Can a vegetarian diet help you control your rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms? This issue has been investigated by researchers for many years. The answer is: It’s possible. However, there are some crucial factors to think about.
According to some studies, a vegetarian diet, particularly a vegan diet, can help manage the symptoms of arthritis. The basic theory is that when you become vegan, you stop eating animal products and your Arthritis symptoms get better.
You can learn about whether a vegan diet can treat arthritis and other related topics in this article. Read along with us!
Read more: Can a Plant-based Diet Reverse Arthritis? – Elder VIP
What is Vegan?
According to the Vegan Society, the term “vegan” was coined back in 1944 by a small group of vegetarians who broke away from the To establish the Vegan Society, the Leicester Vegetarian Society in England.
Along with not eating meat, they also decided not to eat dairy, eggs, or any other animal-derived products. The term “vegan” was chosen from the combination of the first and last letters of “vegetarian.” The first description of veganism was created in 1949. Over time, it underwent a minor change to become what it is today.
According to the latest definition from the Vegan Society, veganism is “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purposes.” Many people use the term “vegan” to refer exclusively to diet. However, according to this most recent definition, veganism encompasses more than just adhering to a vegan diet.
Animal exploitation or cruelty is typically prohibited for those who identify as vegans in all facets of their lives, including the items they wear, the cosmetics they use, and the pastimes they engage in. Because of this, a lot of vegans refrain from buying wool clothing, leather furniture, or down pillows and comforters. As an alternative to visiting zoos, circuses, or animal petting farms, they might choose to go to animal sanctuaries.
Can Being Vegan Help Arthritis: YES!
53 percent less rheumatoid arthritis pain and inflammation can be experienced by adopting a vegan diet.
44 adults with rheumatoid arthritis participated in the study. A 4-week vegan diet was imposed on the participants. Next, three weeks were spent avoiding foods that are known to cause inflammation. Over a nine-week period, foods that had been eliminated from one group were gradually reintroduced. In the other group, a supplement phase began.
Researchers contend that the participants’ lower levels of inflammation and swelling demonstrate that dietary changes were linked to symptomatic relief, including a decrease in pain and inflammation, among other symptoms.
A few scientifically supported hypotheses explain why vegan diets may reduce the symptoms of arthritis.
Weight Reduction
Even if you don’t track your calories or work out, a healthy vegan diet can help you lose weight. A vegan or vegetarian diet may help you achieve even better results. A few reasons weight loss can help you manage your Arthritis:
- Inflammatory chemicals are released when there is excess fat.
- Your joints experience increased pressure when you gain weight, which worsens inflammation.
- Obesity makes it more difficult to put your arthritis in remission.
Inflammation-fighting Foods
You can eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains if you follow a healthy vegan diet. These foods contain nutrients that may reduce inflammation and reduce arthritis pain. One small study discovered that a low-fat vegan diet for 4 weeks reduced arthritis-related joint pain, stiffness, and swelling.
Gut Health Enhancement
New research suggests that a healthy gut may keep inflammation in check. Your gut should naturally have many different types of “good” bacteria, but many people with This aren’t present in arthritis. The presence of fiber in plant-based foods can help to change that. Great sources of fiber include:
- Raspberries
- Green peas
- Barley
- Whole-wheat spaghetti
- Black beans
- Lentils
What Should a Vegan Eat Relieve Arthritis？
Here are a few ideas:
- Beans, peas, and lentils: such as red, brown, or green lentils; chickpeas; split peas; black-eyed peas; black beans; white beans; and kidney beans
- Whole grains: such as quinoa, whole wheat, whole oats, and whole grain brown or wild rice, as well as products made from these foods, such as whole grain bread, crackers, and pasta
- Nuts: such as peanuts, almonds, cashews, and their butter
- Seeds: such as sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and their butter, as well as flaxseed, hemp seeds, and chia seeds
- Starchy vegetables: such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, beets, and turnips
- Soy products: such as fortified soy milk, soybeans, and products made from them, such as tofu, tempeh, and natto
- Nonstarchy vegetables: such as broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, radishes, and leafy greens; these may be raw, frozen, canned, dried, or pureed
- Other plant-based foods: such as algae, nutritional yeast, fortified plant milk and yogurts, and maple syrup
- Fruit: such as apples, pears, bananas, berries, mango, pineapple, oranges, and tangerines; these may be purchased fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or pureed
There’s a good chance that many of the dishes you currently enjoy either already are vegan or can be made vegan with a few simple adjustments. For instance, you can swap meat-based main dishes for meals containing beans, peas, lentils, tofu, tempeh, nuts, or seeds.
Additionally, you can swap out dairy products for plant milk, scrambled eggs for tofu scrambles, honey for plant-based sweeteners like molasses or maple syrup, and uncooked eggs for flaxseed or chia seeds. Additionally, a wide variety of prepared vegan foods, such as vegan cheeses, meats, and desserts, are available.
Remember that these might be heavily processed. So while they are fine to eat in moderation, they should not make up the bulk of a healthy vegan diet.
Final Thoughts
Diet may be important in the management of rheumatoid arthritis, according to mounting research. But saying that a diet is sufficient in and of itself is not the same thing as saying that someone feels better on that diet.
There will undoubtedly be more studies looking at how diet affects autoimmune diseases, other types of arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. We might discover that a vegan diet is highly efficient and can, in some cases, take the place of medication.
Should Everyone With Arthritis Become Vegan?
No, there isn’t enough proof to support advising everyone with arthritis to follow a restrictive diet, including a vegan one. However, a diet high in plants is beneficial for almost everyone. I see little harm in switching to an anti-inflammatory diet as long as it is nutritionally sound and enjoyable for you. But in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, the diet should be combined with medication to prevent joint damage, not used instead of it.
Foods That Vegans Avoid？
- Meat and fish: such as beef, chicken, duck, fish, and shellfish
- Eggs: whole eggs and foods that contain them, such as bakery products
- Dairy: milk, cheese, butter, and cream, as well as foods made using these ingredients
- Other animal-derived ingredients: such as honey, albumin, casein, carmine, gelatin, pepsin, shellac, isinglass, and whey
