Heal as if you’ve got superpowers by eating the right kinds of foods! Injuries aren’t awesome, so get over them quickly naturally!
At some point or another, we all experience injuries, ranging from the minor scrapes and cuts to the more severe, such as broken bones, surgery, and muscle tears. Though the more intense injuries are more serious and do more damage, many of the same processes and nutrients are required for any degree of injury repair. Here, we’ll look at some specific nutritional strategies to help you speedily and completely heal and recover from any injury.
It’s important to understand that food must come first. If the body is to heal, it does so with the elements it’s receiving from the food you’re eating. This means that not only does food need to be considered before supplementation, but it also means that the source, quality, nutrient density, and overall nourishment of your food must be optimal. Once proper nourishment from food is achieved, then whole-food based, quality supplementation can be an additional aid to hasten healing.
A second principle of eating to help heal the body is to eat an abundance of natural anti-inflammatory foods daily. An abundance means multiple servings each meal, ideally. There are some top natural anti-inflammatory foods to include in your diet when aiming to heal from an injury.
- Dark leafy greens (ideally organic and local), such as spinach, kale, collards, and parsley
- Berries (ideally organic, local and fresh)
- Pineapple
- Flaxseed (freshly ground directly prior to being eaten)
- Carrots
- Ceylon cinnamon
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Onions and garlic
- Tart cherries (ideally organic and fresh)
- Raw walnuts (ideally organic)
In addition to considering the true nourishment of your food and increasing your intake of natural antioxidant foods, there are some specific nutrients the body requires during healing and regeneration. Boosting these nutrients, ideally from whole foods, can help speed up healing.
- Vitamin C: Bell peppers, citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, strawberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and cabbage
- Vitamin A: Yellow and orange fruits and veggies such as carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, bell peppers, squash, mangoes, and apricots
- Zinc: Beans, and raw nuts
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Raw walnuts, and flaxseed
- Magnesium: 100% (organic, soaked/sprouted) whole grains, raw cacao, dark leafy greens, raw nuts and seeds, beans, and avocados
As long as you’re eating the most nourishing, whole foods, then the body is likely to have all the tools needed to quickly and completely repair itself. However, because eating this way can be a great challenge for many people, it’s also important to understand some of the worst offenders, nutritionally speaking, for injury recovery. If you’re seeking to heal an injury, make sure to avoid the following things as much as possible:
- Trans fat (aka hydrogenated oils)
- Vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, corn, grapeseed)
- White and processed sugars (including {high} fructose corn syrup and other processed syrups)
- White and highly processed flours and products containing white flours
- Soda pop (regular and diet)
- Highly processed juices and other such beverages, including many smoothies
- Energy drinks
- Sugary coffee beverages
- Artificial dyes
- Artificial preservatives
- “Sugar-free” sweeteners (Splenda, NutraSweet, Ace-K, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Aspartame)
As you strive to implement the best foods, it will be easier to avoid the bad. Do this consistently and watch your injury get better in no time!
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