Food can seriously damage all our body systems and lead to chronic muscle pain , mental illness, insomnia, nervous disorders and many more.
CONDITIONS RELATED TO DIET AND NUTRITION
Several common conditions are directly related to diet and nutrition.
Here are some conditions in which nutritional advice will likely be a part of the patient’s physical therapy regimen:
Inflammation. Diets tend to have a lot of vegetable oils and other inflammatory foods in them. This can increase the pain from inflammation. In many cases, a physical therapist will prescribe a diet with more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods to help manage pain.
Obesity. Being overweight causes undue stress and strain on a person’s joints and muscles. This causes pain, so they become more sedentary. Becoming more sedentary causes them to gain more weight, which leads to more pain. It’s a nasty cycle!
Autoimmune disorders. The combined total of various autoimmune disorder patients (such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis) now outnumber cancer patients by a wide margin. Autoimmune disorders are frequently linked directly to deficiencies in a patient’s diet.
Diabetes. Diabetes and pre-diabetes pave the way for more serious conditions such as blindness, heart disease, and kidney disease. More than 90 percent of patients with diabetes also experience neuropathic pain. Diet and nutrition will play a key role in managing these conditions.
Osteoarthritis. Obese patients are more likely to develop arthritis, especially in their knees. Once a person has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee, managing their weight becomes the most important key to managing arthritis pain.
HOW ARE FOOD AND PAIN CONNECTED?
Certain kinds of foods are known to cause or aggravate inflammatory responses and chronic pain:
1. Heavily processed foods that include lots of sugar and/or trans fats (including cookies, donuts, and margarine)
Processed foods are not just microwave meals and ready meals.
Why is too much salt or trans fats bad for us?
The body needs a small amount of sodium to function, but high sodium consumption can raise blood pressure. Studies also show that too much salt affects the immune system, which can result in tissue inflammation.
People who already have hypertension or heart problems have an increased inflammatory response when they have too much salt. This can result in organ damage and other chronic, life-threatening problems. Of all the fats, trans fat is the worst for your health. Too much trans fat in your diet increases your risk for heart disease and other health problems. Trans fats are made when liquid oils are turned into solid fats, like shortening or margarine. These are called partially-hydrogenated oils (PHOs).
A processed food is any food that has been altered in some way during preparation. Food processing can be as basic as:
freezing
canning
cooking
drying
What counts as processed food?
A few examples of common processed foods include:
Most breakfast cereals / muesli
Canned meat, hot dogs and sausages
Frozen pizza
Cheese
Tinned vegetables
White Bread
Savoury snacks, such as crisps, sausage rolls, pies and pasties
Meat products, such as bacon, sausage, ham, salami and paté
Microwave meals or ready meals
Cakes and biscuits
Sugary beverages such as coffee, tea , energy drinks , soft drinks , …
Canned or instant soups
Sweetened yogurt
Bouillon cubes or paste
Boxed instant pasta products
…
Not all processed foods are unhealthy but most processed foods may contain high levels of salt, sugar and fat.
What makes most processed foods less healthy?
Ingredients such as salt, sugar and fat are often added to processed foods to make their flavour more appealing and to extend their shelf life, or in some cases to contribute to the food's structure, such as salt in bread or sugar in cakes.
Buying processed foods can lead to eating more than the recommended amounts of sugar, salt and fat as they may not be aware of how much has been added to the food they are buying and eating.
These foods can also be higher in calories due to the high amounts of added sugar or fat in them.
How do you make the healthy switch? You can either replace your processed food with healthy alternatives , or you can look at food labels which can help you choose between processed products and keep a check on fat, salt and sugar content. Here are a few examples :
You can make your own muesli
and instead use fruits or organic syrup as a substitute for sugar.
Cut down on eating cheese . Cheese may be higher in saturated fat and sodium than many other foods. And if you still want to eat cheese, choose a type of cheese that is lower in saturated fat, such as Cottage Cheese, Mozzarella, Feta or Ricotta
Buy fresh vegetables at the market or from the
local bio shop, such as spinach.
If you are buying a block of frozen spinach anyway , you want the ingredient list simply to read spinach, with no additives, such as salt.
Generally speaking, the shorter the ingredient list, the better. That means there is less processing involved.
Avoid white bread, white rice, white pasta, and anything made with white flour. They act a lot like sugar once the body starts to digest them. Therefore, just like sugar, refined starches interfere with glucose control and should be avoided. Healthy types of Bread are :
Sprouted whole grain.
Sourdough. ...
100% whole wheat. ...
Oat bread. ...
Flax bread. ...
100% sprouted rye bread. ...
Healthy gluten-free bread.
Replace snacks , cookies , pastries with fruit or sugar free home-made cookies from fruit, gluten-free flour , peanut butter (non processed), coconut , nuts, …
And if you buy processed food anyway, there are guidelines to tell you if a food is high or low in fat, saturated fat, salt or sugar.
The guidelines, for adults, are:
Total fat
High: more than 17.5g of fat per 100g Low: 3g of fat or less per 100g
Saturated fat
High: more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g Low: 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g
Sugars
High: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g Low: 5g of total sugars or less per 100g
Salt
High: more than 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low: 0.3g of salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)
If you are trying to cut down on saturated fat, try to limit the amount of foods you eat that have more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g.
If you eat a lot of red or processed meat, it's recommended that you cut down as there is likely to be a link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer. We are advised not to eat more than 70g a day.
2. Caffeinated foods and drinks
Caffeine leaches calcium from bones, sapping their strength. You lose about 6 milligrams of calcium for every 100 milligrams of caffeine ingested. That’s not as much of a loss as salt, but it's worrisome, nonetheless.
3. Alcohol
Everyone knows that alcohol influences the functions of your body the second it enters your bloodstream. It also depletes your body of water and nutrients, which in turn increases inflammation.
That exacerbated inflammation in the body can be directly linked to joint pain.
Alcohol immediately affects coordination and increases the likelihood of injury.
Long-term alcohol use can lead to muscle wasting and weakness, osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) and bone fractures.
4. Red meats (steak , beef , ham )
The excessive consumption of red meat might be the reason you're suffering from knee and joint pain. Red meats are rich in inflammatory markers. Consuming too much red meat can lead to inflammation around the knees and joints, which can cause pain that can become unbearable if you don't do something about it.
5. Wheat products ( pasta , bread noodles, biscuits)
Wheat products and derivatives can be found in many foods, including pasta , noodles, ale and beer, baked goods (cakes, cookies, and muffins), baking mixes (pancakes, waffles, cakes, etc.), batter-fried and breaded foods, cereals, crackers, energy bars, pizza dough, processed meats, salad dressing, sauces, soup, and etc.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It can cause inflammation of the joints if it is consumed regularly or not digested properly.
While gluten isn't always the culprit, we often find that reducing or eliminating it provides pain relief.
6. Vegetable oils
Vegetable oils are oxidants to your body, meaning they create free radicals that cause aging, inflammation and damage to our bodies — eventually disease.
Studies are now pointing towards vegetable oils as the villain in heart disease because they cause oxidation and inflammation.
Healthy oils to cook with are olive oil , avocado oil and coconut oil.
7. Dairy products
The main fat found in milk is saturated fat ,
which increases inflammation.
Saturated fat is one of the unhealthy fats,
along with trans fat.
8. Fried Food
French fries and chicken nuggets may taste delicious, but they also cause inflammation. Fried foods produce Advanced Glycation End products, more commonly known as AGEs.
These compounds directly stimulate inflammation in the body.
NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS TO FIGHT INFLAMMATION Omega-3 fatty acids Abundant in fatty fish such as salmon or tuna, they are among the most potent anti-inflammatory supplements. You can also find them in nuts and avocados. These supplements may help fight several types of inflammation, including vascular inflammation. Vascular inflammation is a significant risk factor for heart disease and heart attack.
Curcumin
Curcumin is an active ingredient in turmeric, is a plant in the ginger family. Studies have suggested that it may help reduce inflammation
to speed up wound healing and even reduce cancer risk.
Zink
Some research suggests that zinc is a potent anti-inflammatory that may support the immune system and reduce several markers of inflammation.
Green Tea
Green tea may fight inflammation, because people who live in regions that consume more green tea have lower rates of inflammation-related illnesses.
Frankincense
Frankincense, may ease both inflammation and pain.
It may also help reduce cartilage loss and reverse autoimmune symptoms. Per the Arthritis Foundation, it is a fast acting supplement that may help with osteoarthritis pain in just 7 days.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin is the ingredient that gives hot peppers their heat. Substance P is a pain transmitter produced by the body.
Capsaicin temporarily reduces substance P , thereby reducing the body’s ability to feel and transmit pain.
Some research suggests that capsaicin may help with both nerve and muscular pain. Several manufacturers offer capsaicin creams that people can apply directly to painful areas. Capsaicin supplements may also help. People taking these should follow the directions on the packaging.
Capsaicin can irritate the skin and eyes, so it is essential to wash the hands thoroughly after use.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in grapes, blueberries, and other fruits with purple skin. It’s also found in red wine, dark chocolate, and peanuts.
It’s been widely studied for its anti-inflammatory potential in people with chronic conditions.
Spirulina
Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae with strong antioxidant effects.
Studies have shown that it reduces inflammation, promotes healthy aging,
and may strengthen the immune system.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble nutrient that plays a key role in immune health and may have some powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Bromelain
Bromelain is a powerful enzyme found in pineapple that gives the fruit its astringency.
Bromelain in the reason pineapple leaves a burning sensation if you eat too much.
However, it also has some potential anti-inflammatory properties.
In fact, bromelain has the same anti-inflammatory capacity as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but with the bonus of fewer side effects.
Garlic
Garlic, like ginger, pineapple, and fatty fish, is a common food that’s rich in anti-inflammatory compounds.
Garlic is especially high in a compound called allicin, a potent anti-inflammatory agent that may also help strengthen the immune system to better ward off disease-causing pathogens.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, like vitamin D, is an essential vitamin that plays a huge role in immunity and inflammation. It’s a powerful antioxidant, so it can reduce inflammation by neutralizing free radicals that cause oxidative damage to your cells.
It also helps optimise the immune system in several other ways, which can help regulate inflammation — because inflammation is an immune response.
Anti inflammatory foods
broccoli
fatty fish
avocados
green tea
peppers
mushrooms
grapes
turmeric
extra virgin olive oil
dark chocolate and cocoa
cherries
berries
tomatoes
..
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