According to MedicineNet.com, approximately 40 million Americans are affected by arthritis. That’s more than ten percent of the overall population. I’ve seen my grandmother suffer from rheumatoid arthritis firsthand for many years now in her hands. There are many joys of growing older, seeing your children grow into their own lives, having grandchildren, traveling, more time, golf… whatever floats your boat!

Increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and arthritis are not some of those things to look forward too. Thankfully with a healthy diet, rich in organic foods, raw foods and plenty of water, movement and sunshine you can prevent many of these things! An active preventative lifestyle full of health and well-being is the purpose of my work.

Like my last post on the Top Cancer Prevention Foods On The Planet, I wanted to create a similar post for those who have arthritis or poor joint health. This content was formed in the same manner as the last post. Find the main top two causes of arthritis across the board and then find the top foods to supplement in preventing those causes from getting out of control. Here’s a visual example…

The top two main causes of arthritis are inflammation and poor circulation. When your body cannot properly circulate new blood to your joints, which act as nutrition carrying vitamins and minerals, your joints become ‘rusty’ and worn. Add to that an inflammatory reaction that doesn’t properly heal, or heal fast enough, and you have joints that are bubbled with inflammation (the immune systems attempt to heal the joint) and poor circulation just not getting there to bring down the inflammation with the right nutrients.

There’s something we can do about this though, if we eat a diet rich in anti-inflammatory and circulation boosting foods we can effectively prevent the formation of arthritic conditions in our body.  So what are the top anti-inflammatory and top circulation boosting foods on the planet? Here they are…

Top Anti-Inflammatory Foods:

1. Turmeric: This makes my list once again of ‘all time greatest health foods’ for so many reasons. In many scientific studies turmeric has been shown to be one of the best anti-inflammatory foods on the planet. Curcumin (the active compound in turmeric) has anti-inflammatory properties and helps the synthesis of nitric oxide, a molecule (one part nitrogen and one part oxygen) responsible to help dilate the veins, arteries and lymphatic vessels. You can hear an interview on Nitric oxide from the Healthy Wild And Free podcast here.

2. Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are one of the richest omega 3 foods on the planet, which is a known anti-inflammatory healthy fat. According to whfoods.com there is preliminary evidence that the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits exist, but look at the nutritional profile and it makes absolute sense! not to mention the cardiovascular and cholesterol benefits of flaxseeds.

Other great anti-inflammatory foods include: Organic ginger, walnuts, clove, garlic and organic greens!

Top Circulation Boosting Foods:

1. Cacao: Cacao, the bean that makes your chocolate bar is one of the best foods for boosting nitric oxide and increasing circulation on the planet, plus it’s delicious! The circulation journal published that cacao is rich in flavonoids that improve blood circulation.

2. Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne pepper helps to increase metabolic rate, increasing circulation in the process. It strengthens the arteries and blood vessels. Cayenne contains capsaicin, a chemical compound that creates the hot effect, boosting circulation, digestive and cardiovascular health as well.

Other great circulation boosting foods are: Organic beets, ginger, leafy greens such as kale and romaine.

Make sure to include turmeric, flaxseeds (and other sources of omega 3 foods), cacao, cayenne, leafy greens, ginger and other anti-inflammatory and circulatory boosting foods in your diet.

Also, make sure to follow the facebook page and subscribe to the email newsletter (to the right) to be notified about the next article on how having too much of this mineral in your body will speed up the formation of arthritis.

Make sure to live Healthy Wild And Free today! You can message me on facebook to learn more about essential oils and get your specific questions answered.

Sources: MedicineNet.com, Whfoods.com, Wikipedia