Last Updated on January 14, 2016 by Michael Brockbank
Injuries can be quite debilitating, depending on the circumstance. Broken legs, backs and other physical ailments can prevent you from getting the physical activity you once had. While physical therapy can help you burn some of those calories, it could be months or even years before you’re capable of getting back into an exercise routine. This is why monitoring your food intake is vitally important.
Promoting a Faster and Healthy Recovery
Food isn’t just some product you put into your body to keep your stomach from grumbling. It’s the method in which humans get the nutrients needed to keep bodies active. It’s the vitamins and minerals within certain foods that can do amazing things for recovering from the most damaging injuries.
Bone Health
Calcium isn’t the only method in which to repair bone damage. Foods that are rich in things like vitamin K can speed the process of recovery. For example, there is evidence that vitamin K contributes to the development and repair of bones by binding with things like calcium. If you’re suffering from a broken arm or leg, you’d want to eat more leafy greens. Some of the best foods to eat while knitting a broken bone include:
- Kale
- Spinach
- Basil
- Dandelion greens
- Most onions
- Watercress
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- And many others
Muscles Repair
Muscles repair can be expedited with the right foods as well. From controlling inflammations to the development of muscle tissue, the right foods can hasten your recovery. If you’re suffering from some form of musculature damage, you may want to eat foods such as:
- Various meats
- Fish – salmon, tuna and herring are excellent
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Berries of any kind
- Coconut
- Whey protein drinks in moderation – many of them contain a lot of calories and carbs
Your body knows what to do with the tools you give it. Foods high in various vitamins and minerals can help your body repair almost any type of injury. If you starve yourself of essential nutrients, it could take longer to heal. While there are some injuries that your body cannot repair, such as many forms of brain damage, proper eating will contribute to keeping you alive and healthy. In the future, I plan on going deeper into what foods are the most beneficial for specific types of injuries.
Gaining Wait While Injured
When you’re suffering from an injury, it’s important that you change your diet. Without physical activity, you can quickly put on the pounds if you’re not burning enough. Things that were safe to eat before may now be collecting as fat deposits. If you’re body cannot burn the carbs as energy, they will be stored in the body.
Working Out When Injured
There are several ways you can still get some exercise in while injured. It’s all about getting the heart pumping. If your leg is broken, work on your upper body. Injuries such as those centering around your back may be a bit more difficult to work around. You should speak with your physician and physical therapist about exercises you can do at home.
Knowing Your Limitations
You should always gauge your own physical limitations. Doing too much physical activity can actually reduce your chances of a full recovery. If the doctor says to take six months to recover from back surgery, you shouldn’t be picking up your golf clubs after three. While part of therapy is to get you back on your feet, you shouldn’t go too far with the activity. It could cause additional damages making a full 100 percent recovery almost impossible. Speak with your physical therapist before doing extensive physical activity.
Eating well won’t give you mutant healing abilities, but it will hasten your recovery time. When I was a teen, and in way better shape than I am now and eating right, I fully recovered from a broken hand in less than three weeks. Give your body the necessary components to repair itself. The quicker you’re back on your feet, the better off you’ll be.