Arthritis:

The most efficient way of avoiding arthritis is to stay well away from eating inflammatory foods. Here are the top five foods that you should stay away from.

Saturated Fats:

This group includes fats which are found mostly in animal products, such as fatty beef, pork, and lamb, poultry skin, ice cream, butter, whole or 2% milk, regular cheese, bacon, bologna, salami, pepperoni, and beef sausage. Saturated fats are also found in palm oil and palm-kernel oil and you probably won’t find those bottles oils in your cupboard staples, but you will find them in the ingredient list of any number of items you have on your shelves, which includes crackers, biscuits, and nondairy creamers. Limit your intake of saturated fats by choosing reduced-fat or fat-free dairy products, lean cuts of beef and pork, and skinless chicken and turkey. For packaged foods, the amount of saturated fats can be found in its Nutrition Facts table. I recommend choosing snack foods with less than 2 grams of saturated fat content and meal items with less than 4.5 grams per serving.

Trans Fatty Acids:

With the right combination vegetable oil and hydrogen molecules scientists created trans fat to give baked goods longer shelf life. The result turned the liquid oil into solid and a dangerous one at that. Trans fat which is found in some baked goods, fast-food items, processed snack foods, and most stick margarine’s are said to be at least as damaging or could even be worse  than saturated fats in terms of inflammation, heart disease, and other health problems. Food manufacturers are well aware of both the dangers of these ingredients and growing awareness of the public about it. That is why many companies have reformulated their products to remove all trans fats. Manufacturers are now required to list the amount of trans fats right after listing the saturated fats on the nutrition label. Choose only products that contain 0 grams of trans fats and do not contain any partially hydrogenated oils.

Fried Foods:

Foods high in fats and calories like fried chicken, French fries, donuts, and deep-fried appetisers should be avoided by anyone who has arthritis. Eating too much of these foods increases the body fat and places extra stress on the joints and increases the risk of wear and tear. In addition, body fat is not an inert substance, it is metabolically active and capable of producing hormones and chemicals that actually increase levels of inflammation. To make things worse, some restaurants fry their foods in hydrogenated oils, which means you may also be getting a dose of dangerous trans fats. Instead of frying, choose healthier ways to prepare your foods like grilling, steaming, roasting, and baking are all tasty, waistline friendly methods.

Refined Carbohydrates:

Refined carbohydrates are found in anything baked with white flour, such as white bread, rolls, crackers, and most baked goods like white rice and junky cereals. They are made by milling whole grains and removing the bran and germ, the two parts of the grain that contain the most nutrients. Refined carbohydrates can cause of inflammation in your joints, causing the increase in cytokines and other pro-inflammatory compounds, which makes arthritis worse. Limit foods made with refined grains. If you want to greatly reduce arthritis pain and its progression then switch to a much healthier alternative whole-grain options like eating whole-wheat bread, whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat pasta, and brown and wild rice.

Sugary Foods:

Simple sugars that are found in foods like biscuits, fruit juice, soft drinks, and sweets are also refined carbohydrates. They increase your blood-sugar levels and cause inflammation in the body, making arthritis and its symptoms worse. If you like eating sweets, just stick to a piece of fresh or dried fibre-rich fruit combined with a handful of nuts or sunflower seeds to stop the blood sugar spikes.

It's only fair to share...