is there any food RA sufferers should avoid? someone told me about tomatoes?I heard/read that too. I hope it isn't true for me because I love tomatoes! I have 3 plants loaded with tomatoes that I watch closely every evening to see if they are ripe yet! Nothing's better than maters!
I do notice that too much caffeine can affect my arthritis now, however, making it worse if I have too much.
Hi, Sadly I had to give up tomatoes , bell peppers, and potatoes all the nightshade family. Terrible, but I had the worst flare one summer when I said, "this can't be true'!! and at them. Still don't know if it was those foods or jsut a flare anyway. I'm scared to try eating them. LyndaHmmm...this article says just the opposite...tomatoes reduce inflammation by reducing the TNF- alpha level.
"Tomato Juice-a Natural Anti-Inflammatory
Italian researchers, publishing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have reported that a daily glass of tomato juice (Lyc-o-Mato) can lower one of the primary markers of inflammation-TNF-alpha-by almost 35% in less than one month.
Oxidative stress (the production of excessive amounts of free radicals within cells) and the resulting recruitment of inflammatory compounds such as TNF-alpha have been linked to virtually all chronic degenerative diseases, including atherosclerosis (hardening of the walls of the arteries), cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease. Lyc-o-Mato tomato juice contains a mix of potent antioxidants including 5.7 mg of lycopene, 1 mg beta-carotene, 3.7 mg of phytoene, 2.7 mg of phytofluene, and 1.8 mg of the alpha-tocopherol fraction of vitamin E.
The placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial divided 26 young healthy volunteers into two groups. In three 26-day segments, Group One first was given a placebo juice (same taste and flavor but no active compounds), then nothing, then a daily glass of Lyc-o-Mato. Group 2 got Lyc-o-Mato first, then nothing, then placebo. Study subjects continued to eat their normal, unrestricted diet. TNF-alpha levels decreased by 34% after 26 days' consumption of the tomato drink while no changes in TNF-alpha levels were seen after placebo. "
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid= 44
It was a pretty small study so not terribly convincing.
Alan
I have read the same several times about tomatoes, but i am still in denial. I have to have my tomatoes!!!! I can give up most everything else, but I have to eat my hot sauce and chips, Rotel dip, etc...I love to eat tomatoes with some salt, pepper, and garlic. Yummy!!!!Wouldn't you know it, someone always finds the opposite opinion. I just know what happened to me, and not just one time. Over the years I've tried to eat those lovely summer salads with tomatoes, so bright and red, and I love bell peppers, but I always noticed stiffening in my hands and feet.
Also, I've tried to eat potatoes and had the same experience. Everyone is different , so it might not bother you. I just can't experiment any more. (I do eat a little hot sauce, but now a bowl! Lynda
I avoid using a lot of salt or eating a lot of salty foods. I cant eat tomato's, everytime i did i would get really bad flare ups.Its not all nightshades wih me though as I love physalis fruit and it doesnt affect me.HI, I also stay away from citrus, if I can. I've noticed stiffness after drinking orange juice alot (everyday for a week, say), but an occasional orange is okay. I grew up on a ranch in central california (Porterville) and ate lots of oranges off of our tree, lots of dairy from our cow, fresh tomatoes my dad grew 'with his own hands', lovely bell peppers big as a softball, loads of potatoes brough it by the bag from local farms!! I've had to give up so many great foods. I don't make a big deal out of potato chips or bell peppers in salads at friend's house. But I just don't bring them home. It is worth feeling good. LyndaYeah, Lizzie, same here - I think salt affects me. I don't think it's like a "woah, put me in the hospital" kind of thing. I just seem to feel *different* I suppose? And I have read that salt supposedly effects RA. I don't know that much about it though. NOOOOO not tomatoes. They're one of the best things about summer!I will have experiment to see if it bothers me. I used to drink orange juice every morning and it helped my inflammation but gave me awful heart burn all day so I gave it up. I can't give up my tomatoes!