Top Five Foods To Help Ease The Symptoms Of Arthritis

According to Brendan Howell, Director of Arborvitae Health and Wellbeing, more than 15 percent of Australians suffer from arthritis.

"15 percent is a huge number of people that suffer from arthritis. This means that millions of people are living with arthritis and looking for ways to reduce the pain and discomfort, and despite what people think, it is not just older Australians that experience arthritis, many people start feeling the effects from the age of 35," Brendan said today.

"While many people seek out medical assistance and take medication to alleviate the symptoms, there are things that people can be doing every day to minimise the impact of arthritis and it involves food.

"A lot of foods cause inflammation in the body and only make arthritis worse. On the flip side, there are foods that help to reduce inflammation in the body and these are the foods that people should be adding into their diet every day to assist ease the impact of arthritis.

"While no food has been shown to cure arthritis, researchers have found a link between monounsaturated fats and reduced disease activity in arthritis. Foods high in monounsaturated fats include vegetable oils, avocados and many nuts and seeds."

Brendan has put together a list of the top five foods that can ease the symptoms of arthritis.

Fatty Fish
"Fatty fish like mackerel, sardines, salmon, herring and trout are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Even just two servings of fish per week may assist in the alleviation of joint pain," Howell said.

"It's arguably the best food to eat for people with arthritis. It's an absolute must. This is probably the best excuse to splurge on a delicious cut of salmon. Not only is salmon incredibly healthy, it also just happens to be really tasty " an added bonus!

"Taking supplements high in omega-3 fatty acids is also associated with lower rates of joint pain and morning stiffness. Fish oil tablets aren't just great for arthritis, they're great for your brain as well."

Green Tea
"Drinking a hot or cold green tea at least once per day will really help alleviate joint pain and reduce inflammation," Howell said.

"It's important to drink tea using tea bags, rather than the powdered tea mixes. Tea bags are generally more natural and less processed. You probably also want to skip the decaffeinated version, which lacks some vital nutrients."

Olive Oil
"Olive oil is known to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. It contains oleocanthal, which impedes the creation of enzymes involved in inflammation," Howell said.

"Luckily, olive oil is something that is quite easy to consume. It's used regularly in cooking, whether you're at home or at a restaurant. If you have arthritis and are using canola or vegetable oil, it would definitely be a good idea to make the switch to olive oil. It can sometimes be a little bit more expensive than other oils, but you can't put a price on health.

"I've even heard of some arthritis sufferers that are so desperate for olive oil intake, they actually just drink a shot of it each morning."

Garlic
"Garlic also has anti-inflammatory effects. For sufferers of arthritis, adding garlic to your diet could do wonders for your health. Not only that, it will also keep the vampires away!" Howell said.

"One study of over one thousand twins found that those who ate high amounts of garlic had a reduced risk of osteoarthritis compared to their twin."

Oranges
"Oranges contain Vitamin C and Vitamin C contains collagen, which cushions joints as they move. Vitamin C has also been found to be able to reduce the symptoms of colds and flu to just a day and a half," Howell said.

"Everyone needs their daily intake of fruit, so if you have arthritis, why not choose oranges?

"If it's too difficult to fit oranges into your diet, Vitamin C supplements are a good substitute. Maritime pine bark is essential for optimising the benefits of Vitamin C into your diet. Arborvitae products contain Pycnogenol maritime pine bark, which is regarded as a 'super antioxidant'. This is because, in addition to its standalone antioxidant benefits, it also works to improve the effectiveness of other antioxidants, such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E. The primary role it plays is to help other antioxidants stay in the body longer and hence increase their effectiveness."

Arborvitae's range of products are designed to quickly and efficiently re-set the immune system and bring down inflammation in the body. They are sold online and now stocked in over 500 pharmacies and health food stores throughout the country. An explosion in demand for Arborvitae products, fuelled by positive feedback from users who have experienced improvements in their arthritis, is seeing the company put in place significant expansion plans.
www.arborvitae.com.au

Photo by Aliona Gumeniuk on Unsplash