Any info on Raw foods and Arthritis?

[Dimples]

Has anyone been able to :

1) heal arthritis or
2) reduce the pain and discomfort and/or manage
3) nothing has happened at all

with raw foods?

My Mom is visiting me for the holidays for about a month and she has arthritis on her hands and I would be grateful to anyone who can give me pointers on how raw foods may have helped them deal with arthritis. She says that she feels eating tomatoes, ginger and beef triggers the pain, so that's off her diet already. She may not be open 100% to eating raw but is definitely open to healthier diets and anything that can help manage and even heal her since medication has not helped.

Any ideas welcome. Thanks.

[michigan roman]

i was just reading the member ' eternityrider ' post in a fasting thread by aleesha today about how people have cured arthritis by fasting , i know quite extreme for the vast majority but perhaps juice feasting is an option . theres a site www.juicefeasting.com thats great and with all kinds of pages / info on the discipline . to me a point people with many modern day ailments have to grasp is that weve been eating very wrongly and that the only way were gonna cleanse out the pollution caused by wrongful diets and in the process fix our ailments is to start eating like nature intended = raw plants and water + juice / water fasting in effort to speed up the cleansing process .

to me arthritis is joints clogged up with junk weve pastly aten that our cells couldnt burn up for fuel / energy . and it thusly must be flushed out or stay inflammed / painful .

[klomasius]

Hi dimples,

I was diagnosed with arthritis at a very young age and had to have an emergency operation to relieve inflammation in both hips and one knee.

As an adult the symptoms were not so bad, just general stiffness and a little inflexibility, and when winter came, more of that and some pain. I was told that as I aged it would get worse and probably spread to other joints as well, which I started to notice happening in my hands, especially in winter in the cold when I could sometimes hardly move them (I was only early twenties).

When I switched to a vegan diet I saw a fair bit of improvement in symptoms, which generally dropped down to some heat and redness at the joints and a bit of pain and stiffness in winter.

I'm quite certain that getting rid of animal products from my diet was the biggest factor. Animal proteins have a proven link to inflammatory diseases (there are articles on a vegan diet and it's benefits for arthritis), not just arthritis but many inflammatory conditions including bad periods, mucous membrane problems etc.

Switching to a high raw diet had another noticeable effect. I experienced more flexibility (such a surprise!), less inflammation, and the pain has pretty much gone away. I think for me the vegan things that incite inflammation are mostly cooked grains.

I think your mum would definitely benefit from introducing more fresh foods into her diet and cutting down on the animal products. Try and get her onto green smoothies, I reckon that has helped me a lot.

Good luck! :)

[Dimples]

Hi dimples,

I was diagnosed with arthritis at a very young age and had to have an emergency operation to relieve inflammation in both hips and one knee.

As an adult the symptoms were not so bad, just general stiffness and a little inflexibility, and when winter came, more of that and some pain. I was told that as I aged it would get worse and probably spread to other joints as well, which I started to notice happening in my hands, especially in winter in the cold when I could sometimes hardly move them (I was only early twenties).

When I switched to a vegan diet I saw a fair bit of improvement in symptoms, which generally dropped down to some heat and redness at the joints and a bit of pain and stiffness in winter.

I'm quite certain that getting rid of animal products from my diet was the biggest factor. Animal proteins have a proven link to inflammatory diseases (there are articles on a vegan diet and it's benefits for arthritis), not just arthritis but many inflammatory conditions including bad periods, mucous membrane problems etc.

Switching to a high raw diet had another noticeable effect. I experienced more flexibility (such a surprise!), less inflammation, and the pain has pretty much gone away. I think for me the vegan things that incite inflammation are mostly cooked grains.

I think your mum would definitely benefit from introducing more fresh foods into her diet and cutting down on the animal products. Try and get her onto green smoothies, I reckon that has helped me a lot.

Good luck! :)

Thanks a bunch for your reply. Can you tell me how much high raw you are and how long you've been eating raw. Are there any raw foods that you can't eat as a result of the arthritis? As for the animal products, she's off beef and I think milk but she's still on naturally raised, 'roaming free-range' chicken. Living in Africa, most of her veggies are naturally/organically grown and actually very healthy but obviously she 'murders' them before ingesting them (cooking).

I will definitely research on articles on vegan diet and arthritis. It would be a start for her.

Congratulations on the progress you've made and pray that arthritis becomes a thing of the past in your life.

[Dimples]

i was just reading the member ' eternityrider ' post in a fasting thread by aleesha today about how people have cured arthritis by fasting , i know quite extreme for the vast majority but perhaps juice feasting is an option . theres a site www.juicefeasting.com thats great and with all kinds of pages / info on the discipline . to me a point people with many modern day ailments have to grasp is that weve been eating very wrongly and that the only way were gonna cleanse out the pollution caused by wrongful diets and in the process fix our ailments is to start eating like nature intended = raw plants and water + juice / water fasting in effort to speed up the cleansing process .

to me arthritis is joints clogged up with junk weve pastly aten that our cells couldnt burn up for fuel / energy . and it thusly must be flushed out or stay inflammed / painful .

That re-education part is sometimes the hardest part. I am working on how to get the message across to my Mom. She actually has access to organically grown greens, veggies and fruits at incredibly cheap rates coupled with the fact that she grows most of the stuff anyway. The education itself is the problem. That she can munch on a sweet potato that she just dug from her garden without boiling it first? Her eyes would pop out to imagine such a thing. Growing up we thought the only people who did that were dirt poor people who couldn't afford the necessary stuff to cook that sweet potato. No wonder in Africa obesity and disease like diabetes, cancers and the like are labelled middle class/rich people ailments.

[klomasius]

I've been eating high raw (sometimes descending back into SAD for periods) for about three years. The percentage really depends as tend to oscillate. Usually it's about 70 - 75% raw but I go for set periods of 100% raw (like now). Even the cooked food I have is pretty healthy, but when I'm not 100% I do drink coffee.

I noticed the positive effects of raw pretty much immediately I went high raw. It jumps up when I do 100%, but oddly even when I do eat cooked it never goes back to what it used to be.

I've never avoided any foods because of the arthritis, though when I first got it (age ten) my mom took me to a natropath and she suggested avoiding potatoes and I think it was milk.

I get a little leery when people suggest avoiding particular exact foods, rather than types of foods. Once on a high raw diet or even a vegan diet the benefits are so good I think they outweigh any damage any one raw vegan food could have. But that's just me.

I hope you manage to convince your mum, I'm sure she'll experience great results!

[fuggles]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVB820G6CwQ&feature=channel

[sport]

I have been 100% raw for 3 and a half years and I have developed Arthritis and osteoporoses in the past year.
I find that if I take MSM and Glucosamine I can keep it from bothering me. I am hoping that the damage was done prior to going raw (even though I was vegan) and may improve.
I am also considering a fast when the weather gets better and will report if it gets better.

[oceanluv]

some people have found avoiding foods in the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, eggplant, etc.)also no dairy or coffee helps prevent flare-ups. I have some arthritis in my hands and knees, and it always feels better when I am 100 % raw.

[Green_Woman]

I'm a mildly arthritic old 23 yr. old ;) who eats high raw and has seen reduced pain and inflammation primarily in my knees when on high raw or 100%. :) I eat ALOT of salads and green smoothies!!!