Foods To Eat & Foods To Avoid
Shifting to an organic diet is hard in today’s world where the taste buds have acclimatized to flavor, sugar and fizzy drinks. However, in countering most of the disease and to prevent them, this is the primary step of action.
In order to control osteoarthritis, it is important to control the number of calories as per requirement of the body. It can be a hard and slow journey, but it can have very promising results and can improve the quality of life for OA patients. Below is a brief categorization of foods which can worsen the prognosis of OA.
Added Sugar
Sugar has inflammatory properties. It tends to increase the concentration of cytokines, the mediators which manifest the symptoms of inflammation like joint pain, tenderness, and swelling. A study shows thatabout12% of OA patients blame sugar for causing flare-ups. This sugar is obviously the main ingredient in sweets and desserts, but it is also found in sodas, cereals, as well as sauces. Rather, a lot of sugar intake in the diet comes from unforeseen food items, making it more difficult to look out for it.
Swiping packed snack items with fruits is a very healthy choice. It satisfies the sweet tooth, provides enough fibers without causing a worsening of the symptoms. The following is a list of food items that have added sugars and better be avoided in OA patients:
- Ice-cream, cakes, puddings, and other confectioneries.
- Beverages like soda cans, energy drinks and fizzy drinks.
- Cereals, breads and granola bars.
- Yogurt
Saturated and Trans fat
Multiple researches (5) found a positive correlation between osteoarthritis and fatty diets. Fat can hasten the progression of osteoarthritis by driving multiple pathways. It is common knowledge that a high fat diet leads to obesity, the role of which as a significant risk factor has already been discussed. Higher than required intake of fat, deposits in the body as clusters of adipocytes. This adds to the morbidity of already present OA.
High total fat intake, especially saturated fat, has been shown to cause metabolic alteration in cartilage causing it to weaken. This leads to a bad prognostic picture of osteoarthritis as has been shown in the radiographic monitoring of the joints. The mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, however, were shown to help by reducing the inflammation. Some of the saturated fats that should be avoided in patients with OA are:
- Animal fat like in butter, ghee
- Palm oil
Coconut oil, however, has shown to reduce progression of cartilage damage. Oils with omega 3 fatty acids are also good for patients with OA.
Refined carbohydrates
The research (6) says that even in the absence of obesity, our diet plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of OA, and also in its progression. A high fiber, high fat diet has seen to contribute to pathology. With two persons with OA, having the same weight, and the only difference being the carbohydrate content in the diet, significant differences in the disease picture were seen. The following items with refined carbs should be avoided.
- White bread
- Pasta
- Packaged snacks like chips, etc.
- rice