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A Diet That Helps Soothe Osteoarthritis

Easing arthritis symptoms isn’t just about exercise and pills. The foods you eat could help joints with osteoarthritis feel better, too. Food as medicine. It’s a wonderful concept because it gives us an empowering and fun way — eating — to do something helpful for our bodies, like easing joint pain. And some day, doctors may very well prescribe exercise, medication, and a special diet to help keep people’s arthritic joints healthy.

But right now, the only way diet likely enters your osteoarthritis conversation with your doctor is when you talk about losing weight. Because although there’s no way to cure arthritis through food, if you are overweight, a weight loss diet may be one of the best things you can do for the health of your joints.

Still, quite a bit of promising research has shown that certain foods and nutrients mayhelp ease osteoarthritis symptoms. More study is needed to confirm the results, but since most of the foods studied to date are good for you anyway, incorporating some of them into your diet could be a great way to support your current treatment program. And in the end, you may boost your overall health as well.

So, think about your joints the next time you visit the grocery store. Here are five foods you may want to add to your cart — and two you may want to take out:

5 Foods Your Joints May Love

Strawberries: Why? They are packed with vitamin C. Some studies suggest vitamin C may stymie the progression of osteoarthritis and the accompanying cartilage loss. Other good C sources: oranges, peaches, and red bell peppers.
Olive oil: You know how the Tin Man’s joints loved oil? Well, your joints may love olive oil just as much. Research shows that polyphenols in olive oil may help reduce inflammation in the body — always a good goal if you have arthritis.
Salmon: This fish is loaded with two joint-soothing nutrients: vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. If you are deficient in D (and many adults are), boosting your intake could help with osteoarthritis pain and disability. And omega-3 fatty acids have long been promoted by health experts for their anti-inflammatory qualities.
Green tea: This brew is brimming with antioxidants called catechins, inflammation quieters that could delay cartilage damage in people with arthritis.
Leafy greens: The more plant-based foods you add to your diet, the better it probably is for your joints. A Mediterranean-style diet that emphasizes fruit, nuts, and veggies may help quiet inflammation. (Leafy greens also happen to be rich in vitamin K, a nutrient that seems to play a role in osteoarthritis prevention.)
Give These Foods the Brush Off

And while you’re amping up your intake of fruit, veggies, and omega-3 fatty acids, here are foods you should consider scaling back on:

Corn oil: The fats in corn oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil are predominantly omega-6 fatty acids. And although these fats are not harmful in and of themselves, some research suggests that a big imbalance in your omega-3 and omega-6 intake could trigger inflammation. So use omega-3-rich olive oil whenever you can.
White bread: Grabbing high-fiber whole-wheat bread instead may help your joints in two ways. Early research shows that refined grains may be proinflammatory. On the other hand, high-fiber diets may help quiet inflammation. And high-fiber diets may help with weight control, too.
Treating Arthritis in the Kitchen
Currently, there is no guarantee that changing your diet will help your joints feel better. But most of the foods that seem to make the most sense for joint health happen to be great for your body in other ways as well. So, the decision to eat right should be an easy one.

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7 Natural Ways To Lower Inflammation

Inflammation is a proven killer but there are simple things you can do to reduce it.

Inflammation is more than a buzzword; it’s one of the ways your body protects itself. Inflammation is a general response to some kind of stress that’s being placed on the body. White blood cells and other chemicals are mobilized to an area to combat whatever injury there is.

The problem comes when the immune response continues after the damage is cleared up, or if there is no damage in the first place.

If inflammation goes too far, or goes on for too long, it can contribute to serious health problems, from cancer to heart disease to depression.

So, what can you do about inflammation? Here are seven natural ways to fight back.

Get Up and Move

You know that soreness you feel after a workout? That’s inflammation, but a temporary, non-harmful kind. Studies show that exercising regularly actually reduces the other kind-the bad inflammation in your blood vessels that leads to heart disease and various problems. In fact, a small March 2017 study found that even one moderate 20-minute cardio session helped reduce this bad inflammation.

Researchers think that some of the chemicals released during exercise counteract the effects of the chemicals that increase inflammation. Plus, you secrete hormones and neurotransmitters that can cause you to experience a sense of well-being. If you’re new to exercise or have been out of the game for a while, start with a brisk walk and go from there.

Butt Out!

Add inflammation to the long list of health risks from smoking. Smoking affects every cell in your body. The tobacco burning itself and the byproducts are both hugely inflammatory.

Quitting is hard-the US Surgeon General’s office declared nicotine to be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Still, it’s one of the best things you can do to cut your chances of disease-and reduce inflammation. In fact, one small study of women at risk for heart disease found that signs of inflammation were lower in the weeks after quitting. Setting a quit date can help you put the smokes down for good.

Get Enough Shuteye

Sleep is restorative. It allows your body to rebuild and repair itself. Research suggests that not getting enough sleep can raise inflammatory markers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night.

But be careful-it may not be as simple as the more sleep, the better. A 2016 meta-analysis published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that sleeping for a very long time was also associated with more signs of inflammation.

Cut Your Stress Levels

In the distant past, stress helped our ancestors fight off or flee from hungry predators. It’s still a trigger of thatimportant fight-or-flight response, but times have changed. Now, while there are still plenty of serious things to worry about, some stressors are more like: Did I pay the electric bill on time? Will I be late to work? Can I get the kids to soccer practice?

What you have is this chronic low-grade stress. But the body’s still interpreting it with the fight-or-flight mechanism. Though there’s evidence the stress hormone cortisol helps keep inflammation at bay, when stress levels are chronically high, cells develop a tolerance, cortisol can’t do its job as well-and inflammation goes unchecked. This constant tension can harm your physical and mental health, leading to conditions like heart disease and depression.

Eat Antioxidants

Free radicals are nasty little molecules that harm cells on a subatomic level. If there are too many around and they do enough damage, free radicals can even kill cells, leading to chronic inflammation.

But free radicals have natural predators known as antioxidants, which can stop the cell death process and help prevent inflammation. What’s the best way to get antioxidants? Food! Eating a diet rich in fresh, plant-based products will provide you with enough nutrition and antioxidants to combat those cellular stresses. Antioxidant-rich nibbles include berries, nuts, tea, coffee and high-cocoa chocolate.

Another great source of antioxidants is molecular hydrogen which is our featured product of the week. Check out the multiple benefits of this miraculous supplement.

Avoid Certain Carbs (Especially Added Sugar)

Anybody dealing with or who wants to prevent chronic inflammation should get sugar out of their diets as much as they can. Added sugar and refined grains may trigger the release of chemicals that cause inflammation, and also limit anti-inflammation molecules. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of added sugar a day for men and 25 grams for women. Consider reducing the amount of sugar in your diet.

Pop an Aspirin

Certain powerful prescription drugs can lower inflammation, but plain old aspirin can also do the trick. A healthcare provider might recommend a daily regimen of aspirin for someone between the ages of 45 and 75. Aspirin blocks some of the chemicals, known as prostaglandins, that cause inflammation. However, it has the potential for side effects such as stomach bleeding and allergic reactions, so it’s important to talk to a healthcare provider before taking it regularly.