Dietary guidance for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

  Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease. In addition to joint damage, the function of the heart, lungs, kidneys and other internal organs may also be affected. Rheumatoid arthritis patients usually take a lot of oral medications during the treatment period, and many patients describe “taking medications as eating”, and some of the medications have a certain degree of gastrointestinal irritation, so they need to be treated with drugs that protect the gastric mucosa. In daily life, for people with poor gastrointestinal function, many patients often ask questions about what they can and cannot eat.  Overall, patients with rheumatoid arthritis should follow a diet high in protein, high in vitamins, and low in fat based on a reasonably matched diet. High-protein, low-fat food mainly consists of eggs, milk, soy products, dried fruits and meat (white meat such as chicken, duck and fish is recommended). In terms of cooking methods, it is best to choose steaming, stewing or soup, and use less deep-frying methods. High vitamin food mainly refers to fresh vegetables and fruits.  Certain cold, indigestible foods are not suitable for rheumatoid joint patients, such as seafood, animal fats and other high-fat foods. High levels of purines in seafood can form urate crystals in the joints, making joint symptoms worse. In addition, too acidic, too salty is food should not eat more. Acidic and salty food intake is too much, easy to increase the burden on the kidneys, and consume a certain amount of calcium and magnesium ions in the body, which can aggravate the joint symptoms.