Tags
beta carotene, bromalain, healing foods, joint damage, natural supplements, omega 3, omega 3 fatty acids, pineapple, sprains, vitamin A, vitamin c, wound healing, zinc
When you have an injury, the hardest thing to do is sit tight and let your body recover. Unfortunately, modern medicine doesn’t have much to speed up bone formation and remodeling. While physical therapy and exercise is the key to recovery and minimizing pain, there are certain foods that can help decrease inflammatory pain and improve recovery:
- Beta-carotene: important for collagen formation. Beta carotene is an important component in the process of ligament re-growth.
- Zinc: topical wound healing formulations often include zinc oxide. An important mineral, zinc is key for growth and wound healing . Foods rich in zinc include sesame seeds and raw pumpkin seeds
- Pineapples: this delicious fruit contains bromalain, the enzyme key for wound healing and to reduce swelling. Pineapples are also high in Vitamin C which is anti-inflammatory and supports collagen formation.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: researchers found that when a person consumes a high ratio of omega 6-to-omega 3, there is over-activation of COX-2, the inflammatory enzyme responsible for joint pain.
While studies on food that can affect pain and sprains are still very limiting, those who are chronic pain sufferers can often attest to consuming foods that affect pain and inflammation level. If you have had these experiences, we would love to hear about them!
-NZ
References:
Bromalain http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/895.html
Zinc http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/
