We all know that what we eat has a lot of bearing on how we look, feel, and function. Sometimes even just drinking a cup of water in the afternoon will erase that mid-day feeling of fatigue. If back problems plague you, however, then learn to maintain a balanced diet, consuming the right amount and variety of vitamins and nutrients. You just might notice it will soon reduce your back pain and discomfort as it nourishes your bones, muscles, discs, and other spinal structures.
So, where do you start? Well, I don’t recommend heading off to your local fast-food joint. Despite the fact that my 105-year-old grandma has thrived off of a steady diet of salt-laden foods, fries, hamburgers, bacon, and chocolate shakes for years, she still remains a medical enigma. I believe she has a stomach of steel and a bone structure of solid iron. For us mere mortals, however, there is a better, more proven way to incorporate the necessary vitamins and minerals into our diets to help stave off certain physical ailments, like the ever-popular and rather persistent back pain.
Vitamin A is a great antioxidant that helps the immune system to fight off disease. It is also good for your back because it aids in repairing tissue and in forming bone. If you want to get a healthy dose of vitamin A, then enjoy it in beef, calf, or chicken liver, milk, butter, cheese, and eggs.
You can also amp up the back pain fighting reserves in your diet by eating fresh fruits, such as apricots, nectarines, and cantaloupe. Orange and green vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach, are also good sources of vitamin A.
You also need some vitamin B12, which is necessary for healthy bone marrow. It also allows your body and spine to grow and function normally. You can find vitamin B12 in meat products, such as liver, fish, red meat, and poultry. Dairy products, including milk, eggs and cheese, are also excellent sources of this vitamin. Be sure to include some leafy green veggies, like spinach and broccoli, in your diet as well.
In order to allow your body to develop collagen, you need the popular vitamin C in your diet. This is very important for healing injured tendons, vertebral discs, and ligaments. Vitamin C will also keep your bones and tissues strong. If you love strawberries, kiwi fruit, citrus fruits, and tomatoes, you are in luck. They are packed with the benefits of vitamin C. If it is vegetables you crave, then load up on broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes.
Next up is vitamin K, which is necessary for your bones to properly use calcium. Vitamin K and calcium work together harmoniously to help your bones stay strong and healthy. You can find this important vitamin in liver, pork, leafy green vegetables, and dairy products.
Iron is also needed for your cells to remain healthy, allowing them to receive oxygen and to rid themselves of carbon dioxide. Iron is most notably found in liver, pork, fish, shellfish, red meat, poultry, soy, eggs, grains, lentils, beans, spinach, broccoli, and kale.
When your muscles need to relax, count on magnesium to do the trick. This mineral also helps you to maintain overall muscle tone and bone density. You can find it in whole grains, whole-grain breads, beans, nuts, and seeds. Stock up on potatoes, avocados, bananas, kiwi, and shrimp, too.
Now, the occasional meal of burgers and fries is not necessarily a bad thing, just don’t find yourself to be one of the “regulars” at your local hamburger spot. Grandma has dibs on that one, anyway!
(Information for this article was found at http://backpain.ygoy.com/conservative/diet.php)