Foods
what specific foods are good for RA? I expierence severe swelling and pain, anything to take down swelling
Hi Allthatjaz24 -
Thanks so much for your post. While you may get more feedback on personal experience from the community, I thought this article would be helpful: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/nutrition/top-best-and-worst-foods-for-someone-with-ra/. Additionally, you might be interested in this page on nutrition: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/diet-and-nutrition/.
I truly hope this helps! Please feel free to keep us posted on how you're doing.
Best,
Jenn (Community Manager, RheumatoidArthritis.net)
Hi Allthatjaz24, patient experiences and research on the impact of food on RA is a mixed bag. Some find that watching out for certain inflammatory inducing foods exacerbates symptoms. Others, including myself, haven't found that any diet makes much difference. Give things a try and see what it does for you.
Was diagnosed with RA earlier this year. I am a male 43 yrs old. Did not want to take Methotrexate. Went on strict starch based vegan diet for 30 days based on the advise of Dr John Mcdougall MD. (Look him up on the internet, very interesting and informative) Did blood tests before and after. Saw my rhumatoid factor go from 144 to 21!!! (less than 30 normal,) and c reactive protein went from 7.24 to 0.28!!! (under 0.5 normal) Just though I would share these AMAZING results I got from diet change alone, with out meds. (all documented from blood tests made by the hospital.) Almost all inflamation and pain from my knees feet and other joints gone.
This has been my experience as well. Strict vegan diet without oils brings best results. I did not want to go on MTX also and within a month and a half I got my ESR and CRP into the normal range. Pain was gone too. Swelling took a bit longer to disappear, but it's gone and now I am vegan for good 😀
Hi Jesse & Enya -
I'm glad to hear that you have found a diet that has a positive impact on your symptoms! That's great and I hope you continue to get benefits from the diet of your choice.
However, I do think it is important to keep in mind that there is no scientific evidence that any particular diet will improve RA symptoms - so while experimenting with diet can be very useful for some people, what worked for you might not work for others. It's also important to remember that disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like methotrexate do more than just treat daily symptoms - they also modify the overall course of the disease and prevent long-term permanent joint damage.
Each of us has a unique experience with RA - so we all need to choose the treatment options that work best for us. But, regardless of which options we choose, it's important to make sure we all remain in the care of a qualified rheumatologist who can help guide our decisions over the long term.
Best,
~Mariah~ (Site Moderator)
