Going vegan for RA?

Hi, I tried to be raw vegan for 4-5 months and still choose to avoid meat/diary products. It didn't work for me, but my case is not entirely clear - while I have deformations, stiffness and lots of pain, I don't or almost don't get "visible" inflammatory sympthoms. So I was diagnosed with RA, then AS based on scans and then "maybe" psoriatic A and fibro. Now they think that it might be a combination of the above or something else... I hope that it will work better for you especially if you have a clear diagnosis or if you had meds that worked for you! Good luck! It's fun - def not as "difficult" as people think. Try to avoid strong spices especially sugar and salt. Balance your food - vegan food can be really junk if you fry everything or use lots of wheat. You need to give it at least 2-3 months to see if it's working.

Hi .I've been a vegetarian since I was 7 due to a meat allergy .don't really eat too much dairy either .I've had ra since I was 17 .my inflammation is constant high .so I perso don't think a vegan diet helps .just my opinion

    I think it is worth giving it a try--can't hurt.  Keep a food diary but I guess pretty easy to follow if you eliminate all meat.

     I have crohns and inflamm RA also diagnosed with MRI as no redness or any significan swelling.   My doc told me to try and eliminate most carbs--not easy for me.   Sugar and starches should be avoided.   But that may apply more to the gastric diagnosis and I have tried  a bit but find the diet awful restrictive.   I don't drink milk anymore and do watch sugar content but have not eliminated

 The RA doc doesnt think diet plays a significant role

There was a single controlled study that looked at 2 groups of patients with RA, one on a strict vegan diet. Half of the group on the strict vegan diet found their joint pain almost gone as long as they stayed on the diet but as soon as any animal protein was reintroduced their joint pain started again (even very small amounts of dairy). But it only helped half - suggesting there are different mechanisms to the pain. I don't think it stopped the damage to the joints, just the pain.

During the study the patients had all their food provided - very few carried on after the study finished because they found it too restrictive. This was a few years ago so vegan wasn't big then.

My granddaughter has severe brittle asthma and has circled the drain in resus a few times. She went veggie out of conviction about 18 months ago and then decided to go the whole hog (pardone the pun) and has been vegan for over a year now. Very born-again about it. But her previously very high steroids dose is way down, she rarely has asthma attacks and has lost a load of the pred-associated weight. So diet can work in some cases of inflammation and there is only one way to find out!

I cut out meat, dairy and gluten, didn't work for me.   Then I tried vegetarian, eating lots of green leafies, celery, cucumber, etc; again, didn't work for me.   Any Doc will tell you diet doest make a difference, but as they are all on the pharmaceutical's payrol I wouldn't pay much attention to that.   Anything is worth a go, give it a shot.

I have been a vegetarian for 45 years and came down with autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid disease, at age 70.  I  had already suffered from Raynaud's for 50 years and vitiligo for 4 years.  If nothing else, your vegan diet should amp up your general health so that you can withstand autoimmunity a bit better.  Plus, your conscience will be clearer.

Anything is worth trying...70% of the immune system is housed in the gut, so dietary changes can help massively.....as you'll already know Tumeric is great for inflammation, needs to be with black pepper though for full effect......I don't know if you are on fbook, but there is a great group called Turmeric Users UK.......I firmly believe if the gut is strong and healthy the immune system will be too and able to fight inflammation.....there is a,so an enzyme called serrapeptese that switches on the bodies anti inflammatory receptors, you need the highest dose available, and as it's an enzyme it's chemical free and totally natural....I use the Canine version on my dogs, keeps them out of the vet and the money firmly in my pocket lol x

I used Turmeric with peppering, it worked well in decreasing pain whilst tapering prednisone. Then, all of a sudden it just stopped working. I

hen tried different brands of pills, tablets, capsules, all to no avail, it just suddenly stopped working. After reading a story about James Coburn and his struggle and eventual win over RA, I tried MSM, didn't work! When desperate you'll try anything!

   I have read cut out everything except raw fruits and vegetables but don't eat bananas   That is so restrictive,  I doubt I could follow that.  Has anyone tried it?