The beauty of today is that most people are beginning to realize how big of a part a healthy diet plays in their physical wellness. The other good news is that more and more studies are being conducted on this subject to help people comprehend the full scope of this connection. Every time you choose to consume an item, you are essentially adding an ingredient to your body that can be very positive, or could cause turmoil within the body’s finely tuned environment.
Watch the Nutrients
Perhaps, the biggest link between pain and dietary factors is that of weight issues. What you consume can cause you to carry extra weight, and extra weight–particularly in the stomach area–can be a leading cause of back pain. The extra weight places stress on the spine’s vertebrae as your body works hard against gravity to keep you upright, and also on all other joints and bones in your body. Your body is a machine where a weak link in one area can have profound effects on another seemingly unrelated part. The reason for this is that the other parts of your body need to work harder in order to compensate for the weakness.
Another dietary factor that could lead to back pain is the levels of nutrients that are consumed. A diet that is high in anti-inflammatory foods can actually help to combat back pain later in life. Your liver is responsible for creating what is called C reactive protein, or CRP. The foods you eat can actually affect how little, or how much of this anti-inflammatory agent is produced by your body. Your doctor can actually test to see what the value of CRP is that your body is producing by conducting a simple blood test.
Diet Can Help with Inflammation
If inflammation is the cause of your pain, or even if it is only a contributing factor, you have three options:
- You may choose to take anti-inflammatory medications regularly for the rest of your life; or,
- You could clean up your diet and see if that does the trick, or
- You can try some combination of the two, and look to strike a balance that works for you specifically.
If you want to try consuming more anti-inflammatory foods, choose:
- Vitamin rich raw and cooked vegetables and leafy greens. Broccoli might just might be
- Mushrooms, believe it or not they are nutritional superpower;
- Grains–if you haven’t tried quinoa, you definitely need to;
- Seafood that is oily and high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and sardines; and even
- Dark chocolate, which is rich in potent antioxidants.
Dr. Weil’s has a anti-inflammatory diet plan and an anti-inflammatory food pyramid that will take the guess work out of structuring the best plan to beat inflammatory back pain. The entire plan promotes the idea of eating highly nutritious and nutrient dense foods that promote the healthy functioning of the body, joints, and connective tissues.
You May Need a Trainer
Along with a healthy diet, a regular exercise regimen can help to increase back strength which will help reduce pain. An added bonus is that it will also help to resolve any weight issues that may be contributing to the pain. To institute an exercise plan you will definitely want to consult a personal trainer in order to be sure that there will not be any contraindicated exercises in the plan that will be tailored to your goals.
The final consideration for your new and improved healthy back plan, should be the additional contribution of a professional who can help “rub out” any other issues that may be contributors. A chiropractor can help to monitor your progress and make necessary adjustments to your spine that will promote and support your endeavors to relieve back pain, and lead a happier, healthier, pain-free life.