A diet barely plays a role in aggravating or curing lupus. However, eating a balanced diet is an important lifestyle tip for lupus patients to follow. For every lupus patient, it is ideal to have a complete diet plan in place so that it can give a boost to the effects of the overall treatment. A balanced diet for lupus patients is one that consists of fruits, whole grains, and vegetables.
But why is having a balanced diet an important lifestyle tip for lupus patients?
Having a healthy and balanced diet is one of the essential lifestyle tips for lupus patients due to varied reasons. These include:
- A healthy diet can reduce inflammation and other symptoms in lupus patients
- A balanced diet is important to provide strength to the bones and muscles of lupus patients
- People suffering from lupus can experience side effects from their medications that can be countered by a balanced diet
- A healthy diet is important to maintain an ideal weight in lupus patients
- Having a balanced diet also promotes heart health and reduces the risk of heart diseases associated with lupus
Can a balanced diet reduce inflammation?
One of the most common symptoms of lupus is inflammation. Therefore, it is believed that anti-inflammatory foods are a useful way of combating the symptom. There is not enough evidence to prove their effects on inflammation though. Also, having a proper diet plan is important for lupus patients because there certainly are some foods that can aggravate the inflammation and worsen the condition.
Foods that can fight inflammation caused by lupus include fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants. These include apricot, blackcurrant, cabbage, carrot, kiwi, mango, and spinach, among others. Additionally, nuts, flaxseeds, olive oil, and canola oil are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and prove to be useful in reducing inflammation in lupus patients.
What foods should be avoided by lupus patients?
Just like there are certain foods that can reduce the symptoms of lupus, there are others that can aggravate the symptoms like inflammation. Therefore, lupus patients should limit the intake of the following foods:
- Fried foods
- Creamy soups
- Sauces
- High-fat dairy products
- Butter
- Ice cream
- Whole milk
Can a balanced diet help in the maintenance of bone and muscle strength in lupus patients?
For any person, regardless of whether he/she is a healthy person or a lupus patient, proper nutrition is important to maintain bone and muscle health. In lupus patients, maintaining bone and muscle health is a common problem since osteoporosis—a condition of the bones—is a common side effect of the medication used in the treatment plan of lupus patients.
Therefore, having foods with high calcium and vitamin D content is always beneficial for lupus patients. However, picking dairy products with low or no fat is always recommended. Some of the foods that lupus patients can include in their diet are:
- Low-fat yogurt
- Low-fat cheese
- Skimmed milk
