ARTHRITIS;
RHEUMATOID- AND OSTEO-ARTHRITIS,
and: multiple sclerosis, lupus
These diseases are made more difficult because their causes are often multiple: a malfunctioning immune system; allergic reaction; and a deficiency in the diet of essential nutrients. Getting the diet right will stack the cards in favor of resolving the condition.
Arthritis has been linked to a deficiency of antioxidants. Yes, plant foods again! Many studies show that arthritis sufferers have a history of low consumption of fruit and vegetables, and that they have abnormally low blood levels of anti-oxidants like vitamins C and E and beta-carotene. There are certainly many other compounds in fruit and vegetables that are essential too. The first priority of an arthritis sufferer is to boost dramatically his intake of plant food.
The second culprit is the over-production of inflammatory chemicals induced particularly by ‘omega 6’ oils. These oils are complete novelties to the human diet, having only become common since WWII. In the body, omega 6 oils are transformed into all kinds of chemical messengers. Some of these are histamines and leukotrienes. These are substances that instruct cells to inflame, swell and secrete mucus. So the second big priority is to cut out omega 6 oils.
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HELPFUL FOODS - definitely favor |
| Omega 3 oils (moderation): canola oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil. |
| Fatty Fish: salmon, tuna, sardine, mackerel,… |
| High Fruit, High Vegetable diet - all unrestricted foods (see manual) |
A third culprit is saturated fat in all its forms: animal origin, plant origin and man-made (margarines, trans-fatty acids and hydrogenated fats). Saturated fats block and interrupt the work of helpful chemical messengers. Essential to follow Natural Eating principles in this matter and ruthlessly cut out saturated fats.
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NHELPFUL FOODS - cut out! |
| Corn: sweetcorn, popcorn, hominy |
| Wheat: (bread, cornflakes, breakfast cereals generally, cakes, cookies…) |
| Milk: all kinds including buttermilk, skimmed, sour cream, yoghurt… |
| Omega 6 Vegetable oils: Corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, evening primrose and all other oils except those favourable ones mentioned above. |
| Bad Fats: lard, dripping, shortening, butter, margarine, trans-fatty acids, hydrogenated fat, palm oil, coconut oil |
| Red Meat: Beef (including veal), and beef products; lamb; pork and pork products (bacon, ham sausage, etc…); cold meats: salami, bologna, etc… |
The counterpart to that is to consume some ‘omega 3’ oils. These are transformed in the body into chemical messengers that do the opposite to ‘omega 6’. They instruct cells to stop inflaming, stop secreting mucus and stop swelling. So it is a high priority to consume (modestly) ‘omega 3’ oils - provided it is accompanied by a ruthless reduction in the Bad Fats.
Oily fish contain similar chemicals to omega 3 oils and are good too.
Finally, arthritis is often triggered by an allergic reaction. Some of the commonest allergens are foods that humans were never designed to eat: wheat, corn and dairy products.
Multiple sclerosis and lupus: These are diseases that remain largely a mystery to medical science. Nevertheless there are some straws in the wind. A dysfunctional fatty acid metabolism has something to do with it. Follow these guidelines to give yourself the best chance to control these conditions.
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SUSPECT FOODS These are common arthritis allergens - try avoiding |
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Cheese |
| Other Cereals: oats, rice, barley, rye |
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Eggs |
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Coffee |
| Citrus fruits: orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime |
| Tomato and other "nightshades" (potato, bell peppers) |
| Nuts: all, particularly peanut |
