Arthritis Food Myths

Yesterday, a friend asked me about what foods I missed, since I started the anti-inflammatory diet. Thankfully, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I do love pasta. I love Italian food in general. I've had a mad craving for pizza ever since I started this crazy diet! “That must suck,” said my friend, because a lot of what is good about Italian food is tomatoes and those are an anti-inflammatory no-no. Or are they?

The common belief is that tomatoes and other nightshades are bad for people suffering from arthritis. According to this belief, I should also be avoiding green and red peppers. Or should I?

People believe nightshades are bad for arthritis because they contain solanine. No research has ever confirmed solanine’s dangerous role in arthritis and inflammation. Although a 2011 study suggested the opposite was true in men. Moreover, many nightshades contain essential nutrients. A single tomato contains 20% of your recommend daily dosage of vitamin A and 28% of your daily dosage of vitamin C. Unless you have some other problem with tomatoes, eat them up!

While I found a lot of supportive information for the anti-inflammatory diet through the Arthritis Foundation (AF), the AF also provides a warning against certain myths about using food as medicine. They debunked the tomato myth for me and warned me about other myths.

I didn’t even know that a dozen gin-soaked raisins per day is supposed to provide pain relief, and a moment after I read that, I didn’t care. According to the AF, no scientific study has ever supported that claim.

People may have been doing this for centuries,
but it still doesn't work.

People are even drinking apple cider vinegar to ease pain because it contains beta-carotene, but the amount of beta-carotene in apple cider vinegar is nothing compared to the amount of beta-carotene in a carrot. Eat a carrot!

We’ve known since the 1980s that dairy can slow the progression of osteoarthritis, but people suffering from arthritis pain are still warned away from it. If you don’t have a problem with the dairy industry (blood and puss), choose lower-fat dairy products. I haven’t been avoiding dairy all together, but I have been replacing some of it with almond milk and soy cream (for my coffee).

The raw food diet, famously touted by Woody Harrelson (I love him), might make digestion more difficult and has been found to cause nausea and diarrhea, while offering little more than a placebo to those suffering from chronic-inflammation related problems. The AF recommends switching to a raw food diet slowly, if you are determined to make the change.

Some people think that coffee causes gout. This is silliness. Research has shown it actually lowers the risk and has many other health benefits. Drink up!

Also, people with chronic inflammation are often encouraged to avoid citrus fruits for no good reason. Citrus fruits are an excellent source of vitamin C, which can reduce arthritis pain.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.