Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Events Calendar
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Events Calendar
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member








​news

​Lifestyle Changes for Arthritis Pain

5/5/2022

 
Picture
by Tracey Shaffer, RDN, LD ​
      May is National Arthritis Awareness Month. Arthritis is one of the most widespread health conditions in the United States. It currently affects over 53 million Americans and is expected to grow to over 67 million people by the year 2030. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the U. S. and it affects about one in four adults overall. The month of May is recognized each year as National Arthritis Awareness Month.
 
    There are three major forms of arthritis:
 
     Osteoarthritis:  Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. In OA the cartilage within a joint begins to breakdown and the underlying bone begins to change. It can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling. Osteoarthritis is usually caused by wear and tear of the cartilage that cushions the joints.
     Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. RA commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees.
     Psoriatic arthritis:  Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis linked with psoriasis, a chronic skin and nail disease. Psoriasis causes red, scaly rashes and thick, pitted fingernails. Psoriatic arthritis is similar to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in symptoms and joint swelling (inflammation). But it tends to affect fewer joints than RA.
 
     Although there is no cure for arthritis, there are lifestyle steps you can take to ease the pain and reduce further symptoms.

  1. Follow an Anti-inflammatory diet. A diet rich in whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and beans is not only great for overall health, but can also help manage disease activity. These are all the principles of the Mediterranean diet, which is frequently touted for its anti-inflammatory and disease-fighting powers. Inflammatory foods such as saturated fats, sugary foods and beverages and highly processed foods may aggravate arthritis pain.
  2. Walk! Walking has been shown to improve arthritis pain, fatigue, function, and quality of life. Walking is something almost everyone can do and can be done without any special equipment. You can begin at your own pace and build up your distance. There is no better time to begin a walking program than during Arthritis Awareness Month.
  3. Manage your weight. Weight loss eases arthritis pain and improves the quality of life of adults living with arthritis, especially if they are overweight or have obesity. Following a healthy balanced diet and getting movement in each may do the trick.
  4. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can make pain worse. Studies show that as many as 80% of people with arthritis have difficulty sleeping. By working on your sleep hygiene, you may be able to ease some of your arthritis pain.
  5. Stop smoking. Arthritis is just one more reason to quit smoking. Smoking can worsen symptoms of arthritis and cause more joint pain. Research shows that smoking is harmful to you bones and joints.
  6. Limit alcohol use. Alcohol's inflammatory effects can aggravate both degenerative joint pain from osteoarthritis and auto-immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
  7. Manage stress. Being under stress can worsen arthritis symptoms. The best solution is to manage stress before it can undermine disease management and quality of live. Meditation, walking and listening to music can all help manage stress. Find what works best for you.

Add this easy anti-inflammatory recipe to your meal plan to help reduce arthritis pain.

Spinach-Quinoa Bowls with Chicken and Berries
Serves 2

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh baby spinach or mixed greens
1 cup cooked quinoa
2/3 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fresh blueberries or sliced fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted, unsalted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
14/ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
  1. Divide the spinach, quinoa, and chicken evenly between two 1-quart airtight containers. Top each salad evenly with the berries, cheese, and almonds. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
  2. Just before serving whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey and salt in a small bowl. Divide the dressing evenly between the salads and toss to coat; serve immediately.
  3. Dairy-free option: Omit the feta cheese and increase the sliced almonds to 3 tablespoons.
Nutrition information:
Calories 396, Fat 20 g, Protein 23 g, Carbohydrate 31 g, Fiber 6 g
Recipe Source: Cooking Light

Tracey Shaffer is a registered dietitian and certified health coach and owner of KC Nutrition Coach in Eastern Jackson County. She can be reached at tracey@kcnutritioncoach.com. You can visit her website at kcnutritioncoach.com.
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid19
    Covid-19
    Economic-development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial-health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain-valley-assistance-council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain-valley-partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Technology
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

Grain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. 
(c) 2023 Grain Valley News

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
Picture