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Arthritis Diets & Teas

Arthritis is a chronic condition that is hard to control. But new studies show that changing one's diet may have an effect on the severity of arthritis symptoms. Following any one diet may not miraculously cure your arthritis, but eating certain foods and drinking potent teas could help decrease inflammation and boost the immune system.

  1. Teas

    • Many teas have healing properties. A 2002 study published by the Society of Critical Care Medicine showed that green tea may be one of the best things a person can consume to ease painful inflammation. Green tea is full of healing properties, including epigallocatechin gallate, which inhibits the gene responsible for inflammatory arthritis pain. The tea also contains high amounts of fluoride, flavenoids, photo chemicals and theaflavins, which support bone density.
      If you do not like green tea, black tea and some white tea varieties provide similar benefits. Adding teas to your diet may not only ease the inflammation and pain, but also help build your immune system. You may not cure your arthritis, but you might make it a bearable condition.

    Fruits and Vegetables

    • Adding more healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet and decreasing the amount of red meat you consume can help control the pain of arthritis. Follow diets high in grapes, nuts, wine and other foods that contain resveratrol, which is a nonsteroidal compound that blocks inflammation. Purple and black grapes contain the most potent doses of resveratrol. Vegetables, especially those that are green, can also decrease inflammation and reduce arthritis symptoms. Studies have shown that vegetarians tend to have less inflammation and pain than those who eat red meat on a regular basis, according to the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle, Washington. Dieters who ate a lot of broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, peaches, grapefruit and oranges had less arthritic pain than those who did not.

    Fish

    • Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which also help decrease inflammation. Research has indicated that fish oils help to significantly drop leukotreine B4, which is a big player in the inflammation process, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Those who eat fish at least twice a week show improved mobility, less pain and less stiffness than those who do not get regular doses of omega-3s present in fish oil.

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