In maintaining healthy joints it is important to consume the type of foods that will promote healthy joints. Unfortunately for us, our busy lifestyles do not afford us the time to eat properly so instead we just grab some fast food which in most cases does not contain the vitamins or minerals that our joints and bones need to be strong and remain flexible.
I have done some research and while not finding any particular diet that is good for arthritic pain I have found some foods that we can add to our diet and some we can avoid, in doing so will help us keep our joints and bones healthy.
Foods to add to our balanced diet
- Nuts, Especially almonds and sunflower seeds These are the best source of vitamin E which can help protect the outer membrane of joint cells. Vitamin E also defends against free radicals which cause joint inflammation and cell damage.
- Citrus and berries. Oranges juice which is a rich source of calcium, which grows and strengthens your bones. It also contains vitamin D which helps our body to absorb calcium and keep joint tissue healthy. Berries are a great source of vitamin C.
Have more of Nuts fruits and vegetables
- Apples are high in quercetin, which is an antioxidant that helps build collagen. Collagen helps make up cartilage which acts as a shock absorber in your joints and helps prevent arthritis.
- Salmon and other fatty fish contain a high amount of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 helps decrease the production of chemicals which spread inflammation to the joints. Also, other sources of omega 3 are olive oil and coconut oil.
- Cherries contain anthocyanin which has natural, anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins in cherries also help to maintain healthy levels of uric acid ( which in excess can be damaging to the body)
So while there is no special diet for joint health, it would be wise to add these foods to our balanced diet. I think that most fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals that will help in keeping our body healthy.
Foods to avoid in maintaining healthy joints
- Sugars. Sugar does nothing for our health they are just empty calories that increase our blood sugar levels. One can also become addicted to sugar. Sugar also causes inflammation development and has a bad impact on our health.
- Saturated and trans fats are common in processed foods and some fast foods. These fats can cause high cholesterol which can lead to high blood pressure and heart attack.
Eat less pastry and bread.
Saturated Fat is generally considered to be bad for health because it raises the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood. LDL is a type of cholesterol that can clog the arteries and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Trans fat is found in most processed foods containing partially hydrogenated oil, such as crackers, cookies, cakes, pies, and snack foods. Stick margarine, shortening, coffee creamer, fast food, frozen pizza So stay away from these foods as much as possible.
- Red meat and Dairy Even though red meat is a good source of iron and vitamin B and dairy which is rich in calcium it is said excessive consumption of red meat and dairy can cause an inflammatory reaction. So it would be wise to limit our consumption.
- Salts and sodium. This can be tricky to avoid that’s why it is so important to read labels and watch out for the salty snacks. Not only is salt not good for healthy joints but too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and that can lead to a heart attack.
- Cigarette and alcoholic beverages. These are not good for anything, they do not have any health benefits just the opposite they cause cancer and damage our liver. So try to stay away from these as much as possible.
Keep away from Alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.
Lifestyle Changes
Following an anti-inflammatory diet which includes the foods listed above and any other nuts, and fresh vegetables, and fresh fruits and avoiding the foods that can cause inflammation.
Also, being overweight and obese is not good, it would be good for us to try to lose some weight. Arthritis pain can be intensified by excess weight, which can put substantial added stress on already overworked joints. Keeping our body weight within a healthy range can go far in providing joint pain relief.
Stress reduction both physical and emotional stress is linked to increasing physiological inflammation throughout the body.
So it is good for us to engage in some stress-reducing activities such as gardening or taking an easy walk or stretching these simple activities will not only bring down our stress level but also increase our daily physical activity, it can also help to bring down chronic levels of inflammation and ease pain or discomfort which is linked to irregular sleep a major source of physiological stress.
We can also add some easy exercise to our daily activities without adding extra time. For example, while standing at our desk, table, or kitchen counter, stand on the leg without holding on for a count of 30 ( but make sure something is within reach in case we lose our balance) then change legs do as many reps as you can.
We can also use leg weights, walk around with them on for about 15-20 minutes.
When sitting try to stand without aid (holding on to something example chair arms)stretch your arms out in front of you or hug yourself these two exercise helps to strengthen your legs.
Conclusion
Our bones and joints support our every move, and it is easy to take them for granted Our skeleton is living tissue and needs a constant supply of vitamins and nutrients. And as we age we sometimes suffer from bone loss joint pain and inflammation. It is therefore very important that our bodies are receiving the proper nutrients that are needed to strengthen our bones and joints
I have left a link to some easy exercises from Silver Sneakers Hope you enjoy them, if you do them often enough you will be amazed how the pain and joint movements will be much better
Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read this post, I do hope you found it informative, And should you have a comment or a question Please leave it in the space provided and I will reply
NOTE: This post includes affiliate links, which, if clicked on and a product purchased, I get a small commission (with no increase in cost to you).
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I did`t realized that some food can affect our bones and joints. I did know that smoking can affect healing process of bones but things about food I came accross first time in here.
Thank you for your comment and yes there are somethings I am finding out for the first time myself too by doing the research for this post I am from the Caribbean and my mother would always say eat this its good for you but I just passed that off she just wants you to eat it but now I know.
Hello Ruth, this was a very interesting article to read. I exercise a lot, so I am aware that my joints are in good condition. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially apples and cherries. I try not to consume a lot of red meat and salt, and I only drink on occasion but I should be okay. Thanks again, and I wish you the best of luck with your website!!
Thank you, Ahmad, I am glad that you are taking care of yourself now that you are young because it is when you are older is when you feel the wear and tear. From your post I assume you play a lot of basketball so you must be extra careful,Best wishes to you too in all you endeavours.