Diet and Lifestyle Tips for Joint Care
Shed excess weight:
Food provides all the essential material required for energy, repair of wear and tear and storing surplus fats for future use. If this fat remains unutilized for long, it contributes to body weight. Excess weight creates more problems for joints. Your joints take the brunt of your body weight as you go about your daily life. For instance, your knees sustain an impact three to five times that of your body weight when you descend stairs. In someone weighing 200 pounds, that’s a whopping 1000 pounds that the joint has to support. In an already troubled joint, the load of carrying extra pounds around can be devastating! Shedding excess weight not only improves your well-being, but also helps those weary joints.
Eat a well balanced diet:
Healthy joints require many different nutrients found in a healthy diet. Some of these are required in minute quantities, but are extremely important for proper functioning of the body. The omega 3 fatty acids, the ‘good fats’ found in oily fish play an important role in maintaining healthy joints and should be included in the diet at least once per week.
Foods you should eat plenty of:
- oily fish such as mackerel, herring, sardines and fresh (but not tinned!) tuna
- at least 5 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day
- whole grain products
- lean meats
- beans and pulses
- if you are a vegetarian, increase your intake of flaxseed oil and walnuts
Many new scientific articles are exploring and documenting the healthy benefits of consuming flaxseed and flaxseed oil. Flax is nature’s best known and richest source of the omega 3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid ( ALA ), the parent compound of all other omega 3 fatty acids.
Foods you should eat less of:
- sugar and refined carbohydrates like cakes, biscuits and pastries
- saturated fats such as chips, burgers and processed meats
Stop smoking:
In addition to its widely known ill effects on almost all the systems in the body, each puff of a cigarette can deplete the body of essential micronutrients. For example smoking depletes the level of vitamin C in the body, an important substance in collagen manufacture, a protein building block found throughout the body.
Correct your posture:
Good posture is important for maintaining healthy joints. Try to walk and stand with your head held high, your shoulders back and tummy in. And don’t slouch when you’re sitting either!
Exercise regularly:
Regular exercise has long lasting improvement on your overall health. It makes you burn off excess calories, helping control your weight and improves muscle and joint strength. Swimming is an excellent exercise as the water supports your body weight and no pressure is placed on the joints. Yoga can help you relax and improve flexibility.
Take it easy!
Good health needs happiness. Learn to relax and take enough rest! Let your body recuperate and your mind co-operate!