Rheumatoid arthritis (or RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that strikes at the joints, resulting in painful flare ups characterized by symptoms such as:
- Warm or hot joints
- Inflammation and swollen joints
- Pain and stiffness
- Immobility in the wrists and hands, or the same joints on both sides of the body
Chronic, long term disease such as rheumatoid arthritis can make a patient’s life almost unbearable. Flare ups are exhausting, and often lead to mental conditions, such as depression. However, in addition to following doctor-prescribed therapies and taking prescriptions drugs, many of the painful symptoms of RA can be reduced by consuming a healthy diet filled with the nutrients that boost energy and aid natural pain reduction.
Here is a list of most beneficial superfoods for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers:
- Lean meats
Low iron levels are one of the reasons that cause rheumatoid arthritis fatigue because iron is the main mineral that helps with the transportation of oxygen from the lung to other parts of the body. This not only causes a lack in the muscle storage of oxygen needed for energy but also causes a certain level of inflammation result from the lack of sufficient iron nutrients. Heme iron, from protein sources such as poultry and fish, are effectively absorbed by the body when consumed and aid with a faster absorption rate than those you get from plant foods.
- Citrus fruits
Oranges and grapefruits have a lot of vitamin C rich nutrients that can help with iron absorption from plants, which in turn can be a major boost for the immune system of the body. Instead of just relying on the iron form your iron-fortified cereals and bread, adding in citrus fruits as part of your diet can go a long way in helping your body’s system to rejuvenate. In addition, vitamin C has other valuable nutrients that can enrich your diet, especially if you have rheumatoid arthritis.
- Coldwater fish
Your body’s energy stores are majorly affected if you have rheumatoid arthritis and the inflammation just causes more pain and drains out your energy quite quickly. This is one main reason to add in rheumatoid arthritis superfoods that have inflammation reducing properties. Specific fatty and cold-water fish such as tuna, salmon, anchovies, and sardines are rich with omega-3 fatty acids that contain both c-reactive protein and interleukin-6 that reduce inflammation to a great extent.
- Whole grains
The best rheumatoid arthritis superfood that can help you fight fatigue effectively is fiber, and whole grain foods such as bread and cereals have the required energy boosting irons punch. All you would have to do is switch your regular white bread, pasta, and/or rice to whole wheat items on all front.
- Chicken
Chicken along with other types of poultry meat is rich in both iron and vitamins, and these are essential nutrients that can help break down the carbohydrates effectively into energy within your body’s systems. Vitamin B is one component that is highly soluble in water and as a result, the consumption of this vitamin-rich foods can easily break down in the body and not get stored in as fats. Without ample vitamin B, your body loses the capacity to break down food for energy conversion, thereby causing major rheumatoid arthritis fatigue.
- Water
Last but not the least, water plays a major role in being a rheumatoid arthritis superfood as it is the only way that your body can be 100% hydrated at all times to effectively fight fatigue. Even a slight level of dehydration has quite a serious impact on your body, and staying hydrated is a sure shot way of being effective without breaking a sweat.
