Food Allergies with Arthritis

Hi Bikergirl! I tried a vegetarian diet www.drmcdougall.com diet in the onset of RA and it did not stop the spreading but I did feel much better. I have found and tested it time and time again that things get worse for me and I get a flare up when I eat animal protein- meat, cheese, chocolate, peppers, tomatoes, strawberry, acidy foods like oranges, lemons, etc and spicy foods. I wish it wasn't so. Overall I have found that eating healthier foods like fruits and veggies makes me feel much better, hair and skin look better and I lost some weight and cellulite! You can do your own inexpensive trial just take the food out for a week and see what happens. I tested glutten free and it was really hard for me. It did not help the RA but I still stay away from cakes, etc since that have milk and eggs.  There are so many glutten free products out now that are easy to access.  Dr. McDougall has a great book out and talks about an elimination diet to determine what foods you maybe allergic too.  May God Bless you and guide you! Rita

Hi Bikergirl

Sorry I forgot to add that I tried the vegetarian approach in the beginning until I realized that it was not enough and I startetd on the RA meds.  Eating healthy is a great way to keep our bodies prepared to deal with pain and any side effects but I found that I also had to really on my meds. Especially in the beginning. I have found out the hard ways that it's best to treat RA aggressively and prevent joint damage.  I still have to do my part by eating right and exercising and also reallying on God to help me thru the rough spots and to carry me on those days when I don't feel well.  Blessings! Rita 

I've been looking and reading a lot about diet and RA. There seems to be mixed views and research results floating around out there. But it does stand to reason that what we put into our bodies effects it. I've tried going milk free and eating better for about a week now. It's so hard to separate one factor from another. Throw in my meds, which I plan to always take, added rest and physical activity this week, and I'm feeling much better. Was it lack of milk products? Hard to say since it's not a controlled experiment. I'd tend to say that it's more of the rest and the fact that I've been on Enbrel for 3 months and its really starting to work well.

Gluten free...that seems really hard given the fact I have children and it's cheap to fill them up on wheat products. EVERYTHING seems to have gluten (either overtly or hidden) in it! I'd like to hear how people actually pull this off and keep their sanity.

From what I read, after a month you should be able to tell if avoiding a certain food affects you. Add it back in and see what happens. You've been gluten free for a couple of months so I would that you would know something by now.

I am more leary about the "I cured RA with just a diet" claims. People with chronic dieases tend to look for any cure they can find. Claims and anecdotal evidence gets generalized to everyone and every disease. That said, there could be some people out there who were diagnosed with RA when it was really long term food allergies/sensitivities.

One balanced document on RA and food is at this site.

http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/nutinra.html

Such are the mysteries of RA!

For me, food has had a decided effect on my RA - for instance, potatoes, tomatoes and fried foods has a tendency to increase inflammation. As well, I have a vast number of food allergies and insensitivities and it's driving me crazy.  I have heard of various recommendations about what to eat and what not to eat - vegetarianism is something that's been suggested for ages. I suggest you try doing a food/symptom diary for about a month or so, writing down your symptoms and what you eat and do every day, as this may help you discover a pattern of which foods seem to aggravate your symptoms. You may also want to look into the Mediterranean diet, which seems to have anti-inflammatory effects.

Hi,

I've had RA since 1991.  I found out that I was Gluten Intollerant 8 yrs ago and 6mo ago did food allergy testing and found out that I was allergic to eggs.  I do notice that when I do eat any of the foods (by accident or cheeting) I get a flare up the next day. 

I wish that I could say that my RA is miraculously gone by not eating these foods but I do notice a difference when I do eat them. 

I think that it is well worth looking into.  One in 133 people are Gluten Intollerent and only a fraction know it.  You may be experiencing other symptoms not related to RA that may be helped by making sure that you are not eating something that makes you sick.

Good luck.  I hope that you do the testing and that you find a way to make yourself feel better.

Julie