- Back Pain In Specific Conditions
- Lower Back Pain Management
- Alternative Therapies
- Back Pain Prevention
- Back Pain Diet
- List Of Back Pain Do's And Don'ts
Diet Recommendations For Back Pain
A well-nourished body can heal itself. The ancient systems of treatment all over the world were based on the holistic approach. These stressed the importance of nutrition in maintaining homeostasis of the body. A healthy diet is believed to assist the body in healing itself and reducing inflammation, one of the major causes of back pain, and conversely, these systems believed that an unhealthy diet will affect the body and along with it, the back. The basic back pain diet has pretty much the same characteristics of a well-balanced diet touted by nutritionists everywhere and involves a judicious selection of all the essential components of the diet.
Go Natural
Eating healthy in today's world is easier said than done as many of us live out of cans and tetra packs. Most of what we eat is loaded with chemicals and preservatives, aimed at extending shelf life of the product, while not extending the same kind of benevolence to the consumer. While on the one hand, we have food industries around the world vying with one another in trying to mass-produce convenience food that have little left of the natural goodness of food; our scientists, on the other hand, have been churning out scores of dietary supplements that are aimed at making up for all that is missing in today's foods. So, the bottom-line is that if you can't get enough out of what you eat, take supplements by all means as many of such supplements have been proven to have a therapeutic effect on many kinds of ailments and disorders.
Role Of Energy Providers
Carbohydrates, the major source of energy, contrary to popular belief, are an important part of a balanced diet and do not necessarily fatten you up if taken in the proper form and amount. Complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and legumes (pulses) play a vital role in maintaining the metabolic functions of the body and are also good sources of dietary fiber, which serves as a colon cleanser and reduces pressure on the spine. Simple carbohydrates or sugars are believed to aggravate inflammation and must be eaten only in small amounts.
Another good reason to stay away from simple carbs is its propensity to lead to obesity, which in turn, has an adverse effect on the spine.
Fats or oils are also required by the body for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its ability to provide lots of energy. As a rule of thumb, avoid too much of animal fat or hydrogenated stuff (like margarine). That said, it must also be noted that certain fish oils are rich in omega-3 fatty acid which, in the recent times, has been proven to be a cure for many degenerative conditions of the body.
Body Building Food
Regarded as the building blocks of the body, proteins are an important class of nutrients that are required to repair worn-out tissues and to synthesize new molecules for the body. If you don't consume enough proteins, the body will utilize its own reserves - quite like eating oneself to maintain oneself- and this in turn will surely delay the healing process. So, adequate proteins, from vegetable or animal sources, are regarded as an important part of a back pain diet.
Dietary Supplements
These augment our daily diet and ensure that the body is not deficient in amino acids, vitamins and minerals, the protective foods which control and coordinate various metabolic activities in the body and work in conjunction with each other. Among the dietary supplements widely used nowadays and which back pain patients swear by, is a mucopolysaccharide called Chondroitin- an essential constituent of connective tissue, particularly cartilage, this is responsible for giving elasticity to the joints. Research has shown that when chondroitin is used alongside Glucosamine (an amino sugar) in dietary supplements, it offers positive results for joint pain, wear and tear of joints associated with aging as well as osteoarthritis. Although these supplements are non-prescription, it is better to check with a medical care provider regarding the suitability as well as the dosage.