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Foods to eat to avoid injury

Despite the fact that healthy eating is the best solution to almost any ailment, it’s the most overlooked treatment and prevention method.

It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned athlete or simply trying your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle, successfully completing a vigorous workout makes you feel a little victorious — like you're on top of the world. And, for a time, you relish the muscle fatigue and burn you feel because you know that it means you pushed yourself to the limit to achieve the results you want. But if that muscle pain lingers for more than a couple days, it's likely that you've injured your body.

You probably feel like you're being punished a little for working out and trying to banish extra body fat. And the truth is that your goal isn't to obtain some stereotypical body type; it's to stay healthy and hopefully avoid unwanted back pain that's frequently caused by added weight. Regardless, you begin the routine of nursing your injury to get your body back to health by stretching more and alternating ice and heat to enhance your healing.

What if there was a different way that you could repair your body? Not only is there another way to heal your aching muscles, but you can also prevent injuries. What's the secret? It's pretty simple: healthy nutrition. Despite the fact that healthy eating is the best solution to almost any ailment, it's the most overlooked treatment and prevention method.

Why is good nutrition important?

A healthy diet is the key to preventing most aches and pains — especially when it's related to back pain or athletic injuries. Why? Because a nutritious diet that's rich in vital macronutrients can actually help relieve pain. In fact, fruits, nuts and vegetables provide anti-inflammatory benefits that help reduce or relieve inflammation in your body. And, calcium helps keep your bones strong while supporting your muscles.

When you're planning your meals, try to choose foods that fall into these categories:

  1. Whole foods

  2. Dark, leafy vegetables

  3. Calcium-rich foods

  4. Lean proteins such as fish and poultry

  5. Fruits that are naturally low in sugar such as berries

In the same respect, avoid the following:

  1. Cured meats

  2. Sugary products

  3. White bread

  4. Nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, white potatoes and eggplant, as these increase inflammation

  5. Processed foods

How to incorporate healthy eating into your routine

It can be difficult to incorporate healthy food options into your routine in the beginning, but here are some quick tips to keep you on track:

  1. Plan your meals. The first step to success in healthy eating is planning. Make sure you plan and prep your meals at the beginning of each week. This will make it easier for you to stay on track as your week gets busier.

  2. Keep it simple. Don't try to overcomplicate things, especially if you're just transitioning to healthy eating. Keep your recipes, meals and snacks simple. It'll save you time and money.

  3. Avoid temptation. Is the office break room always full of carb-filled goodies? If so, try to avoid the break room. What about your home? Do you have some cookies stashed away? Toss them out to get rid of the temptation.

For the most part, choosing healthy food isn't hard to do. And the commitment to healthy living comes with a big pay off, as it'll hopefully help prevent chronic neck or back pain that's associated with an injury.

Dr. Stefan Prada, M.D., is an orthopedic spine surgeon with Laser Spine Institute, the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute has seven facilities across the country, including Philadelphia. He is a guest contributor to philly.com..

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