What are the dietary taboos for internal rheumatism?

First of all, let me explain that the standard medical name for "internal rheumatism" that everyone often talks about is rheumatoid arthritis. Currently, there are no absolute dietary taboos in clinical practice. There are only a few types of foods that are likely to aggravate inflammation. Patients are usually advised to eat as little as possible based on their own conditions.

Not long ago, I followed up a girl who had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for 4 years. She had taken medicine to control the inflammation very stably, and even the morning stiffness had basically disappeared. In the summer, she and her friends ate spicy crayfish with cold beer for a week in a row. As a result, her knuckles were so swollen that she couldn't even hold a toothbrush. When she went to the hospital, her C-reactive protein increased more than three times, and she had to increase the dosage of the medicine she had finally managed to stabilize.

Many people think that if you have rheumatoid arthritis, you have to completely avoid seafood and high-purine foods. In fact, this is no longer the case. As long as you are not allergic to seafood and do not have gout, occasionally eating steamed fish and shrimp can supplement Omega-3 and help reduce inflammatory reactions. There is no need to avoid eating a bite.

What we really need to pay more attention to are high-sugar foods that people tend to ignore, especially milk tea, cream cakes, and fruit-flavored sodas with a lot of added sugar. When these things enter the body, they will directly amplify the inflammatory reaction, which is equivalent to "passing firewood" to the already active immune inflammation. I have met several patients who just ate a glutinous cake, and their joints became swollen and shiny the next day. Eat as little high-salt pickles, bacon, and cured meats as possible. Not only does it hurt blood pressure, many studies have mentioned that high salt intake may aggravate autoimmune disorders. Many patients report that after eating pickled meats for a few days, the time for joint stiffness in the morning increases from ten minutes to half an hour.

There are also many people who ask whether they should completely avoid cold food. In fact, there is no unified standard for this. If you have a weak spleen and stomach, and you have diarrhea after eating two mouthfuls of iced watermelon, you must avoid ice drinks and cold things. If your stomach is always good, you will not feel uncomfortable eating some ice powder and cold fruits in summer.

By the way, don’t believe those so-called “rheumatoid special foods” and “health products that you can eat casually” sold online. Last month, I visited an old man and spent more than 30,000 yuan to buy a bunch of health products that are said to be able to “cut off the root”. After three months of eating, not only the joint pain became more severe, but the liver function indicators were abnormal, and the gain outweighed the gain. In fact, there is no need to be too dogmatic about diet. Everyone's physique and tolerance are different. If you are really unsure, pay more attention to your body's reaction after eating something. If you really feel joint discomfort and morning stiffness worsen after eating, just eat less next time. As long as you eat a light and balanced diet, any folk prescription will work.