Vegan revolution

Don’t eat another cheeseburger until you read this!
Experts have long known that switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet may ease rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms. Now, research suggests that a vegan diet may also help protect people with RA against heart attacks and strokes. Vegans’ diets eliminate all animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, while most “ordinary” vegetarian diets eliminate only meat.

In a small but intriguing study, which took place in Sweden, researchers put 38 adults with RA on a vegan, gluten-free diet. (Gluten is a protein found in a number of grains; many people find gluten hard to digest.) Vegan meals were centered on vegetables, fruit, nuts, sunflower seeds, buckwheat, millet, rice, and corn; sesame milk was a key source of calcium. Daily nutrient intake on the vegan diet included 60% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 10% protein.

An additional 28 adults followed a balanced, non-vegan diet with a similar mix of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Everyone in the study was told to continue taking all the medications their doctors prescribed.

Heart-healthy changes
After one year, researchers compared the two groups and found that the folks on the vegan diet had lower levels of total cholesterol and less LDL (“bad”) cholesterol than the non-vegans did. Vegans also showed reduced amounts of C-reactive protein, a substance in the blood that indicates the presence of inflammation in the body. Elevated cholesterol, high levels of LDL cholesterol, and the presence of inflammation are all linked to increased heart disease risk. Another bonus for vegans: As a group, they lost more weight and had a lower average body mass index (BMI) than the non-vegans did.

Nutrition smarts
If you’re considering switching to a vegan diet, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Unless menus are carefully planned, they may be deficient in some nutrients, including vitamin B12 and calcium. Because of this, it’s a good idea to check with a healthcare professional before making serious dietary changes.

When switching to vegan diets, people should emphasize four food groups: whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes. It’s also smart to take a daily multivitamin.

Even if you’re not ready to become a total vegan, it’s easy to start heading in that direction. Little by little, just add more fruits, vegetables, and grains to your diet.

Here are some vegan foods that contain key nutrients:
CALCIUM: Broccoli, collard greens, fortified juices, kale, soy products
IRON: Chickpeas, pinto beans, soy products, spinach
PROTEIN: Corn; legumes, such as beans, peanuts, and soy products, including tofu; corn; rice; pasta; whole-wheat bread.
VITAMIN B12: Fortified breakfast cereals and fortified soymilk

To learn more…
To get additional information on vegan and vegetarian diets, check out…
• The Vegetarian Research Group at www.vrg.org
• The North American Vegetarian Society at www.navs-online.org
• NutritionMD at www.nutritionmd.org

Eat and drink pain-free

Nutrition researcher Neal Barnard, MD, founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine—a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine—refers to certain foods as “pain-safe.” That means he believes they rarely, if ever, contribute to arthritis flare-ups and can be eaten frequently by people living with RA. Dr. Barnard’s favorite pain-safe foods include:
• Brown rice
• Cooked or dried fruits, including cherries, cranberries, pears, and prunes
• Cooked yellow, green, and orange veggies such as artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, chard, collard greens, spinach, squash, string beans, and sweet potatoes
• Water: plain or naturally carbonated
• Condiments: small amounts of maple syrup, salt, and vanilla extract