Question: Does a bad diet promote arthritis?
Dr. Brownstein’s Answer:
Yes. There is no question that diet plays a large role in the development and continuation of arthritic symptoms. The standard American diet, full of refined foods, is a pro-inflammatory regimen.
Inflammation is what causes the redness, warmth, swelling, and joint destruction associated with arthritis. Eating pro-inflammatory foods will not only create the environment for arthritis to begin, it will fuel the illness once developed.
What are these pro-inflammatory foods? Refined sugar, salt, oil, and flour. Unfortunately, these are staples of most packaged foods and much restaurant fare — and nearly all fast food.
The first step in any holistic plan is to clean up the diet. Eliminate refined foods. Eat a whole-food diet including unrefined sugar, salt, oil, and flour, and as much organic produce as possible.
Also, drink adequate amounts of water. How much water? Take your weight (in pounds), and divide by two. The resulting number is the amount of water, in ounces, you should ingest daily.
It is impossible to overcome arthritis in a dehydrated condition. Over the last 17 years, I have seen many arthritic patients significantly improve just by re-hydrating. In fact, some have completely recovered from arthritis simply by maintaining proper hydration.
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