LUPUS - FOOD BYTES
My, what sharp teeth Ol’ Wolfie has – the better to eat us with. When we bite into a tasty meal, it’d better be good enough to satisfy the hungry wolf within. As I wrote in
Lupus and a Wolf-Wise Diet our best diet options cater to our specific nutritional needs.
Our diet should ease our pain and modify our symptoms. It should be low-calorie, low-fat, high-fiber, organic and plant based. Our bodies may need extra essential nutrients like vitamins E, A, D, C and the B-complex vitamins. Broccoli, spinach, carrots, soy beans dark grapes and green tea are all rich in the antioxidants we need. Our diet must be low in toxins, allergens and anti-inflammatory properties, to do our bodies good.
Avoid food additives, beef, dairy, wheat, corn, and plants from the nightshade family, including tobacco, eggplant, tomatos, potatos, bell peppers, cayenne or hot chilli peppers, red peppers, which inflame our lupus, worsening our pain and other symptoms. The only nightshade exceptions are black pepper, which still isn’t so good for the kidneys and
Capsaicin, a hot pepper cream, which can work as a counter-irritant to lessen arthritic pain.
The scrambled lupus menu is being decoded and researchers are getting it down to a science.
Diet and systemic lupus erythematosus is the result of a 4 year study at the Division of Epidemiology, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute in Japan. Using vegetable oils and not using vitamin C can cause severe SLE symptoms and make SLE more progressive.
Miyagi’s been mighty busy on our behalf. A previous study demonstrated the increased risk of SLE progression in those who eat meat regularly, especially beef and pork.
Female systemic lupus erythematosus in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan: a case-control study of dietary and reproductive factors
A Seoul, Korea study revealed SLE prevents us from absorbing necessary antioxidants, especially vitamin C, vitamin A and beta-carotene.
Impaired antioxidant status and decreased dietary intake of antioxidants in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
The archives of Andrew Weil, M.D. are a foodie’s feast. Read
Eating to Ease Inflammation? with recommendations for an anti-inflammatory diet. We can also eat ginger and turmeric regularly for their anti-inflammatory effects.
In
A Raw Food Revolution? Dr. Weil advises on natural toxins in foods and which foods are better raw or cooked, with several foods that trigger lupus flare.
Immune System Strikes Twice? addresses nutritional needs in Sjogren’s syndrome with lupus. Check out Dr. Weil’s
lupus Q & A archive and the
osteoarthritis and aspirin alternatives Q & A.
Diet Linked to Lupus Symptoms from WebMD Health provides information on diet, panzymes, bromelain, carotene, vitamins, DHEA and more. (Some of this info is a little incomplete so don’t miss the latest fishy facts and links here at Lupus NewsLog.) Read
Diet & Arthritis then scroll down to the gist of this page,
LUPUS - How supplements can help from the 10/2002 Reader's Digest - British Edition
If you have Crohn's Syndrome, read
Forbidden Foods for nutritional no-nos. Check out
Health Benefits and Concerns - Vegetables from Foodnotes, with dietary suggestions for a variety of medical conditions. Check yourself out with the
Safe Food 2000 Quiz on food poisoning and food preparation from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.