Some causes and effects have a clear connection when it comes to your diet. If you have a bad stomachache or digestive trouble, the fact that you ate too much candy or other junk food earlier is the likely culprit. However, sometimes the link between your diet and other symptoms isn’t as obvious. For instance, did you know that a poor nutrition may contribute to back pain? Although genetics and injuries can play a huge role in your back pain, diet can help or hinder your efforts to feel better. Keep reading to learn about what you should and shouldn’t have for spinal health.
How Can Nutrition Affect Your Spine?
The fuel you give your body influences every system within it. Even if you can continue to function, poor food choices can make your body run inefficiently and impair your quality of life. Repeated studies have found that diets heavy with sugar-filled, starchy, and salty foods promote inflammation throughout the body, but these foods also have a direct impact on spinal structures as well as on the central nervous system. On the other hand, a nutrient- and protein-rich diet can keep your bones and nervous system strong and functioning optimally.
What Foods Negatively Impact Your Spine?
. As a result, you should try to consume less of the following:
- Refined sugar.
- Processed foods.
- Carbonated drinks like soda.
- Alcohol.
- Excessive caffeine.
- Cigarettes.
These substances can weaken bones and actively remove essential nutrients from vulnerable vertebrae and their supportive structures, increasing back pain.
What Foods Can Help Your Spinal Health?
Fortunately, plenty of food can aid in your fight against back pain! Some of these include the following:
- Variety of plant-based protein and lean animal-based protein, which contain necessary amino acids and healthy fats that build up muscle, ligaments, and other supportive tissues.
- Calcium-rich foods like dairy products, leafy greens, fish, and nuts and seeds to strengthen bone density.
- Vitamin D assists with calcium absorption and is commonly found in egg yolks, shiitake mushrooms, and fish as well as vitamin D supplements and spending time in sunlight.
- Magnesium isn’t a vitamin that’s frequently discussed, but it also helps calcium reinforce bone tissue naturally through foods like spinach, sesame and sunflower seeds, pumpkin, mackerel, beans, quinoa, brown rice, and almonds.
Back pain results from many causes, but your nutrition does play a part. By choosing healthy food intake, you give your body the best fuel and nutrients to keep your back in the best condition, helping you have a higher quality of life and function!
About the Author
At AlignRight Chiropractic, Dr. Z and the rest of our team are concerned about more than just chiropractic issues. We care about you as a whole person! We are proud to offer nutritional counseling as well as chiropractic care at our Richardson office. In fact, our registered and licensed dietician is Dr. Z’s wife, Janel Kobza-Chukhman, RD, LD. We can help you identify new habits and better choices you can make to improve your overall wellness. If you would like to schedule a consultation with Janel or Dr. Z, reach out to our practice online or call us at 972-907-2800.
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