I read so much about so many foods that are supposed to be bad for anyone with RA - potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, mushrooms blah blah , you could cut out everything really and just starve!!!! - I just wondered if anyone had ever cut anything out of their diet and it helped them?? anna_uk london diet can play a moderate to massive part in the control of RA symptoms but different foods affect different people so there is really no point in guessing or going along with 'the common offenders'. The most effective thing to do by far, is an elimination diet. Check out the book diet and arthritis by gale darlington a rheumatologist in the UK and also I think you are in the UK yeah? then Dr John Mansfield who runs the Burghwood Clinic in Sutton in Surrey - I have had good results. An elimination diet is basically when you restrict your diet for a week or so to say maybe four or five foods that are very unlikely to cause sensitivities such as cod, turnip parsnip pears, for example. If food is a causative factor for you, you should notice an improvement within a few days, then what you do is add a new food every 24 to 36 hours and monitor your reaction to that food. Obviously this is simplified but it is worth doing properly. There is no point saying, Oh I gave up bread and it didn't work, or I stopped drinking milk and my joints are still sore. Read up on it - I can't eat dairy, I tested a year after I cut it out, I was addicted to cheese my whole life really bad, and I'm allergic to it, you often crave the food you are allergic or sensitive too, I am a ball of pain if I go near it. I take no meds at all at the moment and I have been through hell with the diet thing trying to get the info, I've sat in front of the pc for months reading and reading every book I could get my hands on, go for it, it's your life and your health and it's worth a proper shot. Good luck. Flint, thanks for this reply, so informative, I can definitely get the book but I probably wont be able to get to Surrey as I am not mobile and dep;end on other people driving me around. but the book's a definite. anna_uk london Hi Anna, I am in the UK too, I am in Kent. I have tried to eliminate certain foods and the only thing that I found makes a difference is Tomato's and oranges. I stay away from them . It may be different for you as a friend of mine eats tomatos and they dont affect her arthritis.
Hi Anna,
I have had JRA for around 2 years now, I'm 18. I cut out dairy products and most wheat and gluten products and it makes me feel better. I think that you have to find out what your body does and doesn't like for your own personal arthritis... There are lots of different foods that are said to be irritating to people who have arthritis but I think its just a question of what your body can handle.
Kadi