I have osteoarthritis in my knees and until a couple days ago I was doing well. I started drinking black cherry juice and switched to a different brand of glucosamine and my knees felt wonderful. Well, for the last couple of days I've been eating dairy products and started back eatin chicken. My left knee is now swollen, aching, and I'm having difficulty walking without a limp.

Anyone else noticed that certain foods trigger inflammation and increased stiffness? What are you taking that helps? Because of my sensative stomach I can not tolerate ibuprophen.

Any suggestions?

Has anything helped yet? I tried the cherry juice and didn't see any difference. I dont know if any foods make a difference. It seems the humidity is just the worst. I have joints I didnt' know I had. I still exercise and move all day, but whenever I sit down for even 10 minutes, boy, the hands and feet and knees ache. Let's not even mention the jaw.

I don't know if it's the same artritic type pain but I began going gluten free because it caused flu like aches and pains. Once I went off gluten I didn't have those. Even now, I can tell within 2 days if I've ate something bad. Barley malt is the worse.

It's interesting that you mentioned gluten because I've been wondering if that might be part of my issue. I know that wheat will cause my knees to swell and ache. I've been wondering if the problem stems from the wheat or the gluten. Is there gluten free wheat? Hmm...guess I need to get on 'net and research a gluten free diet and educate myself on this subject.

You mentioned flu like aches and pains...well this morning I woke up wondering why my entire body felt so achey. It was almost like having the flu. After a few minutes of walking around I felt fine.

Can you give me some suggestions that will help?

Yes, it's not really as daunting as it sounds. I stopped eating all breads, all pastas, all boxed cereals and even oatmeal. No processed gravy mixes or spice packages or canned soups etc... for 2 weeks. You will probably feel worse for the first 3 days with aches, fatigue, then the 3rd-5th day I will usually get an excruitaing back ache, as though my kidneys are having trouble. After the back ache, I wake up and it's as though a dark cloud has lifted from me and I feel well. If you don't feel any different after 2 weeks then it probably isn't the gluten however it normally takes 1-2 days for my symptoms to show even now if I'm accidentally glutened so please do give it up to 2 weeks.

What can you eat? Lots and lots... My typical day is 4 egg whites w/ spnach, onions & mushrooms and an apple for breakfast, cottage cheese w/ tomatoes and tuna salad for lunch, grilled chicken or fish, sweet potatoe, green beans and a large tossed salad for dinner. For snacks, there is always natural peanut butter w/ tomato slice on a rice cake. (very tasty) or any fruit, popcorn, (pop your own to avoid all those chemicals, I get a big plastic bowl and spray with pam, then pour in enough pop corn to cover the bottom, place a heavy paper plate over the top and nuke for 2 minutes for my own Microwave version). you can even make a crust free cheesecake (but again, make it from scratch so you know what is in it).

A lot of peope say they couldn't live without bread or pasta but there is so many more foods to choose from and I feel so much better that I don't miss it at all... maybe a slice of pizza occasionally but even that is doable with rice flours or soy flours..

If you have any questions, just ask.

There is no gluten free wheat, gluten is major protein in most grains, there are gluten free grains: rice, corn, buckwheat, and of course, tubers.
There is also gluten free bread and pasta on market, plenty of choices.
In ancient times ppl had wheat with very low gluten content, it is recently, the gluten content of the wheat has been genetically engineered to be high protein product.
It is easy to check for gluten antibodies, but you mentioned that you felt better from drinking cherry juice, which points to uric acid build up. Dairy and animal protein aggravate arthritis for some ppl, while other are sensitive to night shade family: tomatoes, potatoes, bell pepped and eggplants.
I have read many time, that tart cherry and juice, are well known remedy for uric acid removal, what you have may be more gout than osteoarthritis, and gout is linked to animal protein.

Dairy and meats contain also arachidonic acid, which is a know prostaglandine trigger.

We certainly can live without wheat, just switch to rice, corn, mullet, sorgo, and tubers, and see if this helps, there are rice noodles, rice pasta, gluten free breads, etc.

Buckwheat even sounds like a wheat, is also gluten free and delicious in pancakes and as hot cereal, as a side dish or as a light supper too. Good source of magnesium also.

Brown or white rice is good, corn if you can handle it, sweet potaotes, even regular, purple and red are good.
As Carol mentioned, salads and non-starchy vegetables, good fats: olive oil and butter, fish and fish oil, plenty to eat, and fruit like lemon, avocado, apples, and cherries, blueberrries, pears also, good for joint problem, as they contain silica.
Cucumbers and cabbage family, you name it, eggs if you have no problem with it. I think in general, lower animal protein is better, so I use less egg whites and just whole egg, as youlk mostly fat and fat has in general least impact on joints.
HTH,
I.
Cooking and eating at home, helps for sure.

Thank you ladies !!!

Okay I'm going to try this and see if I feel better. Carol, I have to let go of my oatmeal?! Okay, I will give this a try for two weeks because it will be worth it to wake up not feeling achey all over. What's interesting is that while I was reading these posts Elizabeth Hasselbeck was on the t.v. talking about how she felt so much better on a gluten free diet.

Iradan, I've noticed that I feel better when I eat mainly fish and veggies. I don't eat beef and rarely eat pork. My diet consists of chicken and fish, but I'm about to eliminate or limit the amount of chicken I eat. Now to find some tart cherry juice to see if it works just as good or better than the black cherry juice that I've been trying.

Thanks again ladies. I will report back after two weeks of being gluten free.

Okay, this is my third day without wheat....even my oatmeal that I really enjoy eating for breakfast . I must say that the swelling in my knees are almost totally gone. I was walking up and down some stairs yesterday with minimum amount of discomfort !!! I'm amazed at how smaller my knees look.

I've been eating more veggies, apples, blueberries, less poultry, and more nuts. I had no idea that oatmeal, which I usually eat daily, could have been causing some of my issues.

Now to find a gluten free substitute for oatmeal and I'm still trying to find tart cherry juice.

Thanks again ladies!

Wow, this is encouraging. I guess I need to try it too. I love my carbs though. This will be rough. I eat go-lean kashi every single day. Without triscuits I will not make it. I also love my tortilla corn chips. Are they bad? Aside from the salt I mean. I do eat veggies and fruit, but this will be tough. It is worth a shot. I wilt try starting Monday and report back.

So glad to hear that it is working for you. I was amazed too when I first did this. It was like night and day as to the way I felt.

You are in luck with the tortilla chips if they are made only from corn. I love the blue corn varieties and Frito Lays are gluten free too. As for oatmeal, they do make oatmeal substitutes but they can be pricey. As much as $13.00 for a lb bag. Bob's Red mill makes a good gluten free sub that is about $5. per lb. Some people don't have any problem with McCann's steel cut or Irish oats. These are really good but I would suggest not having them until you are symptom free and then reintroduce slowy.

Other grains that are good for breakfast cereal is qunioa (it's very high in protein) aramanth and rice... for cold cereal Rice Krispies is now gluten free.


HTH,

Thanks for the info. My cholesterol is slightly elevated, not enough for meds yet, but I am trying really hard to watch what I eat. Without my kashi I didn't know what was left. Egg whites just don't cut it. Happy to hear about the rice krispies. Is there any nutritional value in them at all?

In Rice Krispies? No, in fact white rice converts quickly to sugar so it's not really good for heart disease or blood sugar either one. The Bob's Red Mill gluten Free is equivalent to oats as far as nutrition value but it is more expensive. And there is Kashi cereal, not the Kashi brand but Kashi cereal itself is made of buckwheat. I find it at my Krogers near the Kosher foods, speaking of which... a lot of gluten free items can be found cheaper during the Jewish holidays for this reason.. even bakeries will have more gluten free items during this time. Not being Jewish myself I'm not sure what the connection is. I know some Jewish foods do contain wheat so I don't understand.. What about making a crustless spinach quiche and having it on hand for breakfast? You could make it from eggbeaters. I've also been known to grill up a chicken breast before work and have that for breakfast. But Quinoa is probably the healthiest, it has about 3 grams of fiber and about 6 grams of protein. Here is a recipe for you from Cullinography mag.

Warm Quinoa Breakfast Cereal
1 cup prepared quinoa
1/2-3/4 cup skim milk (depending on the consistency you like)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted almonds

Place prepared or leftover quinoa in a sauce pan. Add milk, butter, honey, cinnamon and raisins. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the cereal thickens slightly. Garnish with nuts and an additional drizzle of honey if you like. Makes one very hearty serving or two more modest ones.

You can also cook the quinoa IN milk, but I don’t find there’s much of a diffeence and using the prepared quinoa fits better into my morning routine. And you can vary your fruits (think peaches, apples, blueberries) and your toppings (pecans, sunflower seeds).


Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), though new to many of us, has been around since pre-Columbian civilizations. Because of its amazing nutritional properties and its ability to survive in even the harshest of environments, the Incas considered it so sacred that they referred to it as chisaya mama – mother of all grains. It’s been classified as a “super crop” by the United Nations because of its high protein content. In fact, quinoa is what’s considered a complete protein, meaning that it has all nine essential amino acids. It’s also an excellent source of lysine, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorous. Oh, and it’s an excellent source of dietary fiber. Want more? It’s gluten free and it’s easily digestible. See? It’s amazing.

There’s just one thing about this mother of all grains… it’s not actually a grain. Though it can be used in most any application that you would normally use a grain like rice or couscous, it’s actually the seed of a plant called chenopodium quinoa and is related to beets, spinach, and chard.

Grain or not, I love this little super food. Its nutty and earthy, crunchy and chewy, and is just so much more fun than plain old rice. Add to it that it’s actually better for me too?

I love making a Quinoa black bean and corn salad.. toss in some red tomatoes, onions & cilantro and toss with olive oil and your favorite vinegar and you have a great side dish or easy lunch.

Thanks sooooo much for taking the time to write out this recipe. I can't wait to buy it and try it. I am desperate for relief and love to try natural foods and products.

Really, this was so kind to do this.

Carol, I was just looking up recipes for quinoa and they look very appetizing. Where in the grocery store can I find quinoa? I really don't remember seeing it where I shop.

At Kroger's it's usually in the organic dry foods section. But if you have a whole foods or Wild oats they will have it in the bulk bins and it's much cheaper that way. You can go here and put in your zip code and see if your Walmart's carries it. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...uct_id=10533070

You're welcome but... it was more cut and paste. Either way, I'm happy to do it. I remember how bad I was feeling and how much better I feel without it. I just hope it does as much for you. To me, a diet change is always preferable to a pill. It's not always possible but preferable.

There is a proven link to dairy product consumption and osteoarthritis. I'd recommend looking at Dr. John McDougall's website - lots of medical research and information. (www.drmcdougall.com) Many members of my family and I have experienced the connection and feel a lot better without dairy products.

Thanks DizzyD. There is quite a bit of pertinent info. on that site. I know that being over weight plays a part in my joint health. Now to figure out a gluten free dairy free way of eating.

I know that my knees do feel better since I stopped eating oatmeal. Carol, I will check out the oatmeals that you suggested.

I'm having a challenging time locating quinoa and tart cherry juice but I'm determined.

CarolH, thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll send a pm .

I've decided to go gluten-free from now on, after seeing not just this but other advice I've seen and heard recently. I was actually fairly gluten free already but had begun letting a bit of pasta and bread back into my diet... and wallop up went the symptoms... so now out it goes again!

I do this from time to time.. think that I'll test it and have some wheat or some oatmeal then I'm miserable for about 10 days. Horrible! It still amazes me how much better I feel without gluten. I'm sure it doesn't affect everyone the same way but those who suffer from joint aches should give it a try.