Diet-related diseases - and what works against them
Osteoarthritis Up Arrow Down Arrow
Red meat promotes inflammation. Is better: sea fish. And lenses.
How come?
At first glance, osteoarthritis has little to do with diet, but with wear and tear.
Older people in particular suffer from the fact that joint surfaces degenerate and begin to hurt.
These surfaces are covered with cartilage, an elastic and actually resistant mass that acts like a shock absorber.
The cells within the cartilage are supplied with nutrients via the synovial fluid.
If there is a lack of it, the cartilage breaks down and the surface can ossify.
Those who eat incorrectly increase the risk of osteoarthritis.
Being overweight puts a strain on the joints, especially in the hips and legs.
Also, too much belly fat often triggers a process of inflammation in the body that can also damage the cartilage.
What helps?
Lose weight and eat foods that reduce inflammation.
Instead of red meat and eggs, it is better to eat fatty sea fish and use high-quality oils such as linseed oil and wheat germ oil.
If it should be sweet: reach for strawberries and blueberries.
Even healthy, but boring-looking foods such as lentils, kale and potatoes can taste delicious.
Celebrity chef Johannes Lafer names recipes for it in the book "Food against Arthrosis", for example for lentil bolognese with courgette and pappardelle, kale and pumpkin curry and a potato and mushroom lasagna.
Everything vegan.
Lafer suffers from osteoarthritis himself and has changed his diet.
Fatty liver up arrow down arrow
A lot of sugar and alcohol damage the superorgan. But also crash diets.
How come?
If you have a broken liver, you drink too much.
No, the cliché of the drunkard liver is not true.
One thing is correct: abstainers can also suffer from a fatty liver - if they eat the wrong way.
And the superorgan did not deserve that.
The liver works in multitasking mode during metabolism.
Your cells utilize, transform, form, break down and dispose of.
And they store a lot, for example sugar, fat and protein building blocks.
Carbohydrates are stored as glycogens.
When the stores are full, the carbohydrates turn into fat.
This makes the liver swell.
There is a great danger in not noticing it.
Complaints rarely occur for a long time.
Even slim and athletic people can have fatty liver.
What helps?
Above all: eat less carbohydrates, especially less white flour, pasta and rice, avoid alcohol.
Prepare the muesli yourself with nuts, oat flakes and sour fruits.
In addition, eat low-fat, eat lean meat, drink two to three liters a day, preferably water and unsweetened tea, for example made from dandelion.
Anyone who is overweight should avoid crash dieting and excessive exercise.
"Otherwise stress hormones will be produced that also have an effect on the liver," says Marlis John, nutritionist at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.
And, hurray: a fatty liver can become completely healthy again.
Gout Up Arrow Down Arrow
In the ovo-lacto-vegetable cuisine, the ingredients contain little uric acid.
How come?
Suddenly the joint hurts like hell, the tissue swells up.
Gout attacks are very painful.
They are caused by a metabolic disorder that causes the concentration of uric acid to become too high.
Uric acid is formed when diseased cells in the body are broken down, but it is also absorbed with food, for example when organ meats are consumed and alcohol is drunk.
It becomes problematic when the kidneys are no longer able to filter uric acid out of the blood.
Then fine crystals remain in the body, which are deposited in joints.
The immune system reacts with inflammation, which can become chronic.
What helps?
Down with the uric acid level!
Some foods of animal origin contain high levels of purines, a precursor of uric acid.
Therefore, you should avoid seafood, pork and offal if possible and only eat fish without skin.
Beer is harmful, even if it is alcohol-free, so better avoid it.
Recent studies show that fructose inhibits the excretion of uric acid.
Fruit juices should therefore be omitted and fruit should only be eaten in small quantities.
What is left then?
In the case of gout, the lacto-ovo-vegetable cuisine is particularly helpful.
Doesn't that sound delicious?
This means, for example: Eggplant casserole with mozzarella, vegetable sauce with tomato noodles or chia coconut pudding with berries.
Psoriasis Up Arrow Down Arrow
Mackerel and steamed vegetables help against itchy skin.
How come?
It sucks.
The skin gets red spots that are itchy and covered with scales or pustules.
Whether you can get psoriasis or be spared it depends on your genetic makeup.
So far, the disease is unfortunately incurable.
Diet is one of the many factors that can trigger a flare-up.
A body that is under stress from alcohol and being overweight is more susceptible to the inflammatory response that spreads to the skin.
What helps?
Anything that counteracts inflammation.
Proper nutrition can at least alleviate symptoms and promote healing of the affected skin areas.
Avoid foods that are excessively high in arachidonic acid, including pork and sausage.
Instead, it makes sense to eat fatty sea fish such as herring or mackerel, because the sea animals contain a lot of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
Raw or cooked vegetables also have a positive effect, this also applies to high-quality oils such as linseed oil and wheat germ oil.
In the evening you should choose easily digestible food, for example steamed fish with cooked vegetables, so that the intestines can regenerate at night and are less stressed.
Author: Detlef Hacke
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
DER SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an app, e-paper and on the e-reader
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
Exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Try one month for free
Cancel anytime online
A price
only € 19.99 per month
One month for € 0.00
Try now for 0.00 € Buy nowArrow to the right
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
To use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.