Your RA Team: The Nutritionist

There is no specific diet that can cure or improve your rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms. However, eating a healthy, balanced diet can help keep your body healthy and strong, which may help when you’re dealing with pain and fatigue. Sometimes adapting healthier eating habits can be a challenge. This is where having a nutritionist on your RA team can help.

What is a nutritionist?

A nutritionist is a professional trained to plan food and nutrition regimens, taking into account a patient’s dietary history and habits, nutritional needs, lifestyle, physical condition, food allergies, and overall health.

At minimum, nutritionists require a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, foods, nutrition or food service management. Their course of undergraduate study may also include food and nutrition sciences, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology and/or physiology. Licenses, certifications or registration are also typical credentials for these specialists, and vary by state.

Nutritionists are most commonly employed in hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient care facilities. They’re also increasingly employed in schools, companies, local and state government facilities (eg, correctional facilities), community health centers and individual and home healthcare services. Some nutritionists are self-employed, or may be affiliated with a private medical practice.

The roles of nutritionist

The main role of a nutritionist is to assess your diet and tailor it to your needs. This may help prevent other diseases and improve your overall health, which may have positive effects on your ability to cope with the symptoms of RA.

Other important roles of the nutritionist include:

• Assessing your nutritional needs and planning a diet that offers a healthy balance of food types, vitamins and minerals
• Offering emotional or motivational support as individuals try to stay on track with dietary recommendations
• Educating people about the importance of maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet
• Conducting research to learn about advances in food and nutrition sciences and to develop new and improved ways to eat healthy
• Working with healthcare professionals to manage their patients’ medical and dietary needs
• Helping to manage weight in patients who are overweight and/or have a condition like RA that may have adverse effects on ability to absorb nutrients
• Providing guidance and overseeing meal preparation, which is beneficial for RA patients who have difficulty moving around the kitchen and handling cooking utensils

When it comes to your RA, the nutritionist can help you identify foods that may have a negative effect on your health in general and teach you how to gradually exclude them. At the same time, you can incorporate more of the foods that may have positive effects on your health.

Your role in the patient-nutritionist relationship

The best way to ensure that your nutritionist provides you with a dietary plan that works for you is to keep him or her informed about your eating habits. Let the nutritionist know if you have difficulty choosing the right foods and how you’re feeling emotionally as a result of dietary changes. Here are some basic ways to help the nutritionist assess your unique needs and refine your nutritional plan to accomplish your goals:

• Monitor your diet and eating habits between visits. Keeping a food journal can help. Note foods and ingredients you don’t like or any side effects you experience after eating certain foods. Be sure to tell your nutritionist (and your rheumatologist) about these issues, or share your food journal. He or she will then modify your diet accordingly.
• Watch for changes in your RA symptoms that you think may be related to your diet. Some experts believe that certain foods may trigger RA symptoms. While this cannot be confirmed, it’s still worth noting anything that might be aggravating your condition.
• Be open and honest. Diet and weight can be sensitive topics. Remember that your nutritionist is a trustworthy advocate. He or she wants to help you make changes that may improve your health and ability to function in your everyday life.

In your effort toward living a healthier life, doctors and nutritionists recommend these few, basic tips:

• Eat a variety of foods
• Balance the foods you eat with regular physical activity, even gentle exercises, to maintain healthy weight
• Eat a diet low in sugar, salt and fats, including saturated fat and cholesterol
• Try to keep alcohol and caffeine intake to a minimum

Next — Your RA Team: The Caregiver