The 5 WORST Foods for Arthritis (SHOCKING!)

When it comes to arthritis, you’ll do anything to eliminate the pain… or even to reduce it.

But sometimes the best way to beat the pain isn’t by DOING something… it’s by NOT doing something.

Especially when it comes to your diet.

Like it or not, your diet has an impact on your arthritis pain—a BIG impact.

Certain foods can increase the risk of certain types of arthritis—and make the pain worse if you already have it.

Here are the five main foods to avoid.

Arthritis is characterized by chronic inflammation in your joints that leads to often unbearable pain and stiffness.

Taking steps to reduce overall inflammation in your body can go a long way toward reducing the “inflammatory load” on your joints as well. (I’ve talked about this before.)

And believe it or not, reducing inflammation starts with your diet.

Sugar is enemy number one when it comes to arthritis.

Sugar-sweetened sodas and desserts have been found to worsen symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis and increase the risk of arthritis if you don’t already have it.

One study found that people who drank sodas at least five times a week were three times more likely to have arthritis than those who didn’t drink any sodas.

Try cutting down on gluten as well. Gluten is found in foods like wheat, barley, and rye, and it’s notorious for increasing inflammation in your body.

Numerous studies have found that eliminating it can reduce symptoms. In one of those studies, when people with rheumatoid arthritis stopped eaten gluten for one year, it significantly reduced their disease activity and reduced their inflammation.

Highly processed foods aren’t any better, with research showing that processed foods like breakfast cereals, fast food, and baked food increase the risk of arthritis by increasing inflammation and contributing to obesity (both risk factors for RA).

Alcohol can make arthritis symptoms worse. In one study, people with inflammatory arthritis that affects the spinal cord found that alcohol intake increased spinal structural damage.

Alcohol intake has also been found to increase the frequency of gout attacks.

And if you’re dealing with arthritis pain, you might want to cut back on the salt as well. Animal studies have shown that a high-salt diet increased the severity of arthritis, while a low-salt diet decreased its severity.

High-sodium diets can also increase the risk of developing RA.