Alphabet Soup: An A-to-Z Guide to Favorite Foods
by Suzette Hill
originally published in Arthritis Today

Tea Time
The latest research confirms that green tea not only brims with antioxidants, but also that four cups a day may prevent the onset or progression of RA. Earlier studies have shown that antioxidants in green tea help to ward off cancer and inflammation. “It’s not a food, it’s a health booster,” asserts Hogan. Get a good start toward your daily four cups by pre-empting your morning coffee with a cup or two of green tea.

Uncover Nightshades
Nightshades have gotten a bad rap in the diets of people with arthritis, but Henderson asserts that there’s limited evidence that foods in the nightshade family - which includes potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and most peppers - promote inflammation. “Taking these foods out of your diet can severely limit the nutritional quality of one’s dietary intake,” she says.

There are many foods more apt to cause sensitivities than nightshades, she adds, and red peppers and other nightshades have a lot to offer, nutritionally speaking. By weight, red peppers contain three times as much vitamin C as citrus fruit. They’re also a good source of beta-carotene, fiber and vitamin B6. A half-cup, cooked or raw, of any nightshade counts as a vegetable serving.

Viva Italia
Many dietitians still consider canola the oil of choice when you have no choice but to use oil, but the results of a new study may make olive oil a contender. In a retrospective dietary intake study, researchers at the University of Athens Medical School found that people in the highest category of olive oil consumption - about three tablespoons a day - were less likely than those with the lowest consumption to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers still aren’t clear as to how olive oil reduces the risk of developing disease, but they speculate that it may be due to the high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil.

Get Wet!
Next time you feel hungry, drink a glass of water instead. According to Hogan, thirst often triggers a sensation of hunger. You have nothing to lose - and everything to gain except weight.

“Water keeps your body running smoothly, and it has no calories,” she says. Water lubricates the joints and organs, maintains muscle tone, regulates body temperature, helps maintain tissue balance and filters out impurities. It also transports nutrients such as calcium, sodium and potassium to cells.

The rule of thumb has always been to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day (more if you’re active or drink caffeinated beverages). If you’re not up to keeping count, keep an eye on your urine output instead - a pale yellow color and low odor indicates proper hydration. Just remember to drink before you feel thirsty - by the time your body signals a need, you could be as much as 16 ounces low.