Diet for arthrosis of the knee joints: allowed and prohibited foods

Diagnosis by X-ray.
With arthrosis of the knee joint, orthopedists recommend that patients make adjustments to their diet. By following a gentle therapeutic diet, you can avoid painful relapses and improve your overall health. Excluding certain foods from the daily menu will normalize weight, strengthen bones, and increase the strength and elasticity of ligaments and tendons.

Why do you need a diet for joint arthrosis?

Diet is an important component of the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis). First of all, it is recommended for overweight patients to adhere to a varied but balanced diet. Often it is this that causes the development of degenerative-dystrophic diseases. Losing body weight reduces the load on damaged knees and becomes an excellent prevention of exacerbations and further destruction of cartilage and bones.

Nutritionist comments:

Compliance with the doctor’s nutritional instructions leads to a reduction in the load on the limbs and spine, improves the quality of cartilage tissue, and slows down (and even stops) further destruction of the joint.

“The right choice of a sanatorium is a significant step towards maintaining and increasing health. “Gorny” is a resort complex that combines the experience and knowledge of Russian and Soviet balneology. The presence of modern medical equipment and innovative installations, the professionalism of the staff and love for their work will serve as the key to extending longevity,” - head doctor of the sanatorium Alexander Olegovich Karaulov.

Basic principles of the diet

No special diet has been developed for patients with arthrosis. Overweight patients are recommended to consume about 2000 kilocalories per day. This energy value is achieved by limiting the diet of foods with simple carbohydrates (approximately 250 g) and fats (up to 50 g). You cannot lose weight too quickly, as this is not physiologically justified. Otherwise, body weight will decrease only due to the destruction of muscles and the accelerated excretion of fluid along with vitamins and microelements. In addition, it is not possible to maintain a lower body weight for a long time. What else do nutritionists recommend:

• eat in small portions up to 6 times a day;
• do not eat 3 hours before bedtime to improve and speed up metabolism;
• do not eat monotonously - the body should receive both proteins and fats with carbohydrates;
• Do not add salt to food during cooking, but directly on the table. It is recommended to reduce its consumption to 5 grams per day.

Compliance with the diet must be combined with daily exercise therapy and gymnastics. This will allow you to quickly lose weight, while simultaneously strengthening the muscles and ligamentous-tendon apparatus of the knee.

Principles of nutrition

A person diagnosed with this disease must adhere to a special diet. You need to eat small portions 5-6 times a day. The largest amount of food should enter the body during lunch.

Restrictions

Doctors recommend limiting salt intake or completely eliminating this product from the diet. You can't eat:

• salted and smoked fish;
• chips;
• mayonnaise;
• semi-finished products;
• and fast food products.

Refined sunflower oil should be replaced with unrefined or olive oil. Nutrition for gonarthrosis of the knee joint should be aimed at getting rid of excess weight, if any. In addition, it is necessary to create a diet so that the food meets the body’s need for nutrients and vitamins.

Fighting excess weight

You should not switch to this or that diet plan on your own; only a competent nutritionist can create the optimal menu.

In this case, the patient’s initial weight, the presence of concomitant diseases and metabolic disorders should be taken into account. People prone to obesity should eat more fresh vegetables and fruits containing complex carbohydrates, the absorption of which does not lead to the formation of fat deposits. You need to refuse:

• fatty and fried foods;
• baked goods;
• confectionery products.

People trying to lose weight should follow the following rules. Drinking alcohol increases appetite, so a person unknowingly consumes more food than usual. The portion should be small, each piece must be chewed thoroughly, because the brain receives a signal of saturation only a few minutes after food enters the stomach. Bowel movements should be regular, so people suffering from constipation should eat as many fiber-rich foods as possible.

• What you can and cannot eat while following a diet for rheumatoid arthritis of the joints

When the amount of nutrients necessary for normal life is absorbed, metabolic processes proceed without disturbances and second-degree gonarthrosis will not progress to the next stage.

What food groups to include in your diet

For joint diseases, the diet should include protein foods. The protein they contain is necessary for the formation of cartilage tissue. You should not give up meat; preference should be given to low-fat varieties:

• chicken;
• turkey;
• veal.

The diet should include:

• dairy products;
• fish;
• cereals.

A diet for grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joints involves eating boiled, stewed or steamed foods.

The knee joint is quickly restored when eating jellied meat. This product contains collagen, which is involved in the formation of cartilage and connective tissue. Gelatin, which contains natural chondroprotectors, has the same properties. Therefore, it is recommended to eat more jelly and jellied dishes.

A diet cannot completely rid a person of gonarthrosis, but it helps eliminate the causes of its occurrence, slows down the development of pathological changes, and heals the body.

Recommended Products

To eliminate the deficiency of water-soluble vitamins and essential microelements, nutritionists recommend including fresh herbs, vegetables, berries, and fruits in the diet. These are cauliflower, cucumbers, dill, potatoes, celery, carrots, pumpkin, zucchini. The most useful fruits and berries are apples and sweet and sour pears, oranges, apricots, plums, watermelon, black and red currants. The daily menu should also include the following products:

• low-fat cheeses, kefir, Varenets, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, yogurt - the main sources of calcium necessary for strengthening bones;
• dried apricots, prunes, pumpkin seeds, cashews, hazelnuts - nuts and dried fruits containing almost all the microelements necessary for tissue regeneration;
• pasta, bran bread, whole grain bread, the chemical composition of which contains many complex carbohydrates and proteins;
• jam, marshmallows, marshmallows - confectionery products with the lowest content of easily digestible carbohydrates;
• rabbit, chicken breast, turkey, beef - lean meat with low calorie content and a lot of healthy proteins.

Fatty fish (salmon, herring, smelt), olive, flaxseed, and corn oils contain a lot of polyunsaturated fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E. These bioactive organic compounds are necessary to improve the condition of the blood vessels that supply the knee joint.

Fully or partially limited products

Diet for gonarthrosis of the knee joint excludes the use of:

• Fatty meats/fish, animal fats, sausages, semi-finished products, smoked meats, canned fish/meat, offal, fast food, hydrogenated products (mayonnaise/margarine).
• Salt, pickled/pickled vegetables, snacks.
• Cakes, cream pies, pastries, puff pastry products, semolina, chocolate, ice cream.
• Fried food.
• All types of meat and fish broths.
• Fatty dairy/fermented milk products.
• Products with food additives (dyes, flavor enhancers, preservatives).
• Strong tea/coffee, sweet carbonated drinks.

Table of prohibited products

What not to eat with gonarthrosis

For knee arthrosis, semi-finished products and fast food are strictly prohibited. They contain a huge amount of “empty” calories that do not represent any energy value. Homemade and factory-made marinades, preserves, and sauces (soy, mayonnaise, ketchup) should be completely excluded or limited in the diet.

What else should not be on the menu of a patient with gonarthrosis:

• beans, horseradish, lentils, soybeans;
• figs, grapes, cranberries, raspberries;
• mushrooms, especially salted and pickled;
• butter, puff pastries, white bread;
• ice cream, chocolate, butter, custard, protein cream;
• baked milk, cream, fatty fermented milk products;
• pork, duck, fatty lamb and poultry, including semi-finished products;
• alcoholic drinks of any strength;
• smoked, fried fish, squid.

It is necessary to limit the number of cups of coffee you drink to 1 per day due to its pronounced diuretic effect. Do not use cooking oil, margarine, or butter for cooking.

Tomato. Product prohibited for use in case of arthrosis of the knee joint.

Features of treatment

Grade 2 knee joint gonarthrosis responds well to treatment. In order for the disease to return from stage 2 to stage 1, complex treatment is prescribed. The following must be included in the treatment of inflammation of the knee joint:

1. Let's take some medicine. In grade 2, the most common drugs prescribed are handroprotectors, but anti-inflammatory drugs are also allowed. Medicines can be taken orally or injected directly into the knee.
2. Therapeutic physical exercises. It is necessary to perform physical exercises if you have arthrosis of the knee joint. They will help restore blood circulation in the knee and get rid of some symptoms: pain, swelling, swelling. In addition, they are most effective precisely for stage 2 of the disease.
3. Diet. A balanced diet is the basis of effective treatment. Only strict adherence to the diet will help achieve remission. The menu is determined by the doctor. You cannot violate the doctor’s recommendations even after completing the course of treatment. Since arthrosis of the knee joint is a chronic disease. And even if the disease has receded, eating junk food can trigger its development.

These are the 3 main elements of effective treatment for arthrosis of the knee joints. In addition, the treatment complex also includes: physiotherapy, massage, traditional medicine, water treatments and vitamin injections.

Treatment must be continuous. Treatment should not be stopped even if the symptoms of the disease have ceased to appear.

Drinking regime

If you have arthrosis of the knee joint, you should drink at least 2.5 liters of fluid per day (in the absence of contraindications). Most of this volume should be pure still water. The intake of a sufficient amount of fluid into the body helps to remove harmful substances from the joint cavity and accelerate biochemical reactions aimed at restoring cartilage, bone, and soft tissues. What else can be used as a drink:

• lightly brewed green tea, to which pieces of fruit, a slice of lemon, and a little flower honey are added for taste;
• sweet and sour compotes, jelly, fruit and berry fruit drinks;
• carrot, cucumber, pumpkin juice;
• lightly salted mineral waters, for example, Slavyanovskaya, Smirnovskaya, Essentuki No. 2, Borjomi, Narzan.

Among the folk remedies in the treatment of gonarthrosis, teas made from herbs that do not have a diuretic effect (corn silk, bearberry, half-pol) are used. Nutritionists recommend drinking infusions of St. John's wort, elecampane, chamomile, oregano, and thyme. To prepare them, pour a teaspoon of dry plant material into a glass of boiling water and leave for about 2 hours. Then filter, take 100 ml up to 3 times a day after meals.

Useful and prohibited foods

To build new tissues, the body requires proteins, which are found in sufficient quantities in dairy products. In addition, milk contains calcium, which is necessary to strengthen bone tissue.

To produce energy, you need carbohydrates, which are divided into simple and complex. In the first case, they contribute to the deposition of fat reserves and are found in various sugar and confectionery products. Complex ones are absorbed more slowly, serve as a source of energy and are not stored as fat. These products include cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

Fats participate in metabolic processes and are necessary for the body in case of arthrosis deformans. It is better to use vegetable oils and avoid animal fat as much as possible.

Gonarthrosis requires B vitamins. They participate in all metabolic processes, prevent inflammation of cartilage tissue, and help strengthen the immune system.

Products containing B vitamins:

• B1 – potatoes, peas, oranges;
• B2 – dairy products, eggs, bananas;
• B3 – liver, cereals;
• B6 – chicken meat, nuts, carrots;
• B9 – cabbage, lentils, carrots;
• B12 – broccoli, greens, yoghurts, kefir, mackerel.

No less important are vitamins A (carrots, rowan, conger eel), C (rose hips, sea buckthorn, sweet peppers, black currants), D (herring, chum salmon, mackerel, salmon), E (vegetable oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, pine nuts ).

Healthy foods

When compiling a daily menu, it is worth considering that there should be at least 50 percent raw food that has not been processed. Eat more vegetables and fruits, dressing your salads with vegetable oil.

List of useful products:

• Vegetables and greens - zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, sweet peppers, pumpkin, dill, celery.
• Fruits - oranges, bananas, pears, plums, apples.
• Flour products – durum pasta, whole grain and bran bread.
• Dairy products - yoghurt, kefir, yogurt.
• Meat – poultry, veal, beef, rabbit.
• Eggs – chicken, quail.
• Seafood - cod, herring, sardine, tuna, trout.
• Oils – vegetable, butter (limited).
• Drinks – green tea, natural juices and compotes, rosehip infusions.
• Sweets - honey, pastille, marmalade.

Dairy products should contain no more than 3.2 percent fat; cream and sour cream are added to dishes in minimal quantities. Porridges are prepared mainly with water. The use of concentrated meat broths is limited; first courses are preferably prepared from vegetables. To improve water-salt metabolism, include pumpkin, prunes, dried apricots and zucchini. Jelly, jellied meat and jellied fish are prepared only from natural products; it is better to buy meat from private farms, and the fish is still alive. Jellied dishes are extremely useful for restoring cartilage tissue.

Prohibited Products

Sometimes there is no rapid improvement at stage 2 of the disease. Doctors say that the cause is the consumption of forbidden foods, which reduce the effect of treatment.

Smoked meats are contraindicated - most manufacturers smoke the product using chemical treatment, and not over fire in a smokehouse. It is necessary to remove from the menu sausages and semi-finished products prepared using meat production waste.

The following products should be excluded:

• sausages and meat products that contain a high amount of fat;
• tomatoes and white cabbage;
• sour berries and fruits (cranberries, raspberries);
• mushrooms;
• marinades and pickles;
• ice cream;
• chocolate;
• snack products;
• spicy seasonings;
• smoked fish and canned food;
• animal fat;
• alcohol;
• strong tea and coffee;
• confectionery.

On a note. If a person suffers from grade 1 arthrosis of the knee joint, limiting prohibited foods is mandatory.

Rice diet

This diet is used from time to time (usually every 6-12 months) to cleanse the body of waste and toxins, including joints and vertebral structures. Eating rice helps dissolve and remove mineral salts, improve the functioning of internal organs, and normalize weight. It contains B vitamins necessary for the proper functioning of the entire musculoskeletal system.

Brown rice, rich in microelements, is best suited for cleansing. If you use regular polished one, then you will have to add wheat bran to it (30% of the total volume). The algorithm for carrying out the rice diet is as follows:

• prepare 5 0.5 liter jars. Pour 3 tablespoons of cereal into the first container and add water. Leave for a day. Rinse the rice, add fresh water;
• simultaneously soak the cereal in a second jar. After a day, change the water in two containers, and prepare a new portion in the third;
• Repeat washing and soaking for 5 days. On the sixth day in the morning, cook porridge from the first portion of rice and eat. You cannot add salt, butter, sugar. Then change the water in the remaining jars, and soak the rice in the first one again.

Before breakfast you need to drink a glass of warm water, and after it you should not eat until lunch. If all manipulations are carried out correctly, then there is always soaked, washed rice in the containers. Duration of the diet is up to 1.5 months. At this time, it is advisable to completely abandon salt, but it is advisable to increase the daily volume of liquid to 3 liters. The diet should be abandoned if, after a few days, digestive or peristalsis disorders occur (constipation, diarrhea, nausea, heartburn, belching).

Arthrosis as a result of professional activity

The risk group includes people who experience stress on their joints during their professional activities . For example, a seamstress must reproduce the same manipulations that require effort. As a result, arthrosis of the small joints on the fingers develops.

Arthrosis affects workers not only who experience obvious harmful effects on the joints in the form of shocks and jolts , but also people who constantly keep their joints under static tension.

The most common professions that are affected by arthrosis:

• Miners
• Masons
• Hammermen
• Miners

Over time, workers in such professions experience pain in the joints, first briefly , coming and going, then with the progression of arthrosis, the pain intensifies and becomes constant.

Arthrosis in workers

In the most advanced cases, employees are diagnosed with professional disability , are offered either to retrain and choose another job (according to Part 1 of Article 73 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation ) that is less harmful, which has no contraindications for the health problems identified in them, or are generally fired under the article (according to paragraph 5 of Article 83 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

Sample menu

Below is an approximate daily menu for a patient with knee arthrosis. Some products can be replaced, for example, low-fat Varenets with fermented baked milk or kefir. Fatty fish must be present in the diet, but not every day, but 3-4 times a week. It is best to eat seasonal fruits, berries, and vegetables, as they contain the maximum amount of vitamins and microelements. Biologically active substances gradually disintegrate and lose their beneficial properties. Therefore, in November-December you need to start taking balanced complexes of vitamins and minerals (Alphabet, Supradin, Vitrum, Centrum, Complivit).

For arthrosis of 1st and 2nd degree

For gonarthrosis of mild to moderate severity, patients are advised to follow a gentle diet, without any significant restrictions. You just can’t eat marinades, preserves, or semi-finished products with a high salt content. How to eat properly during the day:

• breakfast: ginger tea with honey, a slice of bran bread, oatmeal;
• second breakfast: medium fat yogurt, apple;
• lunch: soup with turkey and vegetables, baked fish without adding oil, boiled potatoes, fruit tea;
• afternoon snack: biscuits, coffee with milk;
• dinner: stew with side dishes (rice, buckwheat), kefir, dried fruits, nuts.

If you feel hungry before going to bed, you can snack on an apple or pear, or drink 100 ml of kefir.

For arthrosis of the 3rd degree

Grade 3 gonarthrosis requires more strict adherence to the diet. It is advisable to completely eliminate salt or reduce its consumption to a minimum. Here is a sample daily menu:

• breakfast: omelet, toast with a small piece of butter, green tea with honey and lemon;
• second breakfast: cocoa, fruit or berry jelly;
• lunch: fish soup, vegetable salad with lots of greens, baked chicken breast, cottage cheese casserole, coffee with milk;
• afternoon snack: dried fruits, nuts, a glass of Varents, a slice of toasted white bread;
• dinner: mashed potatoes with beef meatballs, sweetened wheat porridge with a little butter.

If you have arthrosis of the knee joint, you should not fry or boil foods. They need to be baked, steamed, and simmered in a small amount of water.

Causes of arthrosis

Arthrosis of the joints is one of the most common diseases of bone joints. Its development can be triggered by:

1. Injury.
2. Great load on the body.
3. Hypothermia.
4. Poor nutrition.
5. Heredity.
6. Poor circulation in the joint.
7. Other diseases affecting the entire body.

In addition, gonarthrosis of the knee joint develops in almost all people who are over 50 years old. Because over time, bone connections wear out and weaken.

Knee joint disease does not begin to develop immediately after injury or hypothermia. Since at first the changes are insignificant: the composition of the joint fluid changes, and it begins to gradually disappear. This is typical for stage 1 and 2 knee joint disease; symptoms of the disease at stage 1 are extremely rare. With gonarthrosis of the knees stage 2, symptoms appear more often. In addition, the symptoms are more pronounced: the affected area often hurts, limb mobility is limited, and the area often becomes swollen and inflamed. Because of this, treatment of the disease begins only at stage 2.

However, some people ignore even the pronounced symptoms of the disease and allow it to develop to stage 3, and gonarthrosis of the knee joints of this stage is practically not treated.

Therefore, if your knee hurts when the weather changes, with light load; crunches and swells; then you should immediately conduct an examination.

Arthrosis at a young age

To date, the reasons for the development of arthrosis in young people have not yet been fully studied. Scientists put forward the opinion that the disease is the result of a gene mutation , during which collagen . This substance is the main component of all cartilage. As a result of a lack of collagen fibers, the articular surfaces are gradually erased . In this case, the diet is aimed at slowing down the destruction of cartilage.

Do not forget that arthrosis cannot appear overnight, it is a slow, long-term process, which is a consequence of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joints, often provoked in the younger generation by the following factors :

• Heavy loads/ injuries /joint surgeries
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Unbalanced diet
• Physical overload (mainly people of professional training level suffer)
• Disturbances in the hormonal system/ immune
• Excess weight
• Flat feet
• Hypothermia of the joints

Arthrosis in young people
Just like stroke/heart attack, which is a consequence of “bad blood vessels” caused by a long-term increase in the level of “bad” low-density cholesterol, arthrosis is a slow killer of your joints.