Joint-Friendly Recipes: Main Dishes for Combating Arthritis

Try the arthritis-combating recipes below and your joints will thank you! The following recipes for main dishes call for ingredients that are considered particularly beneficial for people who suffer from or have an increased risk of developing rhematoid arthritis. But before you delve into the world of joint-friendly recipes below, you may want to check out the section Diet Plan for Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers as well as the section Best Foods for Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief which provide basic information about how your eating habits affect the health of your joints.

Asparagus with Quince Jam and Walnuts

Turbo-charge your anti-inflammatory diet by indulging in this delicious asparagus dish. Asparagus is loaded with glutathione, a natural antioxidant, while walnuts provide plenty of omega-3 fatty acids which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

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Risotto with Crimini Mushrooms and Arugula

This simple recipe helps you create a risotto that's full of flavor and nutrients. The crimini mushrooms in this dish boast ergothioneine, an antioxidant amino acid that has been shown to be highly effective at reducing oxidative stress which can worsen RA symptoms.

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Apple and Onion Soup

Here we've got a recipe that combines apples and onions, two of nature's best sources of the bioflavonoid quercetin. Quercetin helps fight inflammation, including inflammation that occurs in the joints.

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Upgrade Your Salad-Making Tools!

Toss out that old plastic bottle and invest in an elegant salad dressing shaker made of high-quality glass! Don't know which one to pick? Try Trudeau's wonderfully-designed vinaigrette mixing bottle – it has a large spout opening, dripless design, and three mouthwatering recipes printed on it for easy reference.

See it on Amazon.com

Do you live in the UK? Typhoon manufactures a similar glass shaker which is available from Amazon.co.uk.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

This mouthwatering soup is a treasure trove of nutrients that help fight rheumatoid arthritis. Sweet potatoes provide an excellent source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, copper as well as certain unique root proteins which, according to preliminary studies, may have significant antioxidant properties. The quercetin provided by the yellow onion adds to the anti-inflammatory power if this recipe.

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Carrot, Tomato and Lentil Soup

Carrots offer a whopping amount of beta-carotene while tomatoes are loaded with lycopene. Both beta-carotene and lycopene have strong antioxidant properties that are thought to provide relief to people with arthritis.

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Omega-3 Omelet with Red Onions and Capers

Red onions and capers are among the best natural sources of quercetin, a bioflavonoid that has been shown to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. What's more, this omelet provides plenty of omega-3 fatty acids which also have anti-inflammatory properties.

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Romaine and Smoked Salmon Salad

Salmon helps reduce joint pain and stiffness as well as signs inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The romaine lettuce and carrots featured in this salad are packed with pro-vitamin A and vitamin C which help neutralize free radicals and reduce inflammation of joints. Also the radishes in this dish have anti-inflammatory properties.

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Wholewheat Pasta with Nettle Pesto

This pasta dish featuring young nettle won't sting you; it will only do you good. Young, blanched nettle leaves are perfectly edible, and they have been shown to inhibit TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta, compounds that cause the inflammatory cascade in rheumatoid arthritis. What's more, the whole wheat pasta this recipe calls for provides a healthy, lower glycemic alternative to the traditional white pasta.

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Stir-Fried Asparagus with Quinoa Noodles

Not only is this asparagus dish downright delicious, it also makes an excellent meal for relieving RA symptoms. Asparagus tops the list of foods with the highest concentration of glutathione, a 'master antioxidant' that has been garnering attention in the scientific community in recent years. Antioxidants are important to people with RA because of their ability to reduce oxidative stress.

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Carrot Fennel Cucumber Salad

Provided that you're not allergic to citrus, this refreshing salad works like magic to soothe your soul—and joints. The anti-arthritis properties of this salad are due to the wide range of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients found in this salad, including rosmarinic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C.

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Anti-inflammatory Salmon Salad

Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon helps fight inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The RA-fighting properties of this salad are further strengthened by red onions and capers which are among the best dietary sources of quercetin—a flavonoid with strong anti-inflammatory properties.

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Beet and Carrot Salad with Ginger

This recipe pairs beets with carrots and ginger to create a powerful natural weapon for fighting RA. Studies have found betacyanin—a phytochemical compound responsible for beets' intense purple color—to possess strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Packed with beta-carotene, carrots further strengthen the arthritis-fighting properties of this salad. The ginger featured in this salad is an age-old remedy for inflammation in the joints.

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Beet and Carrot Soup

This recipe pairs beets with carrots to create a beautiful crimson soup that also helps fight rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have found betacyanin—a phytochemical compound responsible for beets' intense purple color—to possess strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The beta-carotene provided by the carrots is also a potent antioxidant. The ginger featured in this soup is a time-honored remedy for inflammation.

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Broccoli and Barley Soup

Barley contains plenty of copper and selenium, both of which may help reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Especially the selenium content of barley is high, with a mere cup of cooked barley containing more than 50% of the daily value for this trace mineral.

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Nourishing Nettle Soup

In traditional folk medicine, nettle has been used to treat symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis for years, and scientific research is beginning to bear out nettle's age-old reputation. German researchers have discovered that nettle can inhibit TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta, substances that cause the inflammatory cascade in rheumatoid arthritis.

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Super-Nutritious Broccoli Salad with Apples and Cranberries

This super healthy salad uses ingredients that are bursting with anti-arthritis nutrients such as beta-carotene, quercetin, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, zinc, copper, and selenium. In addition, it contains a decent amount of omega-3 fatty acids (provided by the broccoli).

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Barley Soup with Carrots and Parsley

Barley is rich in copper and selenium, both of which may help reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Carrots also enhance the arthritis fighting properties of this soup by providing an abundance of beta-carotene.

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Ginger and Cucumber Salad

This salad is a great way to include more ginger in your diet. Scientists have discovered that when people with arthritis consume ginger regularly they experience relief of pain, stiffness, and swelling. These beneficial effects are largely attributable to gingerols, strong anti-inflammatory substances that also give ginger its distinctive flavor.

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For more recipes that help fight RA, please visit the main recipe directory of HealWithFood.org's Guide to Fighting Rheumatoid Arthritis.