Sugar and RA | Arthritis Information

Ok...so I confess.. I am a huge sugar addict!! I would rather eat chocolate than eat an actual meal. I crave sugar and chocolate. I have for about 4 years. I have a really bad diet. Is there any connection with a bad diet of sweets and RA? I would vote yes. I think it makes our symtoms worse. I don't know if it can trigger RA, but mine started after being on Paxil for a year which caused me to crave sugar and gain a lot of weight. I stopped the antidipressants and lost the weight automatically, but still have RA of course. I have always loved sweets- I make wholegrain, lower sugar oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate chips to satify my sweet tooth. Also my gastro doctor recommended cinnamon supplements when he wanted me to try cymbalta. I was afraid to try the drug because weight gain makes everything worse including depression, but I am taking cinnamon and I think it helps.

Yes for me as well! I totally think my diet impacts my symptoms. I feel like crap after eating "junk" all day. Whenever we eat at a fastfood joint I just feel icky afterwards. I've also noticed if I try to drink more water and cranberry juice instead of sodas there is a major difference.

My most sugar addiction is mountain dew. Live on the stuff.

Thank gosh I am not a chocolate fan.

I used to be a sugar addict, especially for naturals lolly snakes. but now i crave mostly salty food like chips, pretzels,salted nuts etc.

I went through the sugar thing last week, cinnamom toast...yummy! ALso with all the stress stopped and bought a #1 a few times.

THe scales now read a higher number so I am back to sweet-n-low, salads and tuna.I have learned when I am under tremedous stress I eat more fat and sugary things, hmmmm years ago I would lose 10 or 15 lbs from the stress.........

In any event, I know for a fact with me when I eat the drivethru junk and sugar it is a killer for me and my RA.

jode

I stopped eating sugar 6 months ago and within 2 weeks I felt much better. I had less inflammation and swelling. I experimented by going back on sugar and my joints started to hurt more. My glucose stabilized and I've lost some weight. One can or bottle of soda has between 7-10 tsps. of sugar. That's a lot of glucose to hit your body all at once. I eat a low carb diet and started humira and am now according to my RD in clinical remission. I don't think diet alone will send us into remission but I think that it helps our medications to work better. Lindy

Yes, I agree that their can be a connection with increased pain and swelling with consuming the bad foods...sugar, fast food, choc., etc. I do try to eat healthy for the most part. It seems that when that time of the month comes along I find my chocolate craving can be pretty strong!

My sister has been diagnosed with MS. She practically lives on Diet Coke. I read an article at my gym about a strong connection with
the ingredients in Diet Coke causing MS and how so many people are being diagnosed with that and other auto immune diseases. I can't help but think it has to be caused in part by our diets and all the crap ingredients that are added to what we eat and drink.

Lori

They say diets are connected to every disease out there----diabetes, cancers, asthma, allergies, RA, fibro, ADHD--the list goes on and on and on.
Now this is just my opinion----I LOVE CHOCOLATE and I couldn't give it up totally as well as other food.
I just think you should do everything is moderation--unless of course you are deathly allergic to a certain food.
I myself won't eat alot of tomato products becasue I know they can trigger your RA along with other might shade veggies---but do I say no to pizza once or twice a month?? NO WAY! I just won't eat tomato proucts for a week afterwards. Same with sugar---I am not piggying out everyday on sugary stuff---but I will have some chocolate during "that time of the month"
I don't think you should make yourself suffer---life is too short. Eat what you want---just be careful.
Those people that totally cut out stuff--usually fall off the wagon more and binge. Needlessly I think---treat yourself every couple week--splurge on your weakness!
Thats just my opinion of course!sorry I meant NIGHT shade veggies---just a little typo!

I agree Marcy. Everything in moderation! I just think its sad that they allow foods to be put out there for human consumption that do more harm than good. It just goes to show we really are responsible for our own health!

I really do love those valentine conversation hearts. :D ...so many temptations!

Lori

Oh boy, if sugar is implicated in RA and AI diseases, I'm in big trouble. I'm a total dessert junkie. I always rationalized it by saying, in my family you either become an alcoholic or a sugar junkie and I'm glad I went with the sugar. But I guess I can't use that excuse anymore.

Her nutritionists says it will be 4 months before we see a real difference BUT she has just had her joint injections and is starting on MTX next week so it will be hard to say what is helping! But I agree that there is no point taking all the toxic drugs if we then fill our bodies with junk food. I am also on the diet to help her not feel left out of things and my energy levels have risen and I think I may also have found an extra brain cell or two! If a healthy diet helps a 'normie' function better I figure it must help Becky too.

But I SO miss chocolate......

Dee

Hi Everyone,

I was tested positive for Gluten, Soy, and Casein Intolerance in April of '07. I wasn't diagnosed w/ RA until August of '07, although I had symptoms as early as Feb '06.

Is anyone else on this strict of a diet, and have you found it makes a difference? I have not felt any better. I lost about 30 lbs. But mainly b/c most of my favorite foods were cut out. I drink lots of coke, however.

Take care,

Nori

Nori,

What does your diet include? I am curious as I have heard alot about gluten free diets for help with RA. They sound like they would be very hard to follow. What kinds of food are you allowed to eat and what do you have to cut out?

Lori

I am probably on the most strict diet of anyone, the specific carbohydrate diet. LOL. I am heading for remission because of it, though, and I wouldn't change that for the world. My diet is no grains and no processed foods of any kind. I even need to make my own mayo and ketchup because I react to corn, and corn is in literally everything.

My son has autism and he is on the diet too.

I have no food allergies but I have a ton of food intolerances. The diet I'm on, the specific carbohydrate diet, aims to heal the digestive system, which in turn heals the RA. Your immune system is totally tied into your digestion.

I was diagnosed as moderate to severe. Now I'm off all meds except for Enbrel right now, and that is HUGE for me.

For me, this is not hard to follow. Standard therapies really did not work for me at all. I got worse and worse until I ran my own elimination diet and found out I was severely gluten intolerant.

Now, I eat so healthy people can't believe it. I'm not even tempted by candy and cookies and pizza because they caused me so much pain, I don't even see them as 'food' anymore. I do work full time and also work part time at home, so it's not like I have all the time in the world, but much of my weekend is devoted to preparing food for the coming week.

I would say gluten free is challenging in the beginning until you know all the rules. I was constantly contaminating myself until I learned what was gluten free and what wasn't.

The Paleo diet by Loren Cordain is another good one. I just didn't experience great results until I tried the SCD.

Susan :)

Hi Lori,

My understanding is that Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Oats are also often contaminated, so we stay away from them too. It is amazing what products contain these ingredients! I also tested intolerant to soy and the protein in cow's milk called 'casein'. I can eat sheep, buffalo, and goat milk and cheese.

As far as what I can eat, there's fruits, veggies, olive oil, meat, boars's head does gluten free, chicken, rice, sushi (hold the soy sauce!). There's quite a lot, especially if all you're cutting out is gluten. I do have to be careful about spices, b/c gluten often shows up as a binder. My doctor is a lot more strict about what he considers gluten and doesn't want me eating even celiac approved grains. He feels these are too close 'molecularly' and would keep me sick.

There are a lot of restaurants that are providing gluten free menus (PF Changs, Ted's Montana Grill, etc). Makes life easier. And I believe it will only get better.

I discovered the intolerances thru a stool test done at EnteroLab. My endocrinologist referred me, but you do not need a doctor. It was around 0, and my insurance reimbursed me. Some believe blood tests are better, others believe the stool test is more sensitive.

I was tested b/c of my joint pain. My doctor thought the gluten intolerance was my answer. Every follow up appt I would tell him my joints were worse, and he would say I needed to give the diet time. Finally, I went to a rheumatologist, where I was diagnosed w/ RA. I was told I needed medicine. That the gluten free diet was not going to fix RA.

My understanding is that my body sees gluten, soy, and casein as foreign matters and if I consume them it fires up my immune system. Well, with two auto-immune diseases (RA and Graves) that's the last thing I want. I should benefit from my immune system being as calm as possible. I was told that my thyroid antibodies would reduce as a result of this diet and they were cut in half from April '07 to Sept '07. Believe me, that was significant. Other than that, however, I don't feel better. I did ,however, lose 30 lbs and am at the right weight, which is great.

I hope this helps!

Nori

Susan and Nori - Thanks so much for the information about your diets. I have been doing some researching on eating a "cleaner" diet and I would like to incorporate some of the gluten free diet and the SCD. Do you have any books that you have read on these diets or found where to get good recipes? I pretty much need the diet plan written down for me or I tend to give up! I really want to see if eating better will help with the fatigue I am feeling, and of course my RA.

Lori

I was never a sugar fan until recently when I got RA!

I would have preferred a loaf of bread and butter to a piece of cake any day of the week.

Suddenly I CRAVE sweets, cookies, icecream, candy, chocolate. i can't get enough.

Doesn't seem to be making me feel bad. Also craving all dairy.

I know there is a sugar/ra link. When I first joined this forum there was a posting about this topic. I wondered if it was true so I went totally off sugar. I was totally amazed with the results! My joints didn't hurt as bad and I felt better - not dragging as badly and my mind wasn't as cloudy. Now I am removing sugar from the entire house. The kids won't die without it - nor will the hubby. Do you consume sugar substitutes? I think I could do away with sugar but never the blue or pink stuff.

OMG Lori~I can't stop eating those candy hearts! lol

Sorry; as I popped that in my mouth I read your post. Had to mention it.

Lovie! Those little suckers are hard to put down!! I Love them!! lol

I just bought two bags the other day and almost ate half a bag in one sitting! I felt really guilty afterwards so drank a ton of water hoping it would wash the sugar out of my system...then I hid the rest and I haven't touched them for 3 days. My favorites are the white ones, and then the pink..and then the yellow!

I'm glad to see I'm not the only candy heart addict!