In an article published in CreakyJoints, experts offered cost-effective advice on eating healthy and exercising for patients with inflammatory arthritis who are on a budget. With food and leisure activity costs rising due to inflation, experts noted that there may be effective strategies for saving money at the grocery store and exercising without the added expense of a gym membership. Patients should stock up on frozen vegetables such as spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli that may soothe inflammation. Patients should also purchase canned foods that don’t contain added sugars or sodium—specifically, canned tuna, salmon, and sardines—and superfoods such as apples, carrots, peanuts, and peanut butter. The experts suggested looking for foods that are in season, but avoiding those that are sold in bulk, since they can’t be frozen. Among the other recommendations were:
- Smartphone apps may offer coupons or other savings at local grocery stores
- Patients can walk, stretch, and perform low-impact exercises—including yoga, tai chi, and water exercises
- Patients can use simple equipment for strength training such as resistance bands.