Chronic pain affects 1 in 5 Australians, and that includes young adults and
children. There are ways of fighting pain with pain pills, but that is not
the solution. They often have side effects, can be addictive, and they
usually don’t do anything when it comes to eliminating the cause of pain.
Luckily, the right cure lies in the food. Here are just some of the great
foods that can help you battle pain.
This precious root is known as nature’s aspirin, because it can ease
migraines, muscle pain and arthritis. Ginger is also good for irritated
stomach and it can relieve nausea and travel sickness. Scientists explain
that ginger breaks up intestinal gas and blocks vomit-inducing receptors.
Even if you’re healthy it’s good to take ginger for prevention. You can
grate it into different dishes, juices, or smoothies, make ginger tea or
lemonade. It’s delicious and good for you.
For achy joints, neck or back, eat fish low in mercury and rich in omega-3
acids. Blood vessels at your spinal disks carry nutrients and oxygen, but
if you have bad back, blood flow is reduced and nutrients and oxygen stop
flowing. In that case, disks start to deteriorate and cause pain. Fish like
salmon, sardines and herrings can help battle degeneration of the disks and
they can reduce pain. You can easily prepare fish with low mercury content
in many ways and incorporate it into your diet.
If you’re one in the 15 % of world population with irritable bowel syndrome
you know what stomach pain is. But, don’t despair just yet. Yogurt often
contains many bacterial strains that reduce inflammation, pain, and
bloating. Remember to read the label when shopping for this super-food,
because what you’re looking for is probiotics and not all yogurts contain
them. There’s also a vegan option in the form of probiotic-enriched soy
yogurt. Another thing you can try is kefir, a unique cultured
dairy product that works miracles in case of candida, irritated bowels and
it boosts the immune system.
Cherries contain very strong antioxidants that work in two ways to battle
pain: they slow down pain enzymes and they block inflammations. So,
basically they are natural aspirin. Have a bowl of cherries for breakfast
or drink thick cherry juices and smoothies and you’ll feel better. If you
think you need some additional help, there are supplements that contain
chondroitin and
glucosamine
that can slow down the progression of arthritis and assist cartilage
formation. If you have osteoarthritis maybe try a combination of
supplements and helpful foods, and you’re guaranteed to see the difference.
Cranberry juice is very good for preventing ulcers from forming because of
its ability to inhibit
pathogens called Helicobacter pylori
that attack stomach and small intestine. A go-to cure for an ulcer is
antibiotics, but why treat it when you can prevent it. If you only drink
one cup of cranberry juice a day you can eliminate about 20% of H. pylori
infections. Make sure to get the juice that is 100% natural, with no sugar
added to stop inflammations from occurring. You can sweeten it up with some
honey or stevia, but keep it natural.
These are just some of the beneficial foods you can incorporate into your
everyday diet to stop inflammations from spreading, ease the pain and even
cure some diseases. But, if you don’t reduce sugar intake, intake of
refined carbs and processed foods you will always be in the red zone when
it comes to acute pain and inflammation. It’s important to change your
eating habits and you will lead a healthy and pain-free life.
Gordon Bogunovic is a fitness instructor and MMA enthusiast with 10 years of experience in personal training and nutrition.