You may be suffering from a muscular injury, skeletal injury, ligaments or tendons, or another type of injury. To fuel injury recovery, it doesn’t just take rest. It also takes food. The food we eat determines our lives, energy levels, wakefulness, and how quickly our body repairs itself.
Make sure you’re investing in the right diet if you’re serious about minimizing the amount of time you’re down with an injury. Here are the 11 best foods for injury recovery:
Food #1: Eggs
Eggs are low-calorie, protein-rich foods that help recover from muscle injuries. Your body needs protein to heal. A high-protein diet can bring down inflammation in the body, promote faster recovery, and help build strength and muscle mass in tissue.
Eggs also contain high amounts of vitamins A and B12, zinc, iron, and selenium, which support immune system functioning and wound healing.
Food #2: Oranges
There are a lot of fruits that are excellent foods for injury recovery. Oranges are among the best fruits for injuries due to their high vitamin C and calcium content.
The average orange also contains over 170 phytochemicals and 60 flavonoids, all extremely helpful in lowering inflammation throughout the body and helping to stabilize the immune system’s response to an injury. This will help boost your recovery and minimize your downtime.
Food #3: Berries
Berries are high in antioxidants, several types of vitamins and complex carbohydrates. They will replenish energy levels and facilitate faster recovery regarding micro-damage to the muscles.
The plant compounds in berries also provide anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and immune-supporting effects. The best berries you can eat include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Food #4: Peas
Peas are no one’s favourite food, but they’re incredibly healthy for us. They’re an optimal source of plant-based protein and calcium. There is also ample fibre in them, phytochemicals that are good for the body, and a wide array of vitamins and minerals.
Even a small amount of peas can help combat nutritional deficiencies in the body and ensure your body’s receiving balanced injury recovery food intake.
Food #5: Poultry
Poultry is a tasty lean meat. It contains creatine which will help the body produce energy and improve muscular performance. It has some amino acids, including glutamine and arginine, which help heal bone fractures.
It’s also high in protein and very little fat when you’re strictly for boneless, skinless chicken breast. Poultry or a similar protein should be a major part of one’s diet post-injury as they rebuild parts of their body.
Food #6: Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a high-carb food, but they’re a healthy carb. Carbs provide energy that cells require for healing and important enzymes the body uses to repair.
Sweet potatoes are also filled with anti-inflammatory plant compounds, vitamins, and minerals that can be helpful to optimize one’s immune system and help the body recover. Your body needs carbohydrates during injury recovery. Do not ignore this need.
Food #7: Yogurt
Yogurt is rich in calcium, protein, and other nutrients that the body will highly value while recovering from an injury. It is one of the best dairy sources, although it should be eaten in moderation.
Calcium helps with body repair, and the probiotics in yogurt help regulate the gut. The gut controls many of how we feel and our bodies operate. A properly regulated gut is an asset in restoring and rebuilding the body.
Food #8: Nuts And Seeds
Nuts and seeds are protein-dense foods. They also contain healthy fats to guard against excess inflammation and are rich in zinc, which is helpful for wound healing, tissue repair, and growth. Nuts and seeds are essentially fuel.
Add the magnesium, CoQ10, and vitamin E, and you’ve got excellent food for injury recovery. Under nuts and seeds, you can include almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds.
Food #9: Leafy Vegetables
Leafy vegetables are filled with strong nutrients that reduce inflammation, enhance immune system functioning, and improve wound healing. Leafy greens are high in vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and folate and have powerful anti-inflammatory and immune-supportive properties.
Common leafy vegetables include kale, spinach, arugula, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. Anyone recovering from an athletic injury or surgery can benefit from eating leafy greens.
Food #10: Cruciferous Vegetables
Further down, the best foods for injury recovery list are cruciferous vegetables. These are veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, and kale. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Together, the nutrient profile of cruciferous vegetables can suppress inflammation and offer the nutrients your body is craving during its recovery. If there aren’t leafy vegetables on your plate during every meal, having some cruciferous vegetables is a strong recommendation.
Food #11: Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a nice treat for someone recovering from an injury, but it’s also quite helpful. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, far more than milk chocolate.
You also receive high amounts of flavanol and other compounds. So long as it’s consumed in moderation, dark chocolate will help reduce blood pressure and insulin sensitivity and keep down inflammation throughout the body.
After suffering an injury, your body needs to heal. A diet is paramount to the recovery process. Don’t overexert yourself in work, manual labour, or other strenuous tasks. A severe injury may put you out of commission for weeks or months, reducing your potential income. You may be eligible for legal compensation, depending on your circumstances. Contact a personal injury lawyer Whitby to determine whether you have a legal case.
