If you’re receiving chiropractic treatment for an ailment, you want the most effective treatment possible, but may not have considered how your diet can affect the efficacy of chiropractic treatment. Keep reading to discover three ways your diet goes hand in hand with chiropractic care.
Full-Body Health
Chiropractic care is part of whole-body wellness. A good diet and proper nutrition complement chiropractic care and contribute to your overall health. In order to get the most out of your chiropractic treatment and reach your individual health goals, you need to make sure you are paying attention to the foods you eat and how they affect your body.
If you have bad eating habits, your body won’t be able to perform efficiently and you may find yourself feeling sluggish and tired. An improper diet affects your nerves’ ability to share information, your organs’ functionality, and your body’s ability to repair muscle. As a result, your body may begin to break down, exacerbating the issues for which you’re receiving chiropractic treatment.
On the other hand, if you follow proper nutrition guidelines along with receiving chiropractic treatment, your body will have the vitamins and nutrients it needs to function properly and repair itself, increasing the efficacy of the treatment.
Your chiropractor can help you evaluate the foods you eat and give you suggestions on how to improve your overall health through your diet. You may also want to consider consulting with a dietician, since they have specialized knowledge about nutrition and its effects on the body.
Inflammation Reduction
Many physical ailments are caused by inflammation. When your immune system is activated, your body sends out inflammatory cells, which attack bacteria or heal damaged tissue. This is a helpful, necessary bodily function; however, some people experience chronic inflammation, in which the body sends inflammatory cells even when there is no danger.
Chronic inflammation occurs in people who have conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune diseases, and cancer, among others. It can also affect people who smoke or drink alcohol in excess, exercise too much or too little, experience chronic stress, or are obese.
Chiropractic care is known to help relieve inflammation by identifying the root cause of the problem and treating the musculoskeletal system through modalities and adjustments.
In addition, many foods are known to be anti-inflammatory and work in tandem with chiropractic treatment to help you find relief. Including the following foods in your diet will help improve chronic inflammation and complement your chiropractic care:
- Leafy greens like spinach and kale
- Oily or fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel
- Olive oil and coconut oil
- Vegetables like tomatoes, avocados, artichokes, red beets, and broccoli sprouts
- Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, pineapple, papaya, grapes, pomegranate, and oranges
- Tree nuts such as almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and Brazil nuts
- Foods high in fiber such as quinoa, ground flaxseed, and oatmeal
- Herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, rosemary, and garlic
- Greek yogurt
- Green tea and matcha tea
If reducing inflammation is your goal, you should steer clear of these foods:
- Refined carbohydrates (found in white flour, white bread, and white rice)
- Processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, and cold cuts
- Full-fat dairy
- Baked goods
- Sweetened beverages like soda, hot chocolate, and coffee
- Trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils (found in margarine, shortening, fried foods, and processed snacks)
Healthy Bones and Joints
Many people seek chiropractic care for issues with bone and joint health. People with poor posture, aching joints, broken or fractured bones, or even conditions such as osteoporosis or osteoarthritis can all benefit from chiropractic treatment.
Your diet also affects your bones and joints. Eating too many fatty foods with lots of calories can cause you to gain weight, which puts stress on your joints. This extra stress can lead to wear and tear in your bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments, causing pain and stiffness, which exacerbates the need for chiropractic care.
In addition to chiropractic treatment, in order to strengthen your bones and joints, you can make sure you get enough calcium, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants while avoiding foods that will cause weight gain.
Chiropractic Care From Elevate Wellness
At Elevate Wellness, we help patients find relief from lower back pain, migraines and headaches, sciatica, neck pain and whiplash, neuropathy, spinal disc injuries, sports injuries, and more. We are proud to use cutting-edge technology and proven techniques to restore the body to its proper form and function. If you think chiropractic care can help you, schedule an appointment today. We can’t wait to see you!