras to hesitate. The yellow dye curcumin in this spice has strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Limit omega-6 fatty acids

Sunflower oil, margarine, nuts, seeds, soy products and grains contain lots of omega-6 fatty acids. These are among other things necessary for the maintenance of the brains and nervous system and proper functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Because this fatty acid is removed from our foods than omega-3, we get very easily too much inside. And that's bad news for the joints. The base of Omega-6 is linoleic acid. This is made in the body, inter alia, converted to arachidonic acid. Is formed too much of this acid, then inflammatory processes are encouraged. At the same arachidonic acid blocks the absorption and anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids. Try to eat fewer foods that are high in omega-6 and culinary use more olive oil, coconut oil or butter. In addition, restrictive eating red meat because they contain relatively much arachidonic acid.
Special case in gout: avoidance of high uric acid levels in the blood
In specific cases, such as in the joint disease gout, should be attentive to the uric acid level in the blood is too high. Because that then gives more chance of problems in the joints. In that case it is better to completely avoid certain foods.
These are for instance: asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, cod, salmon, crustaceans, ground meat, organ meats (such as chicken liver) and alcohol. For a more detailed dietary advice for gout, we refer you to the article about gout.