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Real Life Diet Questions Answered

Angela Dowden
Nutritionist

Posted 26 Apr 08

I have diabetes and arthritis - any special tips?

Because I have arthritis and diabetes I have to be careful what I eat and how I exercise. How do I lose weight easily? Any special tips for me? My membership runs out Thursday night so please hurry.

Our expert says...

Hi,

I am sorry to hear you have diabetes and arthritis, but these do not need to stand in the way of losing weight.

Apart from any individual, specific dietary advice you have been given by your Doctor or Diabetic Nurse, there is little difference between a healthy way of eating for a diabetic or a non-diabetic. In general, this means following a diet based on wholegrains and low Glycaemic Index (GI) carbohydrates, lean protein (such as skinless chicken, turkey or fish) and lots of fruit and vegetables and other high fibre foods.

As a diabetic, your blood sugar control mechanisms are not working efficiently and it is therefore really important to keep your blood sugar levels stable through your diet. Eating this type of diet will help with this and it will also fill you up and help control your appetite.

This healthy way of eating should also benefit your arthritis. For arthritis, I would recommend reducing foods in your diet that may cause inflammation in your body i.e. red meat, dairy and fried foods. Other foods that have been linked to aggravating arthritis include: salt; citrus fruits; and food from the 'nightshade' family, which are potatoes, aubergine, tomatoes and all different coloured peppers. It may be worth removing some of these from your diet for a week or two to see if your symptoms improve. Finally, ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and you could try grating some fresh root ginger and adding it to stir-fries, soups and foods to see if this reduces your symptoms.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck for the future.

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