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36 TIPSFOR AN ARTHRITIS-FRIENDLYDIETFROM THE E XPERTS AT THE ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION

What’s in yourgrocery cart?LEARN WHAT FOODS TO BUY AND WHAT TO SKIPFOR YOUR ARTHRITIS AND YOUR HEALTH.Eating right for your arthritis and your overallhealth begins with what you buy. This meansselecting foods that can help you maintaina weight that doesn’t overload joints,emphasizing nutrient-rich foodsand skipping fatty, sugary,processed products thatstoke inflammation.CONTENTS1 Introduction2 Produce3 Deli4 Meat & Seafood5 Pasta & Grain6 Frozen7 Packaged8 Bread & Cereal9 Snacks10 Dairy1 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

PRODUCENutrient-densefruits and veggiesdeliver antioxidants that fightinflammation.1Pass over pale lettuce. The darker the leaf, themore nutrients it has, including antioxidant vitaminsA and C, bone-strengthening vitamin K and calcium.2Shop for vibrant colors. Choose an array ofcolorful fruits and vegetables; they get their pigments from antioxidants, such as the blues and purplesfrom anthocyanin and the oranges and yellows frombeta-carotene.3Think “snacks.” Grab bite-sized fruits andveggies like grapes and precut carrots, or thoseyou can easily cut and store, such as apples.4Stock up on avocados. Keep a ripe one atthe ready to mash for a nutritious and satisfyingmayo substitute or to slice into salads. Avocados arehigh in healthy unsaturated fats that may aid weightloss and reduce heart disease and stroke risk.2 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

DELIBe selective.Many deli items arehigh in unhealthyfats, salt and otherdiet-bustingfoods.576Order a better sandwich. Load it up withdark lettuce, tomato, spinach, shredded carrots,bell peppers, olives and onions. Add a low-sodiummeat if you like and ask for condiments that pack flavorrather than calories, such as spicy mustard or oil andvinegar with dried Italian spices. Reduce calories frombread by ordering half instead of a whole sandwichand add a healthy salad.Ask questions. If there’s no nutrition information or label, inquire about ingredients andpreparation, and don’t be afraid to make specialrequests, like a salad without cheese or a newlymade sandwich with fresh veggies.Choose your cheese. Select flavorful varieties, such as sharp cheddar, to grate or crumbleon sandwiches and other foods; it adds tang withrelatively low calorie cost. A little tasty, high-fatcheese a couple of times a week won’t wreck yourdiet and will help keep you from overeating low-fat“healthier” varieties.Skip diet destroyers. That includes friedanything, mayonnaise-laden salads andcheese-heavy pastas – high-fat foods that contributeto inflammation.83 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

MEAT & SEAFOODFatty fish, likesalmon, is the mostpotent source ofanti-inflammatoryomega-3s.9Opt for lean meats. After fish, lean meatssuch as chicken and turkey are your bestchoices. If you eat red meat, buy leaner cuts, suchas sirloin, flank or tenderloin. And consider gettinggrass-fed; recent research shows grass-fed cattlemay produce beef with more omega-3 fats thanconventionally raised cattle do.10Add fish to your menu. Eating three tofour servings of fish per week is a goodidea, especially for people with inflammatory typesof arthritis.11Beware prepared meats. Read labelsand ask about ingredients in pre-marinatedor stuffed meats and seafood; they often have a surprising load of calories, sodium or sugar.12Forgo processed meats. Sausages,hot dogs, bacon, ham and other processedmeats are high in sodium, sugar and preservatives,like nitrites. Studies link processed meats to a rise inC-reactive protein (CRP, a blood marker of inflammation) and certain cancers.4 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

PASTA & GRAINCut refinedgrains and addwhole grains tolower inflammatorymarkers and helpweight loss.13Go with “ancient grains.” This trendhas created an explosion of grain andpasta products. Most ancient grains, such as farroand millet, are whole and may be higher in fiber andprotein. Brown rice and whole-wheat pasta are oftenless expensive and just as healthy.14Expand your pasta palate. Beyondwhole wheat are pastas made of quinoa,farro and other grains. Legume-based pastas, like thosemade from garbanzos, deliver extra protein and fiber.15Be gluten savvy. If you have celiac disease, gluten-free products are a must; someother people say that cutting out gluten makes themfeel better, but gluten-free products are not necessarilymore nutritious or lower in calories or sugar than theirgluten-containing counterparts.16Find smart shortcuts. Some “instant”or quick-cook versions of rice, oatmealand other grains are just as healthy as slower- cookversions.5 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

FROZEN65%People who saynutrition moderatelyor greatly impactstheir arthritisFROM A SURVEY OF ARTHRITISFOUNDATION MEMBERS17Go fish. Seafood starts to lose its nutritional value as soon as it’s caught. Frozenseafood is frozen immediately after it’s caught, so it’soften fresher and can be more nutritious than refrigerated seafood.18Favor yogurt. Although high in sugar,some frozen yogurts have probiotic benefits. Look for a “live and active cultures” seal on thepackage.1920Pick plain. Buy frozen fruits and veggieswithout added sauces, sugar or fat.Choose convenience foods carefully.Foods like pizzas and breakfast sandwiches are low in fiber and high in fat, sodium andother additives. If you like frozen meals for their convenience, select those with high fiber (3 to 5 grams)and less than 600 mg of sodium, 5 grams of saturatedfat and no trans fat.6 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

PACKAGEDBeware ofadded sugar,sodium andpreservatives inmany packagedfoods.21Choose low-sodium. Items should haveabout 5 percent (120 milligrams) dailyvalue of sodium per serving. Drain and rinse cannedfoods like beans.22Look for legumes. Garbanzos, lentils,cannellinis and other beans and peasare low-fat, nutritional powerhouses brimming withprotein, fiber, iron and B vitamins, particularly folate.Plus, they’re satisfying substitutes if you’re cuttingback on meat. (Dried legumes have the same perks.)23Forget flavored fish. Get the omega-3sand avoid additives by picking plain tunaor sardines (no mustard or spicy flavors), packed inwater or their own oil.24Bypass processed. Mac and cheese,instant potatoes and many jarred graviesand sauces are calorie-laden, high-glycemic foodsthat spike blood sugar and can pack on pounds.7 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

BREAD & CEREAL84%People who believea healthy diet isimportant for managing arthritisFROM A SURVEY OF ARTHRITISFOUNDATION MEMBERS25Stick with whole grains. Refiningstrips away key nutrients. Whole grainscan help lower CRP levels, control weight and mayreduce risks of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.26Buy high fiber. Make sure all of yourgrains are high-fiber and at least half arewhole. High-fiber foods are filling, which may helpcontrol hunger.27Go for low sugar and sodium.Choose products with less than 140 mgper serving of sodium and the least amount of sugarper serving.28Look for 100% whole grain. A wholegrain should be the first ingredient listed.“Multigrain,” “stone ground” and “100 percentwheat” don’t guarantee it’s whole grain.8 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

SNACKS37%People who havetried a diet to helpmanage theirarthritis.FROM A SURVEY OF ARTHRITISFOUNDATION MEMBERS29Avoid processed snacks. Whilethey’re easy to grab and go, processedsnacks deliver high sodium, sugar and other unhealthy additives.30Sample alternative veggie-basedsnacks. Roasted garbanzos, lentil chips,crisped snow peas and other vegetable and legumessnacks are tasty replacements for potato and corn chips.31Read labels. If the lentil chips’ label listsflour instead of lentils as the first ingredient,pass. Baked snacks may have less fat than fried, butmost are refined, stripped of fiber and other nutrients.32Don’t forget popcorn. This tasty wholegrain is easy to fix. Air-pop plain kernelsinstead of using microwavable packs.9 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

DAIRYDairy mayreduce the risksof developingosteopo rosis,diabetes and heartdisease.33Drink milk. Studies have shown thatwomen who increased their milk intakeexperienced slower progression of knee osteoarth ritis.Keep it – as well as yogurt and fresh cheeses, such ascottage and ricotta – skim or low-fat.34Know your milk alternatives. If youprefer plant-based milk, read the nutritionlabel. Unless it’s fortified, it might not have the samenutritional profile as cow milk. For example, soy milkhas almost as much as protein as dairy milk (about 8grams), but almond milk delivers very little. But soy islow in calcium, so look for an unsweetened productfortified with calcium.35Skip sweetened dairy products. Flavored yogurt, milk and milk alternativescontain sugar, which add to weight and inflammation.(Sweeten plain yogurt by stirring in fruit.)36Try probiotic and fermented foods,such as non-fat Greek yogurt, kefir andsauerkraut. Fermentation can improve the bioavailabilityof certain nutrients, such as zinc, iron and calcium.10 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION ARTHRITIS.ORG

Welcome to theLive Yes! ArthritisNetwork.IN LESS THAN5 MIN YOU CANBE CONNECTED.We realize you didn’t sign up for arthritis.Our family is probably one you neverplanned to join. But it’s a special communitywhere you’ll find strength, support andsolutions to live life to the fullest.As part of the largest, most supportive arthritis community, we’ll helpmake your everyday life easier. We’ll cheer you on during the gooddays and lift your spirits on the bad ones. And we’ll challenge you, too— to help redefine the future for all 54 million of us living with arthritis.Where to StartWhile we’re getting to know each other, here’s where to start, depending on what you need and want.I WANT TO CONNECT with people going through a similar experience.Go to liveyes.arthritis.orgI LOVE DATA and want to know more about the latest research.Go to arthritis.org/arthritis-cureI NEED PRACTICAL ADVICE and tools to improve my everyday lifeGo to arthritis.org/ToolsNeed help now?Call us 24/7 at 844-571-HELP or visit arthritis.org.The turning point inmy arthritis journeywas meeting otherswho understoodwhat I was goingthrough. Thanks to theLive Yes! ArthritisNetwork, I’ve foundencouragement andadvice to help meadjust to my newnormal. This amazingcommunity hasempowered me tolive my mostmeaningful life.— Liz M.

fits. Look for a “live and active cultures” seal on the package. 19 Pick plain. Buy frozen fruits and veggies without added sauces, sugar or fat. 20 Choose convenience foods carefully. Foods like pizzas and breakfast sand-wiches are low in fiber and high in fat, sodium and