From womansworld.com
Angel Grier, 54, no longer even needs Advil. Oh, and she lost 127 pounds!
Key Takeaways
- A plant-based diet fights arthritis pain by attacking inflammation in multiple ways.
- Relief can come within days, and research confirms the benefits last long term.
- No calorie counting or portion limits required—and you’ll likely lose weight with ease.
Got back and joint pain you’d give almost anything to get rid of? Then we think the story of 54-year-old Angel Grier is going to inspire you to try an “arthritis diet” that may be outside your comfort zone—because there’s pretty strong evidence it’s a very fast, cheap and healthy way to restore your comfort once and for all. We’re talking about eating only anti-inflammatory plant foods.
Angel, raised in a meat-loving Italian household, says she’d never have switched to this way of eating on her own, despite having woken up stiff and in pain every day since the early 90s. But her husband, Terry, needed to lower his cholesterol naturally after a scary reaction to statins. While researching option, “I saw a documentary called What the Health,” she recalls. It convinced her plant-based eating could help Terry, so she dove in, learning to make plant-based versions of waffles, hash browns, lasagna and pizza. She ate the food too, just to support her husband. A few days in, “Terry said, ‘Do you realize you’re hopping out of bed in the morning, not holding your back or rubbing your knees? I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I hadn’t realized because it just happened so fast.”
Why a plant-based arthritis diet works so quickly
Turns out, an anti-inflammatory diet like Angel’s “often brings relief from arthritis pain,” says George Washington University adjunct professor Neal Barnard, MD, author of The Power Foods Diet and Foods That Fight Pain. It may take a few weeks or more to notice a difference, but “sometimes the effect is quick—within a week or two.”
Why does it work so well? Plant-based eating helps relieve arthritis symptoms like swelling and pain in multiple ways. First, there’s what you don’t eat: Foods like dairy and processed meat are major inflammatory triggers for many people, “and avoiding them often helps very quickly,” says Dr. Barnard. Plus, plant-based foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that have a fast-acting natural anti-inflammatory effect. The one-two punch is likely why Angel experienced such a big difference so quickly.
There’s more. Studies show a plant-based diet has a powerful impact on the trillions of bacteria in your GI tract, helping shift them in ways that dramatically dial down inflammation over the long haul. For a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, Dr. Barnard’s team tracked folks on a plant-based diet for a full year; their pain relief was notable the entire time. It’s why people like Angel don’t just feel better fast, they stay better. Bonus: The approach was found to work for both osteoarthritis (OA), the type caused by wear and tear on joints, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is caused by autoimmune issues.
Angel lost 127 lbs on this anti-inflammatory arthritis diet
Angel’s joint pain relief came within days, before she’d lost significant weight. But over time, 127 pounds came off. Research shows that for every 11 pounds we drop, the risk of osteoarthritis drops up to 36 percent. That’s because losing weight takes enormous pressure off joints, reducing both pain and inflammation, says Dr. Barnard.
Sure, you relieve pressure no matter how you slim down. But numerous studies confirm a plant-based plan is one of the most effective ways to lose weight without limiting portion sizes. In fact, a 2020 study led by Dr. Barnard found that an average person who began eating unlimited portions of whole plant foods lost 13.2 pounds in 16 weeks while the average Mediterranean dieter lost none at all.
Meanwhile, in an NIH study, fat burning quadrupled when people switched from a keto diet to a plant-based diet. And per the Arthritis Association, studies have also shown that even 10 pounds of weight loss makes RA sufferers three times more likely to experience improvements in their condition.
She’s kept off the weight and is still pain-free
Angel says that when she started eating plant-based anti-inflammatory foods to support her husband, she was eating so much, she initially thought she’d gain weight. The opposite was true. Terry lost weight and got his cholesterol normal, too. These days, Angel has to intentionally go for large portions or she’ll get too thin. “I eat so much food!” reveals Angel, who shares free recipes at Plant-Based-Love.com.
Angel has been blissfully pain free for years. “I don’t even take Advil!” she says. Her advice to other folks who are suffering but hesitant to go plant-based? “Try it for seven days,” she says. “I promise you, after that seven days, you’re gonna be like, ‘Oh my God.’ Your joint pain will start to go away that quickly.”
How to try an arthritis diet for yourself
To eat like Angel and help reduce joint pain while losing weight, skip all animal products and simply enjoy unlimited portions of whole, natural plant foods. That means colourful fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Think whole grain cereal with fruit and oat milk for breakfast, a giant bean burrito for lunch and a bottomless bowl of pasta with roasted veggies and marinara for dinner. To avoid excess calories without tracking or measuring, skip oil. You can get a free plant-based kickstart kit that Dr. Barnard helped create.
It’s never too late to ease your pain and transform your health
Angel’s 75-year-old mom Frani, a lifelong carnivore, made the switch after Angel convinced her to try it. She lost 68 pounds and completely reversed her type 2 diabetes in the process. How are her joints? She’s taking dance classes and running circles around people half her age.
“She looks amazing. Her skin’s amazing. It’s just crazy.” Angel adds with a laugh: “I might have to give her a pork chop to slow her down!” If a meat-loving woman in her 70s can transform her health, that might be a sign that you can do it too.
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