Last week we spoke to My London Nutritionist Karmilla Schaffner about key foods and ingredients you should look to include in your diet in order to help osteoarthritis (read the article in this LINK). But it’s not all about what you have to include but also about foods you should avoid as much as possible. Here Kamilla gives some foods you should stay clear of in order to keep those joint pains at bay.

Ditch the fizz

Certain beverages can make things worse because inflammation is also a result of over-acidity in your body. You want to keep your body more alkaline than acidic. Certain beverages like fizzy drinks, especially carbonated drinks like coke, and other popular fizzy drinks are highly acidic and will contribute to additional inflammation in the body. If you already have achy joints this is the last thing you want to include in your diet.

Coffee is not your friend

I would add black tea to this. If it’s decaf or caffeinated it makes no difference. Caffeine present in black tea and coffee increases acidity in the body which in turn increases inflammation. These drinks increase the acidity level to a similar level to drinking alcohol. Increase in acidity creates this inflammatory environment where if you’re already having a bit of joint discomfort or you’re feeling stiff and painful, it can make it worse just like alcohol would. Furthermore, caffeine is diuretic, which means it causes you to pee more often, which in turn dehydrates you. Staying hydrated - as mention in the last article - is essential in making sure your joints are properly lubricated to allow for pain-free and easy movement.

Anything Man-Made

I am talking about things like margarine. Because synthetic, man-made fats are only a molecular step away from eating plastic, which I’m sure I don’t need to tell you is not a good idea for any diet. But what these synthetic fats do in an anti-inflammatory diet is they stop all those lovely Omega 3 essential fatty acids getting into your system. If you want a bit of fat look for good, organic butter, but try and eat it in moderation.

How You Cook Matters

Don’t fry for the sake of frying, if you love eggs that’s fine, eggs are great, they’re full of protein but don’t fry them in a river of oil. Poach them, boil them, bake them, don’t fry them. The same goes with your fish or steak, grill, don’t fry. The same goes for chips, have mash potato don’t have french fries. It’s all about management of fats that are not only unhealthy because they don’t really give us anything, they’re also blockers for nutrients coming through. If there is an alternative to cooking something look for the healthy option like poaching or baking, rather than adding fats that are blocking the nutrients we want to have in our body.

Goodbye Mr. Chips

If you have food in your diet that is pre-packed and doesn’t expire until 2025, get rid of it. Anything that is packaged has been hydrogenated to prevent it spoiling. If you typically go for something deep-fried like chips, the fat in said chips will prevent other healthy fats and nutrients being absorbed by your body. We don’t want to create a biochemical imbalance of unhealthy fatty acids in the body. If you’re following a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet by eating a lovely piece of salmon, rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids and you think you’ll cheat by having it with chips, don’t! The chips will prevent all the goodness you’re doing from getting into your system. Instead, have a baked potato or oven baked wedges to accompany your food.

To find out more about Kamilla and My London Nutritionist you can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and on her website http://www.mylondonnutritionist.com/