Can diet and nutrition help people with arthritis? Separating myth from fact with three experts.

Cristina Montoya, Registered Dietitian and Kia Peters, Nutrition Student weave together their lived experience as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and nutrition experts in this episode, alongside Jenifer Tharani, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who specializes in anti-inflammatory eating.

This episode covers:

• What’s the difference between a “nutritionist” and a “Registered Dietitian” and why is it important?
• Nutrition and diet “rabbit holes” that patients often fall down, and mistakes to avoid when seeking support for nutrition.
• Top myths about diet and disease management, including:
  • Can nutrition choices cure the disease?
  • Are dairy, red meat and nighshades bad for everyone?
• The psychology behind food choices and how food choices give people a sense of control
• The importance of symptom tracking and food journaling
• Kia, Cristina and Cheryl’s lived experiences of trying different approaches to food choices and diet at different stages of their disease management.

Medical disclaimer:

All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Episode Sponsor

Rheum to THRIVE, an online course and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. See all the details and join the program or waitlist now! 

Speaker bios:

Cristina Montoya is a Colombian mama living in the land of maple syrup, beavers and hockey, Canada. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD), a member in good standing with the College of Dietitians of Ontario, Dietitians of Canada, and the Arthritis Health Professions Association (AHPA). As a patient advocate, Cristina participates in the Durham Region Sjögren's Syndrome Support Group from the Sjögren's Society of Canada as well as the Online Consumer Panel from the Arthritis Society.

She is passionate about autoimmune rheumatic diseases, medicinal cannabis science, digestive health, Mediterranean diet and anti-inflammatory way of eating, Hispanic heritage foods, home cooking, gluten-free baking, and living one day at a time. 

Jenifer Tharani, MS RD (Registered Dietitian)

Jenifer Tharani has completed master’s in human nutrition from Texas State University, San Marcos TX and training in dietetics from Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA. She is a member of College of Dietitians of Ontario and registered with the Commission of Dietetic Registration. 

She is multilingual and fluently speaks second languages like Hindi and has worked in different settings which has given her experience treating people of all ages with different conditions. Jenifer believes that eating healthy does not have to be boring, time consuming or expensive. She is extremely passionate about helping you adopt an anti-inflammatory eating pattern without restrictions. She doesn’t believe in diets, instead in making small sustainable lifestyle changes to help you find a balance in your everyday life, including trying to keep your favorite foods in the mix! Jenifer’s mantra is “Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime” and so she gives you a nutrition toolbox to help manage your health condition or live a healthy and good quality life, whatever your goal may be.

About Jenifer's Virtual Nutrition Coaching Services

In today's technologically driven world, Jenifer provides virtual nutrition coaching to help you take charge of your health from the comfort of your home. In her virtual nutrition practice, she focuses on helping clients adopt an anti-inflammatory eating pattern to help with weight loss, prevent and manage chronic illness like diabetes and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, and IBD. 

Kia Peters@livewellwithkia is a Nutrition Student who works with Jenifer, RD to educate other chronic illness warriors about anti-inflammatory nutrition without restriction..

Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. 

Links to things discussed in the episode:

• Jenifer Tharani, Registered Dietitian, “The Chronic Pain Nutritionist” on @chronicpain.nutritionist on Instagram
• Cristina Montoya, Registered Dietitian, “The Arthritis Dietitian” @arthritisdietitian on Instagram
• Kia Peters, MSc, Nutrition Student: @livewellwithkia on Instagram
• Cristina’s website: The Arthritis Dietitian
• Cristina’s Facebook page
• Free Handout: Cheryl’s Master Checklist for Managing RA
• Cheryl’s Facebook group: Arthritis Life Podcast, Practical Tips & Positive, Realistic Support
• This episode is brought to you by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Roadmap, an intensive online education and support program Cheryl created to empower people with the tools to confidently manage their social, emotional and physical life with rheumatoid arthritis.

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