The Ultimate Diet To Help Manage Arthritis Symptoms
Arthritis is a painful degenerative disease that leads to inflammation in joints, making it hard to move around and carry on with routine tasks, according to Mayo Clinic. Each of the joints in your body has cartilage, which is a slippery tissue that allows proper movement. Arthritis could damage this cartilage, leading to stiffness. Other times, this condition could be an autoimmune problem, called rheumatoid arthritis, in which the immune system attacks the body's joint lining and causes severe inflammation.
Arthritis is a fairly common disease and gets worse with age. Verywell Health reports that as of 2022, around 52 million people in the U.S. have some type of arthritis, out of which a majority are women. Experts also warn that the numbers will only continue to rise in the next few years.
Although the first line of action against arthritis is usually medication, various therapies and lifestyle changes are also recommended by doctors to manage the symptoms and reduce the pain. You may be asked to switch your diet to bone-friendly foods that help fight inflammation. In this regard, the Mediterranean diet is recommended, as it aligns perfectly with arthritis management goals, per Arthritis Foundation.
How can the Mediterranean diet help arthritis?
The Mediterranean diet involves a variety of nutrition-packed foods including whole grains, plants, herbs, fruits, and vegetables, making it an enriching and healthy form of diet (via Mayo Clinic).
If you haven't guessed already, experts recommend the Mediterranean diet plan for arthritis primarily because it contains numerous anti-inflammatory ingredients that help combat or mitigate arthritis symptoms. For example, the Mediterranean diet makes use of colorful fruits and vegetables such as berries and broccoli, which are popular for relieving inflammation, according to the Arthritis Foundation. In addition, the Mediterranean diet focuses on fish, thereby carrying ample omega-3 fatty acids, which have superb anti-inflammatory qualities.
Similarly, olive oil is an integral part of this diet plan. Instead of unhealthy fats, olive oil is considered the foundational fat source. OrthoArizona reports that adding olive oil to your diet can have incredible benefits for reducing bone damage and joint erosion.