Heal Faster With The Right Food

If you are playing sport or competing in an event and suffer an injury, you want to get back to your peak performance as soon as possible. Following an injury, it is extremely important to consider what fuel you are putting into your body for the best possible recovery.

Inflammation is the body’s response to any kind of trauma. While it is integral to our health, when we get injured it can result in excessive fluid build up and increased sensitivity in the area which results in pain. There are many ways to help manage inflammation however one technique commonly missed is nutrition.

Foods with anti-inflammatory qualities can help speed up recovery following injury. These foods include garlic, turmeric, broccoli and spinach. Omega-3 is also a potent anti-inflammatory so eating fish and nuts like pistachios can help.

To help with tissue repair it is important that we have enough protein in our diet – as this is this building block for cell and tissue growth and repair. Foods such as meat, fish, eggs, almonds and kidney beans are all good sources of protein.

It is also important to avoid excessive alcohol consumption following injury as it leads to dehydration. This is counter productive because the lack of fluids slows down nutrient absorption. Alcohol also thins the blood which can increase bleeding and swelling.

Top