What you eat can
ease arthritis pain
Longevity is a blessing — unfortunately, our joints seem to complain a lot.
According to the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging, about 70 percent of older adults experience joint pain, and around 60 percent have been diagnosed with arthritis.
There are a number of medications that may alleviate joint pain and help you maintain an active lifestyle, but what and how you eat matters too. Two eating patterns — the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH (Dietary approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet both emphasize whole, unprocessed foods that can reduce inflammation and provide additional health benefits like weight management and decreased risk for many chronic diseases.
According to Mass General Brigham Health, both eating plans encourage a variety of whole foods, including beans and legumes; fruits and vegetables; herbs and spices
Also encouraged:
* Seafood as the primary animal protein
* Small portions of poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt consumed daily or a few times each week
* Healthy fats like nuts, seeds, oily fish, and avocados
* Whole grains
Some foods may worsen inflammation, including: fatty deli or lunch meats; fried foods; ultra-processed foods; meats with high saturated fat content; refined (white or brown) sugar; starchy foods like white bread or white rice
Mass General Brigham dietitian Nancy Oliveira recommends that you pay attention to how different foods make you feel and learn to identify which ones seem to cause joint pain to worsen. Oliveira also urges small changes over radical ones, such as incorporating one new plant-based food per week. Don't neglect sleep or exercise, either — poor sleep and lack of physical activity can both worsen inflammation.
The Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic websites have more information on the DASH diet and Mediterranean diets