If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), every meal is an opportunity to give your joints some support, and that includes breakfast.
While there’s no specific diet that can cure RA, foods with anti-inflammatory properties can help soothe joint pain and stiffness — a process that starts in the gut. “When you eat, your food goes through 20 feet of bowel, the most important barrier between the outside world and the inside world, and, in fact, the immune system,” says Aly Cohen, MD, founder and medical director of Integrative Rheumatology Associates in Princeton, New Jersey. “The gut is the connection between how we eat and how our joints feel.”
Unfortunately, typical breakfast foods, like scones, waffles, and cereals, aren’t the best choices. “All of these are pretty much carbohydrates, which break down very quickly in the body into sugary components, and sugar is inflammatory,” says Dr. Cohen. Instead, aim for an anti-inflammatory meal that includes protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Try leftovers from a healthy dinner, like grilled chicken and vegetables, or make one of these RA-friendly breakfasts:
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