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What Foods Relieve Arthritis Pain – Vegan Friendly!
Arthritis is a disease that more than millions are suffering from each year. Although incurable, a healthy and active lifestyle will surely help manage the arthritis progression and effects. Knowing what foods relieve arthritis pain proves quite helpful for everyday life.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a disease that affects your joints (the part of the body where two or more bones meet to allow movement). It usually involves inflammation or breakdown of your joints. Arthritis symptoms can be minor to severe, and they can worsen with time.
Common Symptoms of Arthritis:
- Stiffness and swelling – joint stiffness and swelling are some of the symptoms of arthritis.
- Pain – the early symptoms of arthritis usually arise in joint pain. It may appear at the joints in your knees or the small joints of your hand and feet.
- Redness – another sign of arthritis is the redness of the skin where the joints are hurting. In cases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, rashes may even occur.
- Decreased range of motion – usually occurs in the knee joints, making it harder to move. Exercising for at least thirty minutes a day will help.
Tips to Help Relieve Arthritis Pain:
Regularly Exercise
Research has shown that people who exercise have a higher chance of lowering joint pain caused by arthritis. The recommended exercise for arthritis patients includes low-impact exercises like yoga, walking, biking, and swimming. It is important to remember that low-impact exercises are the way to go to avoid injury. Even a simple ten-minute stretching exercise in the morning will work wonders! Always remember, doing something is better than nothing.
Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
By maintaining healthy body weight, you are relieving pressure from your joints, which helps reduce the pain of arthritis. With regular exercise, you can lessen your weight to maintain a healthier and stronger body.
Eating a Healthy and Balanced Diet
Even with regular exercise, you will not see much results if you are not eating a healthy and balanced diet. As the saying goes, a healthy body is built in the kitchen. Your body works better when you take in the necessary food to keep your body in tip-top shape. Studies show that there are foods to help with arthritis pain (which we will be discussing in depth below) due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Including foods rich in various antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins will surely help in lessening arthritis pain.
Use of Hot or Cold Temperature
Using a hot compress or taking a hot shower will help in providing temporary relief for your aching joints. Remember not to burn yourself and use a temperature that will make you feel comfortable. While using ice packs or even ice wrapped in a towel will help relieve pain and inflammation.
Consult your Doctor
If you are experiencing severe joint pain whenever your arthritis flares up, consulting your doctor or a licensed professional should be your next step. Due to many conflicting claims available online, consulting a professional will make it easier to get the necessary advice you need.
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Vegan Foods to Help with Arthritis Pain:
Knowing what foods relieve arthritis pain may seem hard to do because of the belief that you need to eat fish to get those anti-inflammatory properties. Contrary to popular belief, there are a lot of vegan-friendly foods to help with arthritis pain. Listed below are some of my top recommendations that will help with delicious and healthy arthritis.
Avocado
Avocados are abundant in monounsaturated fat (a healthy type of fat), which contains anti-inflammatory that gives the fruit its rich, creamy texture. This delicious fruit also contains Vitamin E, which has proven to be efficient in stimulating cartilage cell development. According to the Arthritis Foundation, eating fruits rich in antioxidants like avocado help decrease the risk of joint damage in people with early signs of osteoarthritis.
Beans
Beans are fiber-enriched and contain phytonutrients (antioxidants produced by plants that have anti-inflammatory properties.) It is also an excellent vegan option for a substitute source of protein. Some of the beans that I would recommend are lentils, soybeans, pinto beans, and chickpeas. But any type of bean will work wonders when added to your diet.
Berries
Berries are rich in antioxidants, which help our body to keep free radicals in control. According to PubMed Central, when there are excessive free radicals present in our body, it can cause damage to our protein, membranes, and genes. That is why it is essential to include these juicy fruits in our diet.
The Arthritis Foundation stated that berries like blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, blackberries, and boysenberries give our body arthritis-fighting power.
Most sources recommend eating berries fresh. However, you still get the needed health benefits if you eat them frozen or dehydrated. Just remember to add these little fruits packed with goodness to your weekly diet. In fact, enjoy a few each day for the best benefit. Another health benefit of eating berries is that they also include anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are compounds that help reduce inflammation.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a green vegetable that resembles a small tree. This super vegetable contains a compound called sulforaphane found in vegetables like broccoli. This compound neutralizes toxins, and it also calms down inflammation in your body. Broccoli is also rich in vitamins K and C. In a one-cup serving size of broccoli, research has shown that it contains an estimated amount of 60mg. Calcium is an effective nutrient in reducing joint inflammation and pain.
Citrus
Citrus fruits are one of the most significant sources of fruit crops in the world. If you are looking for foods to help with arthritis pain that is also easily accessible, citrus fruits are the way to go. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruits, tangerines, and pomelos, to name a few, contain a lot of vitamin C. This vitamin helps the development and repair of our body tissues. It has wound-healing qualities and helps to keep your cartilage, teeth, and bones healthy.
Garlic & Onion
Garlic and onion, one of the most common vegetables included to add flavor to many of our dishes, also help lessen the pain arthritis brings. Diallyl disulfide is found in foods from the allium family, such as garlic and onions. It has a protective effect against cartilage-damaging enzymes.
Ginger
Ginger, more commonly known as ginger root or ginger, is a flowering plant. The rhizome (stem that grows underground) is widely used as a spice and an herb that boosts our immune systems in ancient cultures. Shogaols are compounds present in ginger that contains potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which protect our body against chronic diseases.
I love ginger in many foods. However, adding ginger to your diet has never been this easy. One way is to grate fresh ginger into your salad. Another would be by making ginger tea.
How to make ginger tea:
- Peel the ginger and slice it into long, thin pieces.
- Prepare water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add the sliced pieces of ginger.
- Cover the pan and let the water boil for at least 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let it steep for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the pieces of ginger and add lemon or honey to taste.
Green Leafy Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables like kale, bok choy, and brussels sprouts contain vitamins C, A, and K.
These vitamins help protect our cells from damage caused by excessive free radicals.
As mentioned before, an influx of free radicals in our body leads to cell damage. It has been linked with the development of rheumatoid arthritis and in the inflammation that attacks joints. Another benefit of eating green leafy vegetables is because of the calcium it contains. Calcium helps preserve our bones to make them strong and healthy.
Other green leafy vegetables (kale, bok choy, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower) have another benefit called sulforaphane. Studies have shown that sulforaphane slows down cartilage destruction in joints which are the leading causes of osteoarthritis.
An excellent way to prepare these vegetables is by steaming them for one to three minutes. It preserves all the nutrients best.
Matcha Green Tea
Matcha green tea contains antioxidants that may reduce inflammation. Research has shown that this is due to the polyphenols present in green tea. Polyphenols are micronutrients that naturally occur in plants. Matcha Green Tea is also high in the oxidant catechin or epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Studies have shown that EGCG helps in cartilage preservation and also anti-inflammatory properties. Drinking green tea will surely help with fighting off the joint pains brought by arthritis.
Nuts
All nuts contain high amounts of fiber, Vitamin E, calcium, and Omega-3 fats. These are essential foods to help with arthritis pain. Unlike red meat, which is usually the source of Omega-3, nuts are low in saturated fats and contain no cholesterol.
Eat as a quick snack, add it to your oats in the morning, or even add it to your favorite yogurt. Nuts are so versatile that they can be included in almost any meal of the day.
Olive Oil
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is one of the healthier oil options out in the market. Olive oil has many benefits, one of which is that it contains a substantial number of antioxidants. Another would be its potent anti-inflammatory properties. A study made by Lisa Parkinson and Russell Keast on Oleocanthal shows that this compound has anti-inflammatory characteristics similar to Ibuprofen. By simply replacing your cooking oil with olive oil, you can reduce the joint pain associated with arthritis. Remember, small changes, when made constantly, can make a big difference.
Turmeric
Turmeric is also known as “Indian Saffron.” This yellow spice is popularly used with the Indian dish curry. Although we love the bright coloring, turmeric isn’t just for making curry turn yellow. It also contains a lot of nutrients, one of which is curcumin.
Curcumin is an ingredient found in turmeric. It is an antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory effects. However, the content of curcumin in turmeric is not that significant. But, when turmeric is included in the other foods that will help with arthritis, it will make a big difference.
Whole Grains
Whole grains are grains of any cereal or pseudo-grain which have all three parts intact. When you have a healthy amount of fiber in your diet, your body can easily digest food. Thus, making whole grains a fantastic way to get the necessary fiber in our body to maintain a healthy weight. Research has shown that fiber-enriched foods can also help lower the levels of inflammation.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, this article has given you clear advice on what foods relieve arthritis pain and the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle includes regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating healthy foods to help with arthritis pain. It is also essential to note the early warning symptoms of arthritis to consult a professional at the earliest stage possible.
Let us all remember that our bodies are a precious gift to us, and we need to take care of them in the best way we can live longer and healthier lives.
