Are certain foods/additives causing flare-ups?

jeml13

Hi I'm jeml13 and I'm new to this forum, I keep having an upset tummy and feel shaky at the same time as my arthritis flares up. Does any one else have this experience? The culprits that affect me so far are: chocolate and the preservative sodium nitrate and peanuts. (Possibly wheat and eggs). I want to go on an elimination diet - has anyone else tried this with success? Anybody know of any good books about arthrirtis and diet? All info gratefully received.

valval

hi this been covered a few times but can not remember what it was called i find strong chedder sets me off and i love it good luck val

7worlds

Hi Jeml13. Welcome to the forum. I have had stomach problems off and on since i was diagnosed with RA over a year ago. I can only speak for myself but it dosent seem to matter what i do or dont eat, it still happens, but thats me. We are all different but im sure someone will be along who can help. Take care

7worlds

Colin1

Hi Jeml
So the great never ending search begins I hope you have good luck with it.
First of all welcome to the forum and I hope we see you regularly posting and keeping us up to date with your findings. Food and diet can be helpful you should talk to your Rheumy nurse about that.
You never mentioned the meds your on and if they have any effects on you. Been here several times with foods and diets seems I was always looking for an answer, I was never happy with its just your arthritis so I would search in vain for the answer.
One week I would be celiac another it would be milk then the flour, then potatoes then it was my diet then it would be this med and that med, no its the coffee no its the tea, ill go on decaf it all made no difference. Do you get days when your ok and days your not ok Is it RA you have as it can be very complicated Do you suffer from FM as that can give all the symptoms of IBS. Some times I think I found the answer only to start the problem again days later. Bananas and some other fruits like apples I cant eat because they cause problems.
Its a long road Jeml I think I drove my wife mad LOL all you can do is try but don’t let it get on top of you hope this info has helped sorry if it seems so negative but thats the way it is with me
Colin

Numptydumpty

And there speaks the voice of experience!
I agree totally with what Colin says. We are all different. We all hope for a simple cure, and we're probably all disapointed.
Good luck with your search, I hope you find something to help. Please keep us posted.
All the best,
Numpty

earthspirit

welcome to the forum and the search for what triggers flares

some have said apples onions and other nightshades and you may find that elimination them works - then wham bang you eat them by mistake and nothing untoward happens!!!

i am one of these people who is attempting the "natural route" and whilst there is a lot of sense spoken about food, additives etc, i think you will find that a healthy diet, with no crap added to anything will make you feel better for a while but them bang, off you go on a flare again.

its the disease, its the diseae, its the disease..............there are facebbook groups and other forums who swear that removing gluten or cheese or chocolate will work and on and on and on it goes.

you wont go wrong with eating a normal healthy diet and eliminating additives biscuits alcohol etc will make you feel a bit better but it wont stop a flare from happening.

a flare is caused by raised inflamation in your body and i dont believe that any food either eaten or avoided makes a single bit of difference.

my own personal opinion is that when i am flaring i eat less as i feel so unwell and sticking to fruits and veg and lots of water can help it ease off a bit. i think eating lots when you feel ill makes you feel much worse, but then again that perhaps only applies to me.

good luck with whatever you try or find

LignumVitae

Hi

I don't think food is to blame - if it was there would be a dietary treatment or at least more investigation into that by our health care professionals. The problem is genes and possibly how we respond to infection so far as any research has proved.
I get rather super grumpy as a flare comes on to the point that I know my mood is irrational but can't control it (I'm normally sunny side up in life). I also often get cravings for fish at the same time which is strange as normally I rarely venture beyond a can of tuna (blame it on my mother's cooking of fish til it was definitely dead) - Mr LV finds the sight of me spooning sardines from a can into my mouth and getting upset at the cat for watching jealously quite funny and disturbing in equal doses. I think the advice of eat everything, mainly plants, is the way to go. Obviously a diet of beer, cheeseburgers and chocolate probably won't do you much good but there is much advice against elimination diets for people with our problems because they can lead to nutrient deficiency (your body tends to use some things more than other people's would so cutting things out can confuse the hell out of it and cause further problems). That's just my opinion and my experience, good luck in your quest.

LV xx

applerose

I've tried eliminating various foods but it hasn't made a difference to the RA. I have, however, become intolerant to flour. I cut it out for 2 months and I stopped with the IBS symptoms but the RA is still the same.