Problems affecting the joints do not only represent a mechanical disorder but are often accompanied by a synergy of negative factors that prevent our body from restoring a normal situation. These factors are attributable to a sedentary lifestyle, car use, incorrect sitting posture, psychophysical stress, and an improper diet.
Over time, our body experiences pressure on specific areas, which leads to inflammation and the production of free radicals. Massages, manipulations, and corrective exercises are of fundamental importance, but if our already suffering and damaged cells are not supported by a proper diet rich in antioxidant substances, the pain will reappear.
Osteoarthritis is always accompanied by high oxidative stress due to the direct action of free radicals, highly unstable molecules capable of damaging all the structures they come into contact with. They are so powerful that they force the body to produce superoxide free radicals in turn to control their propagation. Unfortunately, in diseases affecting bones and joints, this worsens the situation, aggravating the inflammatory state. The inflamed joint also releases histamine, which causes venous vasodilation. Due to this action, we will then have venous stasis affecting the vertebral bodies, the ligaments surrounding the spinal cord, and the joints. Poor blood supply causes poor nutrition of the vertebrae and adjacent tissues, which become more sensitive to pressure and gravity. To simplify this concept, the following scenario will occur: the joints are not adequately supplied with blood, resulting in poor turnover and thus swollen ligaments, leading to edema due to the recruitment of white blood cells and increased oxidative stress, causing joint pain and neuralgia.
Overweight not only exacerbates this picture but amplifies it, because fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin E or beta-carotene, are trapped and cannot act as antioxidants.
Diet, inflammation, and joint health
Given that the joints are the point where our body accumulates not only free radicals but also uric acid, it is essential to follow a lifestyle that deacidifies the body, starting with a healthy alkaline diet.
Normally, these acids are eliminated thanks to a series of physiological processes capable of maintaining the body's correct balance. Acid particles migrate from the cells to the lymphatic tissue, which, through a series of capillaries, vessels, and nodes, collects waste substances from all tissues and then releases them into the blood for expulsion. If an excess of acidic substances is constantly produced, they accumulate, leading to the onset of disorders related to acidosis: chronic fatigue, poor concentration, drowsiness, irritability, migraines, muscle cramps, muscle and joint pain, frequent inflammation, candidiasis, cellulite, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, arthritis.
There is ample evidence in the scientific literature demonstrating that diet plays an important role in managing acid-base balance. Every food, in fact, based on its composition, can provide the body with an acid load (acidifying food) or substances capable of neutralizing acid waste (alkalizing food).
Therefore, one should organize their diet so that alkalizing foods represent about 75-80% of daily consumption.
Recommended foods are generally fruits and vegetables (apples, lemons, lettuce, millet, potatoes, almonds, sesame seeds, blueberries, broccoli, chard, carrots, celery, cabbage, green beans, onions, oranges, molasses and, in general, all fresh fruit and vegetables), with the addition of 20% animal-derived foods (meat, fish, shellfish, milk and dairy products), but also wheat and cereals. Alkalizing cereals (or pseudo-cereals) include quinoa, millet, and amaranth.
In practice, for every acidifying food (the last ones on the list), four alkalizing ones are chosen.
It is also essential to drink plenty of water (about 2 liters per day, away from meals), which is also "alkalizing": observe the labels of the waters you buy; the pH should be above 7.
Nuts, soy, avocado: rich in vitamin E, which promotes joint tissue regeneration, and vitamin B3, which improves mobility and strength. Broccoli, turnips, onions, carrots (preferably fresh, in the form of juice), alfalfa sprouts, dried plums: rich in boron, which counteracts osteoporosis by reducing associated pain.
Foods that promote joint inflammation
It is important to reduce salt and try to replace it with alkalizing condiments: ginger, chili pepper, curry, sage, rosemary, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds.
Foods to avoid include: meats, eggs, processed and sugary foods, but also white flours, yeasts, wheat, milk, and its derivatives. These foods, in fact, are among the main allergens, and food intolerances are among the causes of inflammatory phenomena.
