Arthritis and the Paleo Diet
Arthritis and your diet….is there a connection between the two? If you ask those that subscribe to the paleo diet, they will tell you absolutely . And while many people will scoff at the notion that somehow diet is the culprit between alleviating arthritis pain or having to take medication to prevent the pain, the reality is that what we eat, in fact, could factor in to how arthritis affects us . The paleo diet could relieve arthritic pain…
From a historical view, our diet, which consists mainly of agricultural foods, is relatively new . Before that, we were hunters and gatherers, eating berries, eating what we can catch and kill and foraging for vegetables.The paleo methodology claims that that is the way we should be eating today. It asserts that things such as grains, milk, pasta and breads were never meant to eat. Instead, they argue, that what we should be eating are foods that we ate pre-agricultural times when we were hunters and gatherers.
The belief that this form of diet could do many things for the body is now being supported by some in the scientific community . There is evidence that suggests that lectins (a substance found in grains, dairy, peanuts, beans and potatoes) could possibly aggrevate arthritic conditions because they are able to cross over the gastrointestinal wall and get into the blood stream . From there, the substance can get into soft tissue and cause inflammation in the joints, causing arthritis .
Because the paleo diet is so focused on so called clean foods, this diet is richer in nutrients that could in turn help the body fight off inflammation; a common factor with arthritis .
Is Arthritis naturally treatable?
No one know this answer for sure just yet. And there are some in the scientific community who will argue this point. Some argue that cultures that are primitive don’t experience these so called modern day diseases because they don’t live long enough to experience them Those who are supporters of this diet won’t budge though. They essentially believe that many chronic conditions can be prevented by eating cleanly.
Be forewarned…if you want to go on a paleolithic diet, it will be harder than most diets The common belief of this diet is fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and lean animal protein. Some paleo dieters will cheat a little, eating peanut butter . As far as sugar goes, only honey and the fructose found in fruits is allowed . Granulated sugar is off limits as well as artificial sweeteners . This could make a dieter have to literally empty their pantry and start over .
The other benefit that is proven with the paleo diet is that you will lose weight quickly . The best news is that there is not another diet that you can do that will drop as much weight quickly and do so in a healthy fashion. This means that not only will you feel more “alive”, arthritis pain could go away and you could drop weight. Now who wouldn’t want that?
“Stopped anti-inflammatory drugs…”
“I have just recently read your article: Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. (British Journal of Nutrition 2000 83,207-217) and find this is the best explanation of joint problems I’ve been having for the past two and a half years. The attacks I’ve had are of arthritic characteristics, red hot, swollen and very painful. The attacks are random and becoming more frequent to the point where I have been bed ridden. Since reading your article I have stopped eating grains and now find my joints are beginning to feel much better, So much so that I have stopped taking prescription anti inflammatory drugs.”