Can my diet influence my pain? This is a question many may not think to ask, but it’s an extremely relevant issue when it comes to managing your pain and healing your body from an injury. Food nourishes our body, so choosing nutrient dense foods provides our body with the nutrients to heal. Nutrient dense food regulates our body’s systems so that we function normally. We are bombarded with food options throughout the day, which can make choosing the right option difficult. When it comes to diet, keep things simple. Choose to eat real, whole foods. Eat healthy and natural sources of vegetables, fruit, grains and meats. Stay away from processed food and anything that comes pre-packaged. Often packaged food contains a great deal of chemicals and preservatives which can flood our system with toxins, increase inflammation, and delay healing. Another simple rule to follow is to check if the food label on a product has a list of chemicals that you can’t pronounce; if it does, put it back on the shelf. There are some specific foods to avoid which specifically increase inflammation in the body and can increase your pain and delay healing. Below listed are a few of specific inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods. Try to make healthy changes to your diet to provide your body the nutrients to heal more efficiently.
Inflammatory foods to AVOID:
-sugar
-common cooking oil (vegetable oils, sunflower oil)
-trans fat (deep fried food, fast food)
-processed dairy
-red meat/processed meat
-alcohol
-processed grains (packaged white/wheat bread, pasta)
-artificial additives/sweeteners (aspartame, MSG, sucralose)
Anti-inflammatory foods to INCLUDE:
-green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale)
-bok choy
-celery
-beets
-broccoli
-blueberries
-pineapple
-salmon
-bone broth
-walnuts
-coconut oil
-chia seeds
-flax seed
-turmeric
-ginger
