7 Best Summer Fruits for Rheumatoid Arthritis

There’s no time like summer to start incorporating these fresh fruits into your RA-friendly diet. They’re packed with nutrients and antioxidants that can help fight inflammation.
7 Best Summer Fruits for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Everyday Health
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Updated on June 8, 2025
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Summer is the time for fresh fruits. If you’ve got rheumatoid arthritis (RA), take advantage of the seasonal abundance and increase your consumption as part of an RA-friendly diet. Fruits are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and polyphenols (organic compounds found in plants) that help fight inflammation and reduce oxidative stress (which leads to cell damage).

“Fruits and vegetables have hundreds of different phytonutrients, so eat a variety to get all the benefits from the different ones,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Ruth Frechman, author of The Easy Arthritis Diet Cookbook: 75 Anti-Inflammatory Recipes to Manage Symptoms.

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Don’t Worry Too Much About the Sugar

Many people think that they should avoid fruits because of the sugar in them, and yes, sugar has been shown to increase inflammation. But much of that research focuses on the effect of sugar-sweetened beverages, which mainly provide empty calories, unlike naturally sweet fruits.

 “Every carbohydrate breaks down into sugar. However, fruits have different qualities, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients, that can reduce your risk of inflammation,” says Frechman. 

1. Cherries

Cherries are a good source of polyphenols and vitamin C, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Research has found that eating cherries decreases oxidative stress and inflammation, reduces exercise-induced muscle soreness and loss of strength, lowers blood pressure, and improves sleep.

 It used to be thought that only tart cherries would produce these effects, but it turns out sweet cherries may also be effective.

Try It Just eat them as a snack. Or, says Frechman, make a chia pudding (1 cup of plant-based milk, a quarter of a cup of chia seeds, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder) and throw in half a cup of cherries. You’ll also get fiber from the chia seeds.

2. Peaches, Plums, and Apricots

Stone fruits like peaches, apricots, and plums are packed full of the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant vitamin C. The polyphenols in peaches can help reduce inflammation.

 Loaded with vitamins that promote skin and eye health, apricots are high in fiber, which also boosts gut health, increasingly thought to be linked to RA.

 And the anthocyanins that give plums their deep purple color are a type of antioxidant that combats inflammation.

Try It Whip up a smoothie using a variety of these fruits. Or just enjoy a fresh fruit salad, with a hint of mint.

3. Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is a good source of vitamin C and has anti-inflammatory properties.

 This fruit belongs to the cucurbit family, which has antioxidant effects due to several bioactive components, including cucurbitacin.

Try It Slice it up in a fruit salad; make a melon salsa; or purée it, add the juice of one lime and some salt to taste, and you’ve got a refreshing cold cantaloupe soup.

4. Blueberries

Berries are rich in several polyphenols — such as anthocyanins (pigments that produce the red, blue, or purple color in certain plants) and quercetin, which has antioxidant effects — and phenolic acids that reduce inflammation.

Try It Mix them into yogurt with a granola topping, toss them into oatmeal or a smoothie, or eat them by the handful.

5. Pineapple

“Pineapples are a great source of vitamin C, but you also have the protease enzyme, bromelain. It has the potential of reducing inflammation, supporting the immune system, and as a bonus, it aids in digestion,” says Frechman.

Try It Cut the pineapple into chunks and skewer them. Add a little olive oil and grill them until lightly charred. The sugar caramelizes for a really delicious experience. Or make a pineapple salsa for chips or to put on chicken or fish. Chop together pineapple, red pepper, and cilantro, then add lime juice and a tiny bit of jalapeño to give it a little heat, says Frechman.

6. Watermelon

This thirst-quenching fruit is exploding with citrulline, lycopene, polyphenols, and vitamins A and C, all of which have strong antioxidant properties and may help promote joint health, says Frechman. Research suggests that watermelons also can help with other diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

Try It No need to get fancy. Just cut it up and enjoy. Or blend it, add a bit of lime, and make refreshing (and healthy) frozen pops.

7. Grapes

According to the Arthritis Foundation, white and darker-colored grapes are both good sources of antioxidants and polyphenols.

 Fresh red and black ones also contain resveratrol, a natural polyphenol that is known to possess anti-inflammatory properties and promotes cardiovascular health.

Try It Keep them frozen for a filling treat. Skewer them along with chicken or fish, let sit in a marinade, then grill. Or layer them with yogurt and almonds for a fun parfait.

The Takeaway

  • Eating seasonal fresh fruit — including cherries, berries, stone fruits, melon, pineapple, and grapes — as part of an anti-inflammatory diet can help you manage RA symptoms.
  • Fruits are full of vitamins, nutrients, and polyphenols (organic compounds found in plants) that have an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effect.
  • While fruit contains sugar, which can contribute to inflammation, the wealth of nutrients and fiber in fruit makes a good addition to your RA diet.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Ma X et al. Excessive intake of sugar: An accomplice of inflammation. Frontiers in Immunology. August 31, 2022.
  2. Kelley D et al. A Review of the Health Benefits of Cherries. Nutrients. March 17, 2018.
  3. All the Health Benefits of Eating Peaches. Cleveland Clinic. August 26, 2021.
  4. 8 Health Benefits of Apricots. Cleveland Clinic. May 6, 2024.
  5. Why Plums Are the Plumb Perfect Fruit. Cleveland Clinic. April 9, 2025.
  6. Melons, Cantaloupe, Raw. U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central Database. December 16, 2019.
  7. Romo-Tovar J et al. Importance of Certain Varieties of Cucurbits in Enhancing Health: A Review. Foods. April 9, 2024.
  8. Basu A et al. Dietary fruits and arthritis. Food & Function. 2018.
  9. Manivannan A et al. Versatile Nutraceutical Potentials of Watermelon—A Modest Fruit Loaded with Pharmaceutically Valuable Phytochemicals. Molecules. November 11, 2020.
  10. Best Fruits for Arthritis. Arthritis Foundation.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

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Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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