We often
hear that we should be eating more fibre in our daily diet - but why is this
particularly good news for arthritis sufferers?
A high-fibre diet may lower an indicator of
inflammation in the blood.
Fibre is
good for the heart, may prevent some cancers and now appears to lower
C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation found in the blood. As
many of you know, a high CRP level signals general inflammation and could
indicate anything from an infection to rheumatoid arthritis to heart disease.
A study led by D King, in which people who ate a high-fibre
diet (between 27 and 28 g per day) saw their CRP levels go down. One group got
their fibre from foods; another group took a supplement. CRP levels dropped in
both groups.
High fibre foods include:
Oats
Bulgar wheat
Rye (including crackers such as Ryvita)
Stoneground whole wheat (used in products such as wholeweat
pasta/bread)
Buckwheat (including noodles)
Quinoa
Brown rice
Bran (oat, wheat, rice)
Beans and pulses
Nuts and seeds
Most fruit and vegetables but especially :
Sweet potatoes
Berries (frozen and fresh)
Tree fruits (apples, pears)
Leafy Greens (spinach, kale, cabbage)
Squashes (zucchini/courgette)
Some exotic fruits and vegetables (edamame, avocado, guava)
Many of these appear on our ‘essential’ ingredients list.
What is interesting is that with the exception of fruit, all the other foods
listed above have an extremely low GI (Glycemic Index). Foods with a low GI
have been associated with less inflammation and lower CRP levels (see post hereon low GI sugars) so these foods are a double positive on the arthritis diet!
The general rule is the
sweeter the fruit or vegetable the
higher the GI (think peas, carrots, sweetcorn and most fruits- they are very sweet and
therefore contain more [natural] sugars).
As we state in our diet basics - it is important to get the majority of your fibre intake from vegetables, pulses, seeds and grains (as opposed to wheat - but more on this in another post coming up this week).
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