BeanDiet

I just realized I have a whole lot to say and arthritis and nutrition, so here you go:

There two main kinds of arthritis, osteo- and rheumatoid, but both are inextricably linked with nutrition. For example, Omega-3 fatty acids from plant foods such as flaxseed and oil, nuts and seeds, avocados, olive and canola oils (just to name a few) is renown for preventing and even reversing osteoarthritis. That’s right, this precious nutrient can help arthritic people get rid of their pain.

Years ago I had an elderly neighbor who had this type of arthritis in her knees to such a degree she could hardly walk. In fact, I got to know her precisely because she could only walk her dog two houses away, to poop on my lawn each day. You might want to say I had several motives to help her live more abundantly. As we got to know one another I mentioned the power of Omega-3 fat from plants in reversing arthritis. I asked if I could buy her a cereal containing flaxseed and soymilk, which also contains lots of Omega-3 fatty acids. She agreed, and changed her breakfast immediately.

Would you believe only one week later, this “arthritic” old woman was walking to the store – ½ mile away – to buy these things herself? Not only that, she walked her dog way further down the block! Talk about a win-win situation!

Yet, Omega-3 isn’t the only compound in plant foods that fights arthritis. Phytochemicals is a term for a myriad of beneficial compounds found in plant foods. Phyto actually means “plant” in Latin, so this word literally means “plant chemicals” or “plant nutrients”. Most phytochemicals have powerful antioxidant properties but many also have anti-inflammatory properties that prevent joint inflammation.

Boron, a trace mineral found only in plant foods, is also important in fighting arthritis. Again, the healthier the soil of those plants, the more boron we consume in their produce. Conversely, both the protein found in dairy products as well as the saturated fat and cholesterol from animal-origin foods is known to cause or exacerbate rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Also, drinking lots of water (2 liters, or 64 oz a day) has been shown to reverse arthritis and joint pain.

So, you could kinda conclude that eating a plant-based diet and drinking plenty o' water, with little or no animal-origin foods, can go a long way to counteract needless pain.