Allergies and Arthritis

Did you know that if you have intolerances or allergies to food such as dairy it can increase your joint pain from arthritis?

Its True! I am 25 and have Osteoarthritis in my right knee. I have been in a lot of pain lately and am trying to find out how I can alleviate some of it without using medicine. I have gluten and lactose intolerance. Despite my known intolerance I chose to eat a share of both. Why? Because I thought I could handle a little tummy ache but little did I know it goes way beyond that.

What happens? When we have allergies our immune system is triggered to produce various chemicals including, histamine. When histamine is released and soft tissue (tissue involved in joints) it can trigger inflammation. Keep in mind that this inflammation can have a delayed onset of 24 hours.

What can you do? Listen to your body and monitor how it responds to foods. Other common allergies are eggs, peanuts, soy, fish and tree nuts.

Other foods that can increase inflammation include, but are not limited to;

• Processed meats: Many of these contain Nitrates.
• Saturated fats: These are found in many animal based foods and are healthy within reason however many contain Arachidonic Acid which is what causes increased inflammation when consumed in excess (avoiding full-fat dairy and fatty cuts of meat can reduce your intake of them).
• High sugar diets: Sodas, junk food, fast food.