In the following paragraphs you will be exposed to psoriatic arthritis diet recommendations. Just after being diagnosed I remember the doctor recommending some medication and given me a 2 page handout to read up about it. The handout flat out stated that they had no idea how or why the medication helped the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis but it just did. Then the handout went on to detail all the potential side effects, which took up a majority of the 2 pages. It recommended frequent blood tests to check for liver tumors. It just didn’t make sense to me, my body was already sick that’s why I had this disease in the first place. Was doing something that potentially caused liver damage really the solution?
I knew that I would never take medication for this condition. I felt that I had gotten my body into this mess with my lifestyle and eating habits and I would get myself out of it. As Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine said ‘let food be thy medicine’. While there certainly are other factors that play a role in promoting psoriatic arthritis, which will be covered in other articles, this article will focus on a psoriatic arthritis diet. Psoriatic arthritis is an auto-immune disorder, where the body has become hypersensitive and is attacking its own tissue. I do not think the answer for this condition is to laden the body with harmful and toxic drugs.
An easy to implement principle of a psoriatic arthritis diet is what I call ‘eating more live foods’. This basically means eat more stuff that is not in a packet, bag, box, and container or in a carton. Simply eat more fruit and vegetables. Who can argue with that? I doubt any of us could really say they eat enough fruit and vegetables. So anything that doesn’t go off within 7 days, forget it, do not even touch it. To start with, just incorporate salads with meals. Even if you are eating garbage at the moment, like pizza or hamburgers, have it with a salad. Start wrapping that food in salad leaves. It will help you chew your food better, improve digestion and get you consuming and tasting real food. After a while you will lose the taste for junk food and only want fresh live food.
If you consult any natural therapist with a dietary focus who manages a range of problems and diseases, you will discover that a wheat free and diary free diet is one of the most commonly recommended starting points. This is especially the case with auto-immune issues such as psoriatic arthritis. Research has shown the molecules of these produces cause lots of issues to the stomach and this leads to a whole range of other problems. Also these are among the most commercially farmed and processed foods we have today. Either way the end result is a promotion of inflammation in the body. Admittedly, you may think that the loss of these two food groups leaves you nothing to eat. It will require some changes and there are lots of resources, I recommend a good cook book to start with, that can make the change easier.
Finding good clean protein is a really important part of a psoriatic arthritis diet. Things like chicken, beef and fish are going to be your main protein sources, so they need to be healthy and clean. What exactly does that mean? It means as natural as possible. For your beef, that means grass fed and not grain fed, and no hormones or antibiotics. When beef is grass fed it will have a good balance of essential fats, which is vital for health. Chickens and their eggs should be free of anti-biotics and hormones and if possible also grass fed. Fish should not be farmed. When you get back to eating clean sources of protein and animal fats, it can make a tremendous difference to the body. Protein is the building blocks of the body, and fat is an important part of every cell in the body.
This article is just a brief introduction into some starting concepts about a psoriatic arthritis diet. A cure for the disease is a strong word, but I feel it is a better solution than masking your symptoms with medication. The body has an innate wanting to be healthy, there may have been some roadblocks that got in the way, if you remove the roadblocks it will want to restore itself back to a health optimal state. Diet and nutrition may only be a small piece of the puzzle for some. For more information on the other pieces of the psoriatic arthritis puzzle that includes diet, nutritional supplements and stress reduction please check out my other articles.
For more expert advice on the most effective psoriatic arthritis diet, visit author Peter Alexis’ website which is all about treating psoriatic arthritis symptoms.