Following a diet for arthritis and arthrosis is an important part of the treatment process. Following the recommendations for proper nutrition, patients can greatly alleviate symptoms. The main goal of the diet is to ensure access of minerals and vitamins to the affected tissues, prevent deterioration and increase the effectiveness of therapy.
Advantages and disadvantages of a diet
Arthritis and arthrosis are among the most common diseases of the musculoskeletal system. These are pathologies that lead to degenerative changes in bone and cartilage. In advanced cases, the disease affects the surrounding tissues, to a greater extent, arthrosis affects the hip and knee joints.
Previously, it was believed that only people after 45 years are affected, but recent statistics show the opposite. Increasingly, among patients suffering from these diseases, there are younger people who are overweight, diabetes mellitus or professions that involve a long stay in a standing position. Therefore, dieting for arthritis and arthrosis of the joints is recommended as a preventive and therapeutic measure. The advantages of proper nutrition are:
- Products included in the diet are available to people of any social status.
- The diet is saturated with all the necessary nutrients for the health of the patient.
- Normalizes cholesterol.
- Stabilizes body weight.
- Eliminates inflammatory processes, prevents the risk of complications.
- Saturates cells and tissues with essential microelements.
- Improves metabolic processes.
However, it is worth noting some of the shortcomings of the diet for arthritis of the fingers or joints:
- With a long diet, it is quite difficult to spend fasting days.
- It is not easy to make a menu, taking into account the necessary daily norm of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in such a way that calorie content is also within the normal range.
Nutrition rules
In order for the diet to give positive results, it is very important to adhere to the rules of nutrition, to observe the individually developed recommendations of the attending physician. The basic rules of any diet when dieting for arthritis and arthrosis of the joints include:
- Eatable foods should be natural and fresh.
- Strictly limit the use of fried foods. Mostly dishes should be steamed, stewed, baked in the oven or on the grill without the use of oil.
- Meals should be frequent, but in small portions. Here it is recommended to use the method of optical illusion - to put food in small dishes.
- Chew food slowly and thoroughly with food. Thus, it is better absorbed, therefore, and a feeling of fullness comes faster.
- It is advisable to follow a diet, eat at the same time, at equal hourly intervals.
- If a feeling of fullness has come, it is better to leave a serving half-eaten.
- After eating, rinse the mouth with water.
- No need to go to bed after a meal, it is better to take a little walk in the fresh air.
- The last meal should not be later than seven in the evening.
- It is necessary to monitor the stool and prevent constipation.
- It is important to maintain water balance in the body and try to eat as little salt as possible.
- Exclude alcohol, carbonated and synthetic drinks from the diet, replacing fruit drinks, compotes, green tea and natural juices.
The daily diet for arthritis and arthrosis should be balanced, enriched with vitamins B and D, Omega-3, trace elements and fiber. Food should be freshly prepared from natural plant products, not semi-finished products.
Vitamins and Minerals
Affected bone and cartilage, as well as joints, must be provided with vitamins and minerals for normal functioning.
The diet for arthritis of the fingers and other joints should primarily include:
- Vitamin C, found in excess in citrus fruits;
- B vitamins contained in animal products, cereals and legumes;
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish of red and marine varieties;
- potassium, which is available in dried fruits;
- calcium, for which it is necessary to consume dairy products daily;
- sulfur, which provides elasticity to cartilage and retains moisture in the body;
- selenium;
- iron, to saturate cells with oxygen.
Required Products
Like any other diet, a healthy diet for arthritis and arthrosis encourages the use of some foods and severely limits others. However, there is a list of required ingredients that must be introduced into the diet for diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
It is always necessary to have such products in the diet for arthritis or arthrosis:
- First of all, you need to drink as much liquid as possible: water, fruit drink, fruit and vegetable juices.
- There are foods high in iron. It is found in abundance in green apples, beef liver, walnuts, seaweed, buckwheat.
- Proteins of plant origin. These are beans, sea fish, hazelnuts, red caviar.
- Jellied fish or meat with the addition of gelatin.
- Seafood, fish oil, and ocean and sea fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, tuna.
Featured Products
To restore and maintain cartilage, it is necessary to ensure the supply of building material, which is protein. It is found in certain foods of plant and animal origin. Complex carbohydrates help maintain an active lifestyle, stock up on strength and energy. Moreover, they tend to break down slowly and are not stored as glycogen. A huge role in metabolism is played by trace elements, minerals and vitamins. They stimulate metabolic reactions at the cellular level. Therefore, all of these nutrients for the body must be equally present in the human diet.
Doctors give recommendations on a diet for arthritis and arthrosis of the joints. The list of products that a person should include in the diet contains the following items:
- Dairy products: hard cheeses, cottage cheese, sour cream, fermented baked milk, kefir, cereals in milk.
- Foods high in potassium: dried apricots, nuts, prunes, bananas.
- Citrus.
- Cereals and bran. Porridge and granola with cereals and bran contribute to the restoration of bone tissue.
- Jelly and jelly made with fructose and gelatin.
- Vegetables, in particular: broccoli, onions, zucchini, garlic, potatoes.
- Fruits: apples, pineapples, pomegranate, apricot, pomelo, oranges.
- Herbs: celery, spinach, green onions.
- Berries: currants, gooseberries, sea buckthorn.
- Freshly squeezed juices. Carrot and beetroot juice effectively remove toxins and toxins, prevent the deposition of salts in the joints.
Prohibited foods that limit
In order to improve well-being and avoid possible complications from the disease, it is necessary to minimize the use of some products, while others should be completely excluded from the diet for arthritis and arthrosis of the joints.
Doctors include the following items in the list of prohibited products:
- spicy, salty, fried, smoked, canned food;
- sweet and yeast pastries;
- black tea, coffee and cocoa;
- confectionery products;
- purchased sauces;
- artificial fats, additives, colorants and flavorings;
- convenience foods and fast food;
- meat and fish products cooked under production conditions;
- alcohol and synthetic drinks;
- whole milk;
- snacks (crackers, chips, popcorn, seeds).
We examined what foods should not be present in the diet for the treatment of arthritis. The list of products to be limited includes:
- fatty meats;
- pork;
- marinades;
- spices;
- table salt (it is recommended to replace with lemon juice or sea salt);
- sugar, honey.
Menu for the week
It should be clarified that the presented diet menu for arthritis and arthrosis is approximate. Some dishes can be removed and replaced with others in accordance with personal taste preferences. In this case, the ingredients should be selected from a list of required and recommended products.
The weekly diet menu for arthritis and arthrosis is presented below.
Monday:
- Buckwheat porridge in water or milk.
- Fruit jelly.
- Low-fat chicken soup with vegetables.
- Kefir or other fermented milk product.
- Baked fish with herbs.
Tuesday:
- Omelet with mushrooms.
- Slice of whole grain bread with cheese.
- Rabbit soup and fresh vegetable salad.
- Green apple.
- Steamed rice and seafood salad.
Wednesday:
- Cottage cheese casserole.
- Banana.
- Vegetable soup and boiled chicken.
- Low fat drinking yogurt.
- Buckwheat porridge with baked vegetables.
Thursday:
- Milk rice porridge.
- Oat cookies.
- Beetroot soup.
- Fermented baked milk or kefir.
- Steamed chicken or fish cakes with vegetables.
Friday:
- Carrot casserole.
- Dried fruits.
- Poultry or rabbit meat broth.
- Cottage cheese
- Baked fish with vegetables.
Saturday:
- Oatmeal in milk with dried fruits.
- An Apple.
- Cabbage soup.
- Kefir.
- Boiled chicken with jacket potatoes.
Sunday:
- Barley porridge.
- Boiled egg.
- Chicken stock and baked or fresh vegetable salad.
- Fruits.
- Steamed meat patties and buckwheat porridge.
After dinner, you should refuse snacks, you are allowed to drink a glass of low-fat yogurt or kefir or eat one apple or an orange. From drinks you can drink water, green tea with lemon, fruit or berry fruit drinks, jelly, stewed fruit.
Dong diet and rice diet
As part of the complex treatment of the musculoskeletal system, the Dong diet, or, as I often call it, Table No. 10, has proven itself well. Its principle is based on the rejection of red meat. Compliance with the Dong diet has a beneficial effect on the general well-being of patients and contributes to weight loss.
This principle of nutrition is designed for a 10-week period. In addition to meat, the following should be excluded from the diet for arthritis and arthrosis:
- chocolate in any product;
- dairy products;
- any spices and preservatives;
- egg yolk;
- vinegar;
- alcohol products;
- tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes, because they contain solanine, which causes exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis.
Poultry is allowed, but in a minimal amount.
Rice diet is primarily recommended for patients whose disease is provoked by being overweight. It effectively and in the shortest possible time helps to get rid of extra pounds.
To begin with, you can try to arrange a fasting day, eat rice three times a day in small portions: in the morning at 9 o’clock, have lunch at 2 and have dinner at 6 in the evening. According to studies, the stomach is most active at this time. After 9 pm it is forbidden to drink even water, at this time the gastrointestinal tract is cleansed.
If the patient experiences an unbearable feeling of hunger, in addition to rice, you can include steamed fish or chicken, fresh vegetables and fruits in the menu.
In order not to harm the body, before using a rice diet for arthritis and arthrosis of the knee joint or other joints of the human skeleton, it is necessary to consult a nutritionist or attending physician. During a meal, each piece must be chewed carefully, and after 20 minutes after a meal, do a small charge. The last meal should be no later than two hours before going to bed.
Diet for exacerbations and remission
With exacerbations of rheumatoid arthritis of the joints, the diet is observed in strict mode. This is necessary to avoid serious complications. At such a time, salty, fatty foods, dairy products are completely excluded from the menu. Only when the condition improves, it is allowed to introduce a little fermented milk products, fish and steamed into the diet. During this period, it is especially important to adhere to the recommendations of the doctor, rest more.
In a state of remission, it is allowed to introduce into the diet for arthritis and arthrosis products that are completely excluded during the period of exacerbation, but only in a limited amount:
- Veal, rabbit meat, poultry.
- Cheese, milk porridges and soups.
- Oatmeal and buckwheat.
- Rye bread is not more than one slice.
- Fresh vegetables and after cooking.
- Fruits and berries.
- Weak coffee and tea with milk without sugar.
- Kissel, compote.
Depending on the patient's well-being, the following dishes are acceptable:
- Borsch with fresh or sauerkraut.
- Liver, kidneys and other meat offal.
- Semolina or rice porridge.
- Fish roe.
- Condensed milk.
- Milk Pudding.
This is not to say that there is a specially designed strict diet for patients with arthritis of the hands or other joints. There are a number of recommendations for the selection of products, the use of which has a beneficial effect on the patient's condition, strengthens bone and cartilage, which is especially important during an exacerbation of pathology.
Some recommendations of specialists that should be followed during exacerbation and remission:
- Dietary nutrition allows you to lose weight, respectively, to remove the load from the legs and joints.
- Include foods high in phosphorus and calcium in your diet.
- Maintain a balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- There is jellied meat, it includes chondroprotectors that contribute to the restoration of cartilage.
- Use a handful of nuts daily.
- Completely refuse fatty foods except fatty fish.
- To consume a sufficient amount of vitamins, in the off-season it can be vitamin-mineral complexes.
- It is better to refuse spices and seasonings, it is allowed to use ginger and turmeric, which have anti-inflammatory effects.
- It is recommended to arrange fasting days, drink more water and eat in small portions five to seven times a day.
Some recipes
Many times, stereotypes were destroyed that any diet for gouty arthritis and other types of pathology implies tasteless and unflavored dishes. Eating right and balanced can be not only good, but also very tasty.
Fresh fruit and vegetable salad:
- 1 carrot;
- half an apple;
- 3-4 pcs. dried prunes;
- a little sour cream for dressing.
Grated peeled carrots, cut the apple into strips. Pour boiling water over the prunes, wait for the water to cool, drain, remove the seeds and cut into pieces. Mix everything and season with sour cream.
Pink salmon:
- 200 g of pink salmon;
- bulb;
- carrot;
- Bell pepper;
- a stalk of celery.
Salmon, carrots and celery are steamed. Finely chopped onions and peppers are fried in a pan in olive oil, grated boiled carrots are added, then the fish are laid out, stewed for 5 minutes over low heat. Before serving, sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs.
Stuffed Zrazy:
- 100 g lean meat;
- egg;
- a piece of bread;
- bulb;
- some milk.
Onion is grated and mixed with minced meat. The bread is soaked in milk, squeezed and added to minced meat. Beat the egg with milk, fry the omelet. Zrazy is made from minced meat and stuffed with an omelet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Proper nutrition improves the overall well-being of the patient, strengthens the immune system, nourishes the body with nutrients, restores damaged tissues, and serves to prevent the development of numerous diseases. Following a diet for arthritis and arthrosis, along with drug treatment, can achieve impressive results, gain motor activity, and eliminate pain.