Foods to Help Beat Arthritis

Let’s just get this out of the way first…arthritis is NOT an old person’s disease.  I have had it for over 15+ years and was first diagnosed in my 30s.  When I was about 3 years old, I was diagnosed with a hip disorder.  I had to have physical therapy and I couldn’t walk for quite a while.  I did end up having full use of my hip and led a normal childhood playing soccer and other sports.  When I got into my late 20s and early 30s I noticed that I always seemed to have a groin issue and it got even worse when I was pregnant with my son because of the added weight.  When I finally went to the orthopedist and had an MRI, they diagnosed it as arthritis and he said that it was definitely initiated by the hip disorder that I had in childhood.

I have had a lot of pain with this arthritis.  As I said, the pain is more towards the middle of my thigh than the outer hip and that is actually where true hip pain is located because it is where the socket of your hip meets your leg.  I didn’t want to take pain relievers multiple times a day because that is not healthy.  I have taken glucosamine, but it never really helped.  I decided to research what nutrients help with the inflammation of arthritis because I want to attack this nemesis in the healthiest way possible.  These are some of the yummy foods I found that help to relieve inflammation in the body AND they are all good for you:)

1 – Ginger – I have chosen to utilize ginger in tea form because there are so many great ginger teas out there.  Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, along with many other health benefits.

2 – Green Tea – Green tea works to stop the production of inflammatory chemicals that can break down cartilage.

3 – Fruits and Vegetables high in Beta Carotene – Cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, and spinach are all high in beta carotene which is a powerful antioxidant…not to mention they are all delicious and have other health benefits.

4 – Fruits and Vegetable high in Beta Cryptoxanthin – Winter squash, pumpkin, papaya, tangerines, red peppers, corn, oranges and apricots are all high in beta cryptoxanthin, which can reduce the risk of inflammatory arthritis with just ONE serving a day:)

5 – Salmon – Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids which suppresses the production of enzymes that break down cartilage.

6 – Fruits and Vegetables high in Vitamin C – Bell peppers, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, kidney beans and kiwi are all high in vitamin C which helps create healthy collagen, a major piece of cartilage.

7 – Fruits and Vegetables high in Anthocyanins  – Cherries, berries, eggplant, red grapes and plums contain anthocyanins  which are a type of antioxidant that suppresses the production of some inflammatory chemicals in the body.

As you can see, many of the foods I listed are foods you may be eating already or may be foods you love, but don’t always buy.  Not to mention, they ALL have multiple health perks aside from helping with arthritis pain.  I was inspired by Shawn Stevenson of the Model Health Show podcast.  I am reading a pre-release of his book  Sleep Smarter as part of his book launch team. In his preface, Shawn talked about having health problems when he was in college and he was basically told by doctors, he would always have the problems and he’d have to  deal with pain and a lower quality of life.  He researched foods and nutrients that would heal him and it WORKED.  I am now on my own journey to heal myself.

What are your go-to foods and nutrients that help heal your body and soul?