There are numerous ways to treat and manage your chronic pain. However, one of the most exciting approaches, because it is all-natural, is taking an anti-inflammatory diet. The other options for pain do not always work. Many patients don’t benefit from neural (nerve) blocks, and medication therapy often produces undesired side effects.
An anti-inflammatory diet often eliminates the unpleasant side effects of some medicines that cause fogginess, memory loss and sleepiness. Ease your pain, and visit getdiazepam to get a hold of pain relief medicines
What Should You Be Eating?
Vegetables
Aim for at least seven different vegetables a day. Vegetables contain antioxidants which support your immune system in fighting inflammation. Include a variety of colours, and ensure you have green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and lettuce and cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, sprouts and cauliflower which support the liver. Every time you make a meal, add more vegetables to it.
Fruit
Eat 2 or 3 different fruits per day. The ones particularly rich in antioxidants are berries, cherries and red grapes. Frozen fruit is as good as fresh. Avoid fruit juices as they will give you a big sugar hit without the fibre you get when you eat the whole fruit. When it comes to vegetables and fruit, eat organic where possible.
Healthy Fats
The Mediterranean diet includes healthy fats, including omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation. Fatty fish are a good source of omega 3s, so include salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, tuna steak and herring. Other sources are walnuts and ground flaxseed.
Monounsaturated fat is another healthy fat you will want to include. Olive oil is a good source of this type of fat, as well as contains antioxidants to support your immune system and a compound called oleocanthal, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects similar to Ibuprofen. Use extra virgin olive oil as a salad dressing and for cooking.
Other healthy fats are found in coconut, rapeseed, avocado, olives, nuts and seeds. Avocados are great because they contain a good amount of fibre, monounsaturated fat and vitamin E, an antioxidant.
Good Quality Protein
Another critical aspect of a diet to help manage pain is the inclusion of good-quality protein. Our nervous systems moderate pain, and this body system needs amino acids (the building blocks of protein) to function. So get your protein from fish, poultry, beans, eggs, tofu, gluten-free oats, lentils, nuts and seeds.
Lentils and Beans
Legumes (beans, peas and lentils) contain fibre, protein, folic acid and many essential minerals such as magnesium, iron, zinc and potassium. So try to include them in soups, stews and salads.
Fibre
Fibre has been shown to lower C reactive protein, an inflammatory marker in the blood. It also keeps your digestive system moving, allowing for daily bowel movements, which is essential to avoid reabsorbing toxins into the bloodstream. Try to eat 30 g of fibre a day. You can get this from vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. If you eat bread, pasta and noodles, switch to a whole-grain version.
Turmeric, Cinnamon and Ginger
Turmeric contains curcumin which relieves pain and calms the digestive system. Cinnamon and ginger have anti-inflammatory properties, and cinnamon balances your blood sugar levels, leading to more balanced energy.
Add turmeric to stews and soups, sprinkle it over roasted vegetables, mix with olive oil and apple cider vinegar for a salad dressing, and drink turmeric tea. Sprinkle cinnamon over roasted sweet potato.
Cherries
Tart cherry juice (with no added sugar) has been shown to help relieve particular arthritic pain. Montmorency cherries also contain melatonin to help improve sleep.
Which Nutrients are Most Important for Managing Pain?
Vitamin D
A deficiency can cause musculoskeletal pain, and research has shown a particular link between vitamin D deficiency and back pain. Ask for your levels to be checked by your GP or have a test done privately. In the UK, we don’t get enough sunlight to make vitamin D during winter, so supplementing is good for most people. You’ll need to take a higher dose if your levels are deficient.
Omega-3
Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids have essential bodily functions, but balance is important. Ideally, omega-6 to omega-3 should be 4:1 or less. Still, many of us have a ratio between 10:1 and 50:1. High omega-6 can be inflammatory. In contrast, omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory (as well as increasing our HDL (good cholesterol). As we know, inflammation in the body contributes to several chronic diseases, so try to keep your omega-3 levels up and your omega-6 levels down.
Rebalance your fatty acids ratio by reducing sunflower, soybean, processed foods, margarine, and mayonnaise, eating oily fish twice a week, or supplementing with omega-3.
Magnesium
Magnesium has been shown to reduce neuropathic pain, muscle pain, headaches and migraines. It is also needed to convert vitamin D into its active form. In addition, it can aid sleep, help to manage stress, and regulate the digestive system. Get magnesium in your diet through green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. Relax in an Epsom salt bath, and also consider taking a supplement.
Vitamin C
A vitamin C deficiency can contribute to musculoskeletal pain. Ensure you eat enough vegetables and fruit to increase your vitamin C levels. If you tend towards constipation, or your medication is making your bowels sluggish, upping your vitamin C intake can also help to get things moving – try 2 kiwis in the morning on an empty stomach.
B12
If your vitamin B12 levels are deficient, the protective sheath that covers your nerves can become damaged, causing nerve pain. So get your active B12 levels checked by your GP.
Antioxidants
Vitamins A, C and E, and selenium and zinc are all antioxidants which support your immune system and have been found to reduce pain. Get plenty of antioxidants in your diet by eating vegetables such as asparagus, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, kale, spinach, avocado, sweet potato, squash, and cauliflower and fruits such as berries, watermelon, peaches, apples, kiwi, orange, apricots, as well as brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, beans and poultry.
Conclusion
What we eat has a tremendous impact on how we feel. Putting the right foods into your body can help improve your pain, mood, sleep, digestion, immune system and energy levels. In addition, food can be medicine; your diet should be essential to your treatment plan.
