Guidelines to Help Improve your

Diet & Lifestyle

19/10/2004: NRAS

• Wholefood (i.e. nothing added or taken away), e.g. wholemeal bread, brown flour, brown rice.
• Fresh fruit and vegetables in season, lightly steamed or as a salad. Try to eat both daily. (4 - 5 pieces fruit, 2 portions of veg, some salad).
• Raw cereals (muesli), nuts, seeds, dried fruits, etc. Try to eat some daily.
• Poultry, eggs, game and fish - deep sea fish is preferable to farmed fish.
• Beans, pulses, lentils, vegetables and cereals. These foods are also a good source of dietary fibre, but bran should be avoided as it is too irritant to the bowel.
• Use virgin olive oil and butter for frying and fry for as short a time as possible. Grilling and baking are better options. Used cold pressed oils for salad dressings, (the vegetable oils sold in supermarkets, e.g. sunflower oil are generally not cold pressed unless stated on the label.) Avoid margerine spreads etc. Vitaquell (available in health foods shops) and tahini or nut spreads are good for spreading on things.
• VARIETY. AVOID EXCESSIVE DEPENDENCE ON ANY ONE FOOD.
• Drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices, diluted with filtered or spring water. Drink Herb tea such as Rooibos and fruit teas, or hot water with a little fresh lemon juice as alternatives to ordinary tea.
• Avoid caffeine (tea and coffee) and use alternatives as above or coffee alternatives from health food stores such as carob, barley cup etc.
• Drink lots of filtered or spring water, up to 1.5 litres daily - if possible not taken at the same time as meals.
• Avoid as much as possible: all chemically farmed fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs. Avoid foods with added salt and don't add salt to your cooking or your food on a regular basis.

For more information on diet, visit: www.eatwell.gov.uk (please note, this site gives general dietary advice, not specific to people with rheumatoid arthritis).