Arthritis: Over 60 Recipes and a Self-Treatment Plan to Transform Your Life

Fish oil supplements are an important source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, and part of the Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet. You can read more about this subject here (#litres_trial_promo). If you are a vegetarian, or cannot tolerate fish oil, try flaxseed oil instead. This is another rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, although they are in their original plant form, and have not been through the metabolic processes that produce the DHA and EPA fatty acids known to be deposited in the flesh of oily fish. These specific fatty acids are necessary for the body’s production of small hormone-like molecules with strong anti-inflammatory properties, known as prostaglandins. Many people suffering from inflammatory illnesses experience dramatic effects when they supplement their diets with a fish or flaxseed oil supplement. For maximum benefit:

Do not mix fish oil and other fatty acid supplements. Take omega-6 supplements (evening primrose oil or borage oil) at a different time of day.

Make sure you take a vitamin E supplement, as this protects the omega-acids.

Keep any opened bottles of supplements in the refrigerator or other cool place.

Note: there is a difference between fish oil and fish liver oil. Liver oils contain substantial quantities of vitamin A, which is stored in your liver and can be toxic if taken in large amounts. If you are setting out on this diet, it is recommended that you use fish oil supplements.

Flaxseed oil is the richest known source of omega-3 fatty acids, and also contains substantial amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. It also contains plant chemicals known as lignins, which are plant estrogens that help control the body’s estrogen level. Lignins are also believed to have other biological effects, including anti-viral and anti-bacterial activities.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are naturally occurring substances in the body that act as a building block in many tissues. Of the two, better curative effects have been demonstrated by glucosamine than by chondroitin, so it is suggested that this is the supplement of choice. Sometimes called the ‘basement membrane builder’, glucosamine is an essential substance in manufacturing and maintaining the ligaments, tendons, cartilage and synovial fluid found in joints. More detailed information on glucosamine and how it is thought to work can be found on page here (#litres_trial_promo).

Part Three The Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet (#ulink_57a0dcfa-c0d2-5bf8-938e-b8e15998e408)

Chapter 1 The basics (#ulink_191076ad-62ed-55c1-a55e-64b3145586fe)

What is the Eat to Beat Arthritis diet?

Since the 1930s, scientists have been aware of a possible link between rheumatoid arthritis and food allergies. Some scientists went so far as to suggest that symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis could be completely controlled by dietary changes.

Max Warmbrand, a naturopathic doctor who practised up until the mid-1970s, advocated a very low-fat diet in the treatment of both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. In addition he told his patients to avoid eating all red meat, eggs, dairy foods, sugar, chemicals and processed foods. Six months were required before improvement was noticeable, he claimed. The diet seemed to work for a few people, but not others.

In 1979, Giraud W. Campbell wrote A Doctor’s Proven New Home Cure for Arthritis, a book that helped millions of people break the bonds of this crippling disease. Using the information available at that time, he prescribed a strict regime that called for raw fruits and vegetables, hearty amounts of lightly cooked organ meats (liver, kidney, sweetbread, brain, heart and tripe), and daily doses of unpasteurized milk, nutrient-rich black treacle (molasses) and brewers’ yeast. The diet began with a brief period of fasting, during which the body was freed of toxins from previous poor eating habits. He instructed his readers to shun all drinks containing caffeine, and cautioned against all processed foods – including canned and frozen items. If you followed this somewhat Spartan plan, you could end the pain of arthritis in seven days, he claimed.

The science of nutrition has changed greatly over the past several decades, and we know more about how and why you can control illness through diet. The Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet therefore builds on the Campbell diet, but also uses new information and a more modern approach to food and dietary supplements. At the same time, it recognizes some of the realities of modern life. For example, not all frozen foods are taboo: frozen peas, sweetcorn and spinach are very useful items in any kitchen. Soaking and cooking dried pulses such as chickpeas (garbanzo beans) takes hours; so canned ones, well rinsed to remove any salt and sugar, are allowed as an alternative.

This book also recognizes that more than seven days are needed to fully achieve benefits from recommended changes in food choices. Here, you will follow a gradual process that is tailored to your unique needs. The foundations of the Eat To Beat Arthritis Diet are:

Finding the right balance of foods for your body.

Knowing how to tell when a specific food is making the symptoms of arthritis worse.

The initial programme spans seven weeks. In the first week you keep a diary of your pain and stiffness and also record your intake of food and drink. You then learn to eliminate the specific foods that aggravate (or even cause) a flare-up of arthritis, and how to make this a diet you can use for life. You will also be encouraged to try new foods that you may have otherwise passed by.

While you remain on the Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet you will notice that you feel better. Depending on the severity of your condition you will find that pain will disappear, or diminish in severity. These are not the only exciting benefits you will enjoy from changing your eating habits. Selecting the right foods strengthens your body and enhances its metabolic activities. You will begin enjoying improved general health, stronger nails and hair and younger-looking skin. You will suffer from fewer colds and other infections. You may even find that you lose some of the excess weight that may be contributing to your joint pain and stiffness.

Rediscovering the way to eat

You are now ready to focus your attention on one of life’s great pleasures: food. What comes next will change your life forever. Previous sections of this book have covered three main topics:

The causes and symptoms of several forms of arthritis.

The links between good nutrition and healing.

The role plant and other natural substances play in controlling pain and inflammation.

Armed with this knowledge, read the remainder of this book before you begin the diet. As you read, keep these principles in mind:

THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES

If you follow this diet exactly, you will begin to feel better within days, but the full extent of healing will take longer. Diets promising remarkable cures often disappoint. If you really want to change the way you feel, and improve your health, you must be patient and give your body time to heal.

THIS IS A DIET FOR LIFE

A diet must be both practical and flexible, or you will find it boring and impossible. Once you have gone through a full seven-week cycle of the diet plan, you can occasionally bend the rules a little. In the chapter that follows, Marguerite discusses her flexible approach to the diet.

WHILE YOU ARE ON THIS DIET, ENJOY EATING

A partial list of the foods and ingredients you can incorporate into meals appears here (#litres_trial_promo). I call it a partial list because it cannot include every fruit, vegetable and fish from around the world. When you begin your new eating plan, take time to taste new varieties of fresh food. Have you tried the sweet, orange flesh of Sharon fruit? For a fantastic dessert, scoop out the flesh of chilled, ripe Sharon fruit and serve in small glass bowls. No sugar needed for this treat! On the more substantial side, have you enjoyed the delicate flavour of firm-textured steaks of escolar (mock sea bass), caught off the coast of South America? Or tasted barracuda fillets? If not, a treat or two awaits you.

The culinary arts are based on a rich palate of fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, nuts, grains, seeds, herbs and spices. Combined in different ways by different cultures, these ingredients produce dishes with an endless variety of flavours and textures. The Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet actually sets very few restrictions on your enjoyment of this wonderful diversity.

THERE ARE CERTAIN FOODS AND DRINKS YOU MUST ABANDON

These are listed here (#litres_trial_promo). Don’t let this put you off. Give your body a chance. Following the diet carefully for at least seven weeks should reduce the symptoms of arthritis and improve your general health, so it will be worth the sacrifice.

THERE ARE CERTAIN FOODS YOU MUST EAT

These are listed here (#u4586583c-8d20-4188-99f4-e0a5602eac49). Be faithful to these foods: they contain the healing nutrients your body needs. Include raw fruits and vegetables in your diet as often as possible.

THERE ARE CERTAIN DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS YOU MUST TAKE

Many of you will already be using supplements containing fish oil and vitamin E. The Eat to Beat Arthritis Diet also includes black treacle (molasses), brewers’ yeast, and further suggests that you use supplements containing the mineral selenium (see here (#litres_trial_promo)) and glucosamine, a naturally occurring substance that forms part of normal joint cartilage (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).

DRINK WATER

This sounds simple enough, but you would be surprised how many people fail to drink enough water to fully flush waste products from their bodies. You need 1½–2 litres/2½–3 pints/1½–2 quarts, drunk in small amounts throughout the day. This can include fruit juice and milk, but no caffeine drinks. Filtered water and fresh tap water are recommended, or still bottled water (not carbonated).