People often think of their chronic pains and their diets as two completely separate things. It’s easy enough to draw a straight line from fat and muscle buildup to fatty foods and proteins, but what you might not realize is that the aches and pains, uneasy feelings, and even your mood may be affected by what you choose to eat and whether you get enough of the good stuff. Your diet may even have something to do with your chronic back pain.
One of the most common causes of chronic pain is inflammation. Inflammation is the result of your immune system going active in a certain area, and this activity causes pain, swelling, and sensitivity in the area. That’s all part of the process when you suffer a cut or a bruise, but the immune system can also go active too much and result in conditions like arthritis. While the exact cause and effect aren’t completely known, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that eating a healthy diet can reduce the number of inflammations you experience, especially as you grow older.
Get Your Daily Nutrients
Vitamins and minerals are essential parts of your diet. Vitamins are complex molecules that your body can’t produce on its own, and your body puts these molecules to work in a variety of ways: vitamin A keeps your immune system working correctly, vitamin C maintains bones and teeth and absorbs stray oxygen molecules, and vitamin D goes to work in the lungs and pancreas. Your body uses minerals to build its own complex molecules like the ones in your bones and blood cells. By eating enough nutrients, you keep your immune system in good condition so it won’t cause inflammations.
Avoid Empty Calories
The average American diet tends to include a lot of carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread, candy, soda, and so on. Carbohydrates are an important part of any diet, but when you have too many your body will convert them into fat and cause you to gain weight. Carb sources like these are also dangerous because they’re “empty calories.” This means you get the calories you need but none of the other important nutrients that are part of a balanced diet. That’s why nutritionists recommend eating whole-grain foods and fruits, since these carb sources also come with dietary fiber and vitamins.
Embrace Variety
A healthy diet should include four basic types of food: whole grains, proteins, and healthy fats, vegetables, and fruits. More vegetables than fruits are good since vegetables have fewer calories, and healthy fats mostly come from vegetarian sources like olive oil, nuts, and seeds. By embracing variety every day, you’ll get a good balance of nutrients and enjoy a much more interesting diet.
Of course, inflammation isn’t the only source of back pain. Bad posture, stress, and more serious conditions can also cause chronic back pain, and chiropractic care can help fix it. If you’re in need of expert chiropractic care, check out our online forms here on Andresen Active Healthcare and sign up for a session today.