Joint Pain? Here’s How Eating Right Can Ease It

Did you ever link joint pain with eating the right kind of food? Our expert Bhavani Swaminathan, nutritionist, member of Indian Dietetic Association and a Certified Diabetes Educator tells you how a good diet can help you ease it. Swaminathan is the founder of AAKANKSHA: Desire For Wellness, an organisation that helps individuals to eat intelligently and lead a healthy lifestyle. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Diabetes Management.

Bhavani Swaminathan

When there is an unexplained joint pain and stiffness, which does not have any apparent cause, this can be a symptom of the onset of arthritis causing inflammation of joints, pain, stiffness & disability. There are more than 100 forms of arthritis. Let us understand the main reason behind this problem. The issue of arthritis does not develop in a day or within a short period. It starts with a minor health issue initially, which is when the food is left undigested.

Food is fuel, and the food we eat supplies nutrients to each cell of our body. The digestion process starts from our mouth when we start chewing the food. If we consciously chew each piece of food at least 15-20 times, then half the digestion happens in the mouth itself. Now the partially digested food travels through the oesophagus and enters the small intestine and gets digested completely. The remaining undigested food moves down through large intestine and is thrown out of the body. The digested food gets assimilated and supplies nutrients to every cell of the body. If the digestion does not happen properly, then the undigested food remains inside and starts spreading toxins in the body. These toxins called ‘ama’ obstruct the joints and their movements.

______________________________________________________________________________________

The common forms of arthritis are:

Osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Gout

______________________________________________________________________________________

According to Ayurveda, the two main types are :

Amvata

Sandhivata

Amvata or rheumatoid arthritis is a consequence of the formation of ama (metabolic waste) due to improper digestion, lack of movement, emotional stress and wrong lifestyle.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Here are some golden rules to prevent arthritis

• Strictly follow regular meals.
• Include alkaline-rich diet, which means many fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Fifty per cent of the diet should consist of raw/uncooked food.
• Your diet must include unpolished rice, red rice, barley and other millets. Avoid white rice altogether.
• Green leafy vegetables, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, drumsticks have to compulsorily included in the diet.
• Avoid lady’s finger, cauliflower, tomatoes, jackfruit.
• Fresh fruit is a must in everyday diet, especially apple, guava, papaya.
• Soak raisins & figs overnight and consume it empty stomach in the morning.
• 
  
• 
• Consume soaked raisins and figs every morning
• 
  
• Ginger, turmeric and garlic are also a must in daily diet as they are rich in antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Dry ginger powder and cumin seeds should also be a part of the daily diet.
• Avoid sour curd. Crush garlic and add it to a glass of buttermilk.

______________________________________________________________________________________

?

Apart from the dietary modifications following points should also be taken into consideration:

• Healthy lifestyle
• Fomentation (moist heat application)
• Intermittent Fasting under supervision
• Yogasanas
• Meditation

______________________________________________________________________________________

• Featured image courtesy: Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash