Rheumatoid Arthritis: NHS on common signs and symptoms

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The diet you eat is one factor of many that is easy to change but can yield massive improvements in your arthritis symptoms. Mixing up your breakfast to include more anti-inflammatory foods may be enough to see significant improvements, which is supported by research.

Many typical breakfasts consisting of various kinds of cereal or toast may be making your condition worse, suggested the expert Doctor Cohen, medical director of Integrative Rheumatology Associates in the US.

She explained that most typical breakfasts, which tend to be carbohydrate-heavy, are problematic meal choices.

Carbohydrates “break down very quickly in the body into sugary components, and sugar is inflammatory,” she told Everyday Health.

Inflammation in people with arthritis is responsible for many of its symptoms.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, inflammation “attacks joints and can cause joint swelling, increased joint fluid, cartilage and bone damage, and muscle loss”.

There are other breakfast options that are less dependent on carbohydrates.

Greek yogurt with fruit

Meals like Greek yogurt with fruit contain natural anti-inflammatories that can be good for managing arthritis symptoms.

In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, women who ate low-fat yogurt daily for nine weeks had fewer signs of inflammation in comparison to women who didn’t.

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Fruit is also well-known to contain lots of antioxidants, which can reduce inflammation.

According to Harvard University, stone fruits, apples, grapes, and citrus fruits are all “particularly potent in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity”.

Watermelon and strawberries have also been shown to reduce the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP).

According to the Arthritis Foundation watermelon is “great for hydration and weight management” – both of which are beneficial for arthritis.

Whole grains

Although Doctor Declan warned of breakfasts containing lots of carbohydrates, there are some exceptions.

The arthritis foundation also recognises that foods dense in wholegrains, including oats and wholegrain have been shown to slash CRP level

Salmon and avocado

If you can mix avocado into your breakfast, perhaps with gluten-free toast, this could be beneficial too.

Avocados contain lots of monounsaturated fats, which are known to protect joints from inflammation.

Another study from 2018 showed that rheumatoid arthritis sufferers who consumed more monounsaturated fats felt better than those that ate less.

A protein shake that includes nuts

Protein is said to be vital to help improve muscle mass and function – which is important for strengthening your joints.

You could get your protein from fruit or a protein smoothie. If you include nuts, this could help too. Nuts are another good source of anti-inflammatory fats.

One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating nuts was associated with lower levels of inflammation biomarkers.

One expert dietician called Amy Shapiro told Eat This, Not That! to “focus on protein including eggs, Greek yogurt, protein smoothies with fresh fruit, and berries”.

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