Good And Bad Food For Your Joints

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 Uneeb Khan anti-inflammatory, sports nutrition

Joint pains are very common among athletes, and failing to take good care of your joints can result in some severe complications. In most cases, joint pain can often be a symptom of something even more severe or chronic medical condition. This is also one of the reasons why experts always recommend athletes ensure appropriate sports nutrition at all times.

While most athletes are primarily focused on enhancing their muscle recovery, one must not overlook their joint health. Fortunately, there are many proven strategies that can help one enhance their joint health by leveraging the benefits of effective nutrition.

However, different food items have a different impact on your joints, making it imperative to be aware of this fact and consume food that will benefit the joints. Hence, let’s check out both good and bad food items for your joints.

Beneficial Food And Supplements For Your Joints

Vitamin C

There are many vegetables and fruits that are filled with beneficial vitamin C. This is an essential nutrient as it stimulates collagen production, which further contributes to enhancing the health of your joints. While consuming a recommended quantity of vitamin C is important for everyone, athletes can even consume some vitamin C sports supplements further to strengthen the ligaments and tendons of their joints. Other than that, consuming natural sources of vitamin C such as citrus fruits, papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, kiwi, and more can also benefit an athlete.

Turmeric

Turmeric is another part of the ginger family equipped with unmatched anti-inflammatory properties. This makes turmeric very effective in recovering muscles, and there have been many studies that suggest male athletes consuming turmeric supplements tend to show reduced acute inflammatory response to both endurance and resistance exercises. In addition, this is one of those spices that also aid in healing osteoarthritis pain. So make sure to add turmeric to your sports diet for enhancing joint health.

Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherry and bing cherry juices are very effective when it comes to supporting the health of your joints. This is mainly because of tart cherry juice’s anti-inflammatory and polyphenol anti-oxidative properties. This is highly recommended for any athlete looking for ways to reduce muscle soreness and even reduce joint pain caused by training or exercise. However, there are still no guidelines about the appropriate quantity for tart juice consumption. Therefore, it is better to refer your dietician or physician for the same.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Almost every athlete is more or less aware of the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids as there are numerous upsides of consuming this nutrient. For instance, it can help one enhance their brain function, cardiovascular health and even reduce inflammation. Athletes can consume omega 3 fatty acid supplements to enhance the overall health of their joints. Counter inflammation caused by heavy exercising. One can consume food items such as chia seeds, flaxseeds, salmon, walnuts, and even mackerel as they are great sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

Food Items That Can Potentially Worsen Your Joint Pain

Excess Refined Grains

When grains are refined, they tend to lose most of their fiber in the due process, and consuming food items such as pasta or white bread can result in further complications. Refined fiber can increase the body’s inflammatory response, contributing to worsening joint pain. Especially when training hard for any upcoming event.

Food Items With Excess Added Sugar

It is no secret that excess sugar consumption is never good for an athlete. This can often result in fueling the release of pro-inflammatory substances in the body. Which will further contribute to worsening the athlete’s joint pain. While there is a lack of research on this topic, most research conducted on the subject has time. And again shown the link between excess sugar and inflammation. Therefore, it is highly recommended that athletes keep a safe distance from food items such as processed foods sweetened with sugar, sugary treats. Or any other food item that can hamper the body’s muscle recovery.

Alcohol

This is something that every athlete must avoid consuming at all times. Alcohol does not just impact the health of your joints, but it also causes other complications in the body. However, since joints are the point of discussion here, it is worth mentioning that excessive alcohol consumption increases inflammation in your body. Research shows men consuming more than two drinks a day or women consuming more than one drink in a day can increase the inflammation to a great extent. This will further intensify the joint pain experienced by the athlete.

In Conclusion

Every athlete is well aware of the importance of their joints because no matter the sports you play. It is imperative to ensure your joints are in good health. Therefore, keep this information in mind and put in efforts to consume more food items beneficial for your joints rather than food items that are potentially harmful to your joints. This will ensure you always get the best nutrition for athletes.