What is a healthy diet?

Ways to eat healthy

Putting it into Practice

Why Exercise Matters and Is Safe

Getting started with exercise

Helpful Exercise Resources

The Mind-Body Connection

Common Challenges and Helpful Strategies

Finding Help

Why Diet Matters

Eating a healthy diet is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. A nutritious diet helps maintain a healthy weight, supports your immune system, provides energy for daily activities, and reduces your risk of developing other health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Good nutrition also helps supports bone health and improve your mood and mental well-being.

What About Anti-Inflammatory Diets?

The Mediterranean Diet: A Healthy Choice

Among different dietary patterns studied, the Mediterranean diet has shown some promise. Research suggests it may reduce certain markers of inflammation in the blood, though this hasn't been proven to directly improve inflammatory diseases. More importantly, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to likely decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke, which is valuable since people with inflammatory conditions may have higher cardiovascular risk.

What Is the Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean diet is based on the traditional eating patterns of people living around the Mediterranean Sea. It emphasizes:

• Plenty of plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds

• Olive oil as the main source of fat for cooking and dressing foods

• Fish and seafood several times per week

• Moderate amounts of dairy products (especially yogurt and cheese), poultry, and eggs

• Limited red meat and processed meats

• Minimal processed foods and sweets

• This way of eating focuses on whole, minimally processed foods and can be both enjoyable and sustainable for long-term health.

The Bottom Line

While we don't have definitive proof that diet can reduce inflammation in rheumatologic conditions, eating a healthy diet—particularly a Mediterranean-style diet—offers many other important health benefits.

This guide offers simple, practical steps to help you eat in a way that supports your arthritis management. Each of the ten steps includes small actions you can try at your own pace, making healthy changes feel more achievable. You can start anywhere—every positive change, even a small one, can help you feel better over time.

This webpage offers practical, arthritis‑friendly guidance to help you eat well and feel your best. It covers the basics of good nutrition, simple ways to build balanced meals, and tips for choosing foods that support your energy, mood, and joint health. You’ll also find ideas for managing common eating challenges and a collection of easy, nourishing recipes to help you get started.

This webpage from Diabetes Canada shares pragmatic, easy‑to‑use healthy‑eating tips that can help you feel your best. The core ideas—filling half your plate with vegetables, choosing lean proteins, enjoying whole grains, and cutting back on added sugars and highly processed foods—support steady energy, heart health, and overall wellbeing for everyone.

It also includes a 7-day Mediterranean Meal Plan to help you get started today.

LifestyleRx is a Canadian, physician-led, OHIP-funded program that helps patients improve metabolic health through sustainable lifestyle changes. It focuses on metabolic health, including weight loss, metabolic liver disease, and metabolic syndrome through a structured series of virtual group sessions with medical support.

While results vary from person to person, this program may be a helpful option for individuals who are motivated to make lifestyle changes and would benefit from a more guided and supportive approach.

How Much Exercise Do I Need?

The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults recommend:

• At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking), OR

• 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (such as jogging), OR

• An equivalent combination of both

• Muscle-strengthening activities at least 2 days per week

Start slowly if you're not currently active. Even 5-10 minutes of activity is beneficial, and you can gradually increase over time.
Many patients can safely build toward moderate or higher-intensity exercise over time. The key is consistency—regular exercise provides the greatest benefits.

The Bottom Line

Exercise is safe, effective, and essential for managing your rheumatic disease. It works alongside your medications to help you feel better, function better, and live better.

If you’re looking for guidance on how to get started, these trusted resources offer exercise programs and tips:

• Arthritis Society Canada
  – Exercise programs and videos

• Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology
  - Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines

• Versus Arthritis
  – Exercise guides and videos

• ParticipACTION
  – Getting started with physical activity

• American College of Rheumatology
  – Exercise and rheumatic disease

You are not alone

Living with a rheumatic disease affects more than just your body—it can also impact your emotional well-being. Depression and anxiety are common, affecting up to one-third of patients. These are understandable responses to living with a chronic illness and do not mean you are weak or failing to cope.

The Mind-Body Connection

Your mental and physical health are closely connected. Stress, anxiety, and depression can increase pain sensitivity, fatigue, and sleep disruption, while disease flares can worsen mood and emotional distress. This creates a cycle where physical symptoms affect your mood, and your mood affects your physical symptoms. The good news is that addressing your mental health can help break this cycle and improve your overall well-being.

Common Emotional Challenges

Many people with rheumatic diseases experience:

• Anxiety and worry about the future, disease progression, or managing symptoms

• Depression or low mood, especially when dealing with pain, fatigue, or limitations in daily activities

• Grief and loss as you adjust to changes in your abilities, appearance, or life plans

• Frustration or anger about having a chronic condition

• Feelings of isolation if others don't understand what you're going through

These feelings are valid and understandable. Acknowledging them is the first step toward addressing them.

Strategies That Can Help

1. Mindfulness and breathing
   Practicing mindfulness—paying attention to the present moment without judgment—can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Even a few minutes of slow breathing or guided meditation daily can reduce stress and improve coping.

2. Cognitive strategies (CBT-based)
   Learning to identify and reframe unhelpful thoughts can reduce anxiety and low mood. Many people benefit from structured therapy.

3. Stay connected
   Talking with people who understand what you're going through—whether friends, family, support groups, or online communities—can reduce feelings of isolation.

4. Be kind to yourself (self-compassion)
   Chronic illness is challenging. Being kind to yourself during difficult times, rather than being self-critical, can reduce emotional distress. Treat yourself with the same understanding you would offer someone else in your situation.

5. Adjust your expectations, not your identity
   You may need to change how you do things, but it doesn't change who you are or what matters to you. Taking time to identify your core values and finding ways to live according to them—even in small ways—can provide meaning and purpose.

6. Accepting change: Adjusting to life with a chronic illness is an ongoing process. It's okay to grieve what has changed while also finding new ways to engage with life. Acceptance doesn't mean giving up—it means acknowledging reality so you can focus your energy on what you can control.

When to Seek Professional Help

You don't have to manage these challenges alone. Consider reaching out to a mental health professional if you:

• Feel sad, anxious, or hopeless most of the time

• Have lost interest in activities you used to enjoy

• Are having trouble sleeping, eating, or concentrating

• Feel overwhelmed by your emotions

• Have thoughts of harming yourself

Taking Care of Your Whole Self

Managing a rheumatic disease means caring for both your body and your mind. Just as you take medications and attend medical appointments for your physical health, investing in your mental health is an essential part of your overall care. Small steps—whether it's practicing self-compassion, connecting with others, or seeking professional support—can make a meaningful difference in how you feel and function.

Remember: seeking help for your mental health is a sign of strength, not weakness. You deserve support in all aspects of your health.

The Bottom Line

Seeking help for your mental health is a sign of strength, not weakness. You deserve support in all aspects of your health.

1. Mental Health Guidebook
   An excellent interactive guidebook helping you develop skills to manage life with complex illness. The Guidebook comes from the Vasculitis Foundation and Stacey Ivits (MSW, RSW, Counselling Services).
   

2. Canadian Mental Health Association
   Education, local programs, and support services
   

3. Arthritis Society Canada
   Support programs and peer connections
   

4. Take a Pain Check Foundation
   Take a Pain Check Foundation empowers youth and young adults impacted by rheumatic disease to advocate for themselves and to create a supportive, safe, and inclusive community where individuals feel understood.