Osteoarthritis is a typical degenerative disease of the joints that accompanies five million Germans every day. It often occurs with additional painful inflammation. Star chef Holger Stromberg and doctor Helge Riepenhof explain how important nutrition is to alleviate symptoms.
Osteoarthritis is cruel. Five million Germans struggle with the pain caused by cartilage and joint degradation every day and every night. There is no cure, only painkillers can relieve the symptoms. Nevertheless, the disease usually progresses relentlessly. Because those affected find themselves in a vicious circle: Every movement hurts, but lack of exercise promotes muscle breakdown and joint destruction, which in turn is accompanied by an increasing loss of function. Ultimately, an artificial joint, a prosthesis, is usually necessary.
Osteoarthritis is primarily a consequence of lifestyle, i.e. individual diet and exercise program. Above all, being overweight has a double negative effect: on the one hand, it puts a massive strain on the joints and causes them to wear out, and on the other hand, abdominal fat produces unfavorable messenger and inflammatory substances.
Simple lifestyle changes can combat this, and the direction down the osteoarthritis “one-way street” can certainly be changed. There is less pain, less inflammation and less painkillers are needed. In return, there is more mobility and thus a better quality of life.
The former chef of the German national football team and nutrition coach Holger Stromberg and the sports doctor and head of the center for rehabilitation medicine at the Hamburg BG Klinikum Helge Riepenhof show how this works without much effort in their current book “Strong against pain”. FOCUS Online spoke to them about it.
“Strong against pain: The best recipes and exercises against arthrosis and joint pain” by Helge Riepenhof and Holger Stromberg
Osteoarthritis is not only a problem for older people. Even young people can experience premature and painful joint wear. Holger Stromberg already had arthrosis in his mid-20s, probably due to standing for a lot at work. “It was only when I had massive pain in the entire left-sided musculoskeletal system that I had it checked,” the nutrition expert describes his own experience in an interview with FOCUS Online. But he had waited too long, the arthrosis had already destroyed a hip and he got a new hip joint.
“So that this doesn’t happen to me again and I can maintain my good condition, I’ve changed a lot in the last 15 years. In addition to the change in diet, gymnastics and regular exercises are also part of it.”
At the age of 23, Holger Stromberg was the youngest chef in Germany to receive a Michelin star and revolutionized the avant-garde food scene. Until 2017 he accompanied the German national soccer team as a nutrition expert and cook. Today the food visionary advises companies of all kinds as a nutritionist.
Orthopaedist Helge Riepenhof continues: “Because only the combination of targeted exercises and the right diet can lead to long-term success.”
Helge Riepenhof is a sports physician and orthopaedist. He was the team doctor for AS Roma and has recently become the medical adviser to the American basketball league NBA.
The experts have very specific tips for controlling arthrosis as best as possible and not letting it control you like before:
Holger Stromberg’s simple guidelines for targeted nutrition: Avoid foods that contain inflammatory substances. This includes:
Sugar, wheat products, and alcohol also have the potential to increase inflammation. However, not all types of vegetables are recommended in this context. For example, legumes contain phytic acid, which can also be associated with inflammation. However, unfavorable substances can often be rendered ineffective by intelligent preparation of the food, for example by soaking or lengthy dough processes.
“In a nutshell, the best form is a vegan diet with a small amount of legumes,” summarizes the chef and nutrition coach. On the other hand, you can access fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs and oils that naturally contain anti-inflammatory substances, such as:
Anyone who follows these dietary rules will usually automatically lose some excess weight. Otherwise, the nutrition coach recommends eating breaks, such as intermittent fasting. Incidentally, he himself swears by therapeutic fasting, which he carries out once a year.
That’s the theory. More than 50 plant-based recipes in the book show that vegan cuisine can also taste particularly good and the preparation is less time-consuming than expected. Here two examples:
Ingredients for the anti-arthrosis recipe:
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (circulating air). Grease the springform pan (30 cm diameter). For the Flax Egg, scald the ground flaxseed in a cup with 3 tablespoons of boiling water and let it swell for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the rolled oats, grated coconut, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, cacao nibs and a pinch of sea salt. Mix 60 ml water, date syrup, coconut milk and margarine in a blender. Stir in the Flax Egg. Arrange the pitted cherries in the mold and pour the oat-coconut mixture over them. Pour the date syrup coconut milk mix on top. Finally, peel the bananas, cut into slices and spread over the mixture.
Bake the muesli in the oven on the middle rack for 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove the baked granola from the oven and before serving
let it cool down a bit. Divide onto plates to serve.
Simply eat healthy:
Oats are one of the healthiest grains we know – rich in nutrients, low in gluten and very digestible. Even small portions of the grain contain plenty of vital substances: the dietary fiber beta-glucan lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels and helps with weight loss, the mineral magnesium protects the bones and silicon (silicic acid) strengthens the cartilage.
Ingredients for the anti-arthrosis recipe:
For the baked potatoes:
For the pesto:
Preparation:
For the baked potatoes, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Quarter the potatoes with their skins, mix with oil and salt and spread on the baking sheet. Cook in the oven on the middle shelf for about 20 minutes. Take out and serve.
Meanwhile, for the farofa, melt the coconut oil in a pan and roast the farofa in it while turning. Fold in the garlic, pepperoni and ginger. Remove from stove and set aside. For the pesto, roughly puree all the ingredients in the blender with the pulse function. To serve, place 2 to 3 tablespoons of pesto on each plate (use the rest elsewhere), spread over 1 generous handful of potatoes and sprinkle with the Farofa mix.
How to make confit garlic for storage: Divide 2 heads of garlic into individual cloves and peel them. Then season with 200 g virgin coconut oil in a saucepan with a little salt and cook over very low heat for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Store the garlic in a jar in the fridge.
Simply eat healthy:
Farofa is the name of the roasted flour made from the cassava root. It is a good alternative to cereal flours with gluten and is just as easy to use in the kitchen as wheat flour. The plus: plenty of fiber and a good dose of calcium.
But diet alone does not achieve enough. Movement is irreplaceable, but it should be the right one. Ultimately, all sports are good for the joints, according to sports physician Helge Riepenhof. This is because the cartilage is only supplied with its “nutrient”, synovial fluid, under stress. If there is a lack of exercise, the cartilage starves – people who do no sport at all develop arthrosis much more frequently and need an artificial joint than those who do sport, warns the orthopedist.
Above all, however, he recommends sports with a low risk of injury, such as swimming, cycling or walking. If the cartilage is injured, the risk of osteoarthritis increases in the affected joint.
The problem with osteoarthritis, however, is that movement hurts. “An acutely irritated joint first needs rest, cooling and mobility without putting too much strain on it,” recommends the sports physician. The diseased joint should at most be trained in relieving, mobilizing exercises. As soon as the acute stimulus with overheating and swelling subsides, he advises that the joint-specific development programs in the book can begin.
You don’t have to be a sports ace for that. It depends on two components:
1. At least 150 minutes a week would be right to activate the circulation and strengthen endurance – with walking, cycling and the like.
2. However, you should also devote at least five minutes to your problem joint four times a week. Helge Riepenhof suggests different exercises for each joint, with variants ranging from easy to difficult. We will show you an easy version of each.
Lie on your back and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. The arms are long on the floor, the feet only touch the ground with the heels. Raise hips high into double-legged bridge until upper body and thighs are in line. Hold the position until it becomes strenuous. Then lower your hips back down and repeat the exercise.
Sit in a chair and place your feet at right angles with the soles of your feet on the floor. Rest your hands on the side of the seat. Now lift one leg until the knee joint is straight and you keep the leg horizontal. Then lower it back down. Repeat the stretch at least 10 times. Then the side is changed.
Sit at the table, put your hand on the table. Push them forward as far as you can, hold them there for a few seconds, and pull them back again. Then it’s the other side’s turn.
Fill a bowl with cool water by opening and closing your fist and rotating your wrist in all directions. Press your fingertips into the bottom of the bowl so that your fingers are slightly stretched. Do this alternately with both hands. At the end, clasp both hands and hold them together in the water.
More exercise, the right diet – this lifestyle change could improve things. “You can achieve a lot and many patients can not only do without medication and become more active again, but also regain quality of life and a life without pain,” summarizes Helge Riepenhof. The positive effect is not just limited to arthrosis and joint pain – it is well known that the vessels, heart, brain, eyes, liver and ultimately all our organs and tissues also benefit from a plant-based diet and more exercise.