My parents were so desperate for me to eat, that dinner became a nightly battle with my parents alternately begging me to eat and threatening to make me sit at the table all night until I had. On the other hand, they would sometimes indulge my whims and particular streaks of cravings. If I wanted peanut butter and jelly three meals a day for a week, I got it (along with my mandatory fruit and vegetables). I’m not necessarily advocating this method getting a child to eat. I liked it at the time, but that can also lead to an imbalanced diet, and it can grow difficult to get a child to try new foods or eat what the rest of the family is eating. Also, foods that are particularly high in preservatives or other additives may or may not have an effect on JRA activity. I haven’t researched this, but I think the worst flare I ever had as a child was directly related to the fact that I ate two hotdogs at every meal for over a week. My mother was convinced that the nitrates, sodium, and preservatives cause the flare. I felt so horrible that I didn’t eat another hot dog for over a year.

I’m sure other readers who either grew up with RA or have a child with RA can relate to my story and understand how much a healthy diet affects a child’s day to day health, energy and mood. If you have nutrition tips or ideas, or stories to share, please post them on our message boards.