Good food for joints

[JennyR]

I've have a few injuries to my knees and ankles when I was younger and these parts of my body creak a lot nowadays. I know I'll likely end up with arthritis when I get older, but are there any foods that I can eat that are good for my joints that might help me to keep these areas well lubricated?

[enviroTodd]

Creaking joints aren't an indication that you will have arthritis later in life. Nor are popping joints or crackling ones. Those symptoms actually have nothing to do with the cause of most forms of arthritis. I think what you likely suspect is that you have damaged the joints. If you have had injuries, that might be the case. That said, the sounds they make have nothing to do with it. Many people have perfectly healthy joints that pop and creak and groan. One of the most common forms of arthritis is caused by the wearing down of the protective layer between the bone and the joint. If you are to be affected by it, that's likely the reason - creaks or not. If your injuries did damage to the barrier between your bone and the joint, then yes, you will likely suffer from arthritis.
There are a lot of foods that can not only help to boost your joint health but also protect you from pain even if arthritis is developing. Look into an anti-inflammatory diet. Inflammation is the source of pain. Cut down on salt and sugar and boost your nutrients especially antioxidants. Start eating lots of dark green veggies as well as brightly colored fruits and veggies. At the same time, focus on eating more oily fish and get a good amount of healthy fats - which lubricate the joint - while reducing unhealthy fats which work against everything else you're doing. If you eat too much salt, sugar and unhealthy fat, you're actually cutting out the value of all the other nutritious foods you've been working so hard to eat. So don't think you can eat spicy sausage, potato chips and soda and then think a small side of kale will make any difference.

[Whirlybird]

I think if you take glucosamine supplements that's supposed to help.

[suzieQ]

Creaking joints aren't an indication that you will have arthritis later in life. Nor are popping joints or crackling ones. Those symptoms actually have nothing to do with the cause of most forms of arthritis. I think what you likely suspect is that you have damaged the joints. If you have had injuries, that might be the case. That said, the sounds they make have nothing to do with it. Many people have perfectly healthy joints that pop and creak and groan. One of the most common forms of arthritis is caused by the wearing down of the protective layer between the bone and the joint. If you are to be affected by it, that's likely the reason - creaks or not. If your injuries did damage to the barrier between your bone and the joint, then yes, you will likely suffer from arthritis.
There are a lot of foods that can not only help to boost your joint health but also protect you from pain even if arthritis is developing. Look into an anti-inflammatory diet. Inflammation is the source of pain. Cut down on salt and sugar and boost your nutrients especially antioxidants. Start eating lots of dark green veggies as well as brightly colored fruits and veggies. At the same time, focus on eating more oily fish and get a good amount of healthy fats - which lubricate the joint - while reducing unhealthy fats which work against everything else you're doing. If you eat too much salt, sugar and unhealthy fat, you're actually cutting out the value of all the other nutritious foods you've been working so hard to eat. So don't think you can eat spicy sausage, potato chips and soda and then think a small side of kale will make any difference.

Wow that is really informative enviroTodd! I had no idea that creaks, pops and crackles were not related to arthritis. I pretty much assumed that if you've got crunchy sounding joints due to an injury or otherwise that you've pretty much set yourself up for arthritis later on in life. I kinda feel better knowing that that's not entirely true. I guess it's like the myth that cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis and other problems when you're older.

[Whirlybird]

Wow that is really informative enviroTodd! I had no idea that creaks, pops and crackles were not related to arthritis. I pretty much assumed that if you've got crunchy sounding joints due to an injury or otherwise that you've pretty much set yourself up for arthritis later on in life. I kinda feel better knowing that that's not entirely true. I guess it's like the myth that cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis and other problems when you're older.

I guess that kind of makes sense. They have said that if you pop your knuckles it doesn't cause arthritis. It's just air bubbles/vacuums or something like that. It's not like it's your bones clacking together. Ew. But I never thought that out either. That's a good relief.

[JennyR]

Thank you for this EnviroTodd. I was not expecting such a detailed and informative response! I'm really excited to start creating a more anti-inflammatory diet. I didn't know that I could actually help to protect my body with foods like this!

[KenTraver]

Thank you for this EnviroTodd. I was not expecting such a detailed and informative response! I'm really excited to start creating a more anti-inflammatory diet. I didn't know that I could actually help to protect my body with foods like this!

It's true. It amkes a veyr big difference. Atfer a few weeks you can actually feel a difference. bloating and swelling goes down. Redness itching goes down. joints feel better