Nutrition and Chiropractic Care: The Importance of Diet During A Treatment

Your diet and nutritional choices can have a positive or negative impact on the success of your chiropractic regimen. It’s no wonder that 80 percent of chiropractors make nutritional counseling a part of their personalized treatment plans. Let’s examine the relationship between nutrition and chiropractic care so you’ll know what to eat — and what not to eat — as an accompaniment to your treatment.

How Your Diet Affects Your Treatment

Nutrition and chiropractic care intersect in several ways. For instance, if you consume too many calories or eat unhealthy foods, you may become overweight or obese. These extra pounds can place a heavy load on your weight-bearing joints, promoting arthritis and increasing alignment problems despite your chiropractor’s best efforts. 

Your body needs a healthy balance of nutrients to support its countless functions, including injury healing. If your chiropractor is trying to help you overcome an injury and you’re not giving yourself the nutrition balance necessary to help your body heal, you can’t expect optimal results. If you’re not supporting your bone health by consuming calcium and other vital nutrients, you may become vulnerable to vertebral compression fractures that cause pain. 

Foods to Complement Your Chiropractic Treatment

Foods with anti-inflammatory properties may prove especially beneficial to aching joints and strained tissues. Foods that support healthy bone can also help you ward off bone and joint degeneration. Make sure to include the following items in your daily menu:

• Fatty fish – Sardines, salmon, and other fatty fish contain plenty of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids while also providing protein for tissue maintenance and repair.
• Olive oil – This healthy oil has both analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Whole grains – Whole grains give your body the vitamins, amino acids, and fiber it needs to conduct its everyday processes, including tissue healing and metabolic functions.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables – Seven to nine daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables can give you generous amounts of anti-inflammatory antioxidants.

Foods to Avoid

Just as some foods can enhance your chiropractic results, others can sabotage them. Cut the following items from your shopping list:

• Fried foods – Fried foods may contain trans-fats or hydrogenated oils, both of which can promote inflammation.
• Refined sugars – Refined sugars have been linked to inflammation. Avoid foods that contain refined sugar, including high-fructose corn syrup, if you’re undergoing treatment for joint problems or soft tissue pain.
• Alcohol – Booze may act as a short-term painkiller, but in the long run the inflammation it causes will leave you in more pain than before.
• Processed, starchy carbohydrates – The body converts processed starches and carbs into sugars, triggering the same kinds of inflammatory reactions as refined sugar consumption.

Get High-Quality Chiropractic Service at Stumpff

If you’re going to make smart dietary choices in support of your chiropractic treatment, you deserve the highest-quality treatment possible. Stumpff Chiropractic’s mission is “providing short-term pain relief to get you back to your daily activities as soon as possible.” The clinic offers a wide range of techniques, from chiropractic and myofascial treatment to spinal decompression and rehabilitation. A personalized combination of these techniques, along with supportive lifestyle changes such as dietary modifications, can help you recover from your injury or manage chronic pain.

Meet Dr. Stumpff

Dr. Stumpff’s multidisciplinary treatment approach makes great sense for anyone working to improve their mobility, comfort, and function. In his youth, Dr. Stumpff developed a painful knee condition that threatened to keep him from pursuing his favorite sports. Chiropractic care helped him overcome his condition and inspired him to become a chiropractor himself. His dedication to helping others the way he was helped makes him a powerful ally in your journey from illness or injury to a higher quality of life.

We Can Help You Eat Your Way to Optimal Health, Comfort, and Function

Now that you’ve seen the close relationship between optimal nutrition and chiropractic care, why not refer yourself to a chiropractic practitioner who recognizes this link and can apply it to your specific needs? Stumpff Chiropractic can provide you with a holistic healing and wellness plan, including nutrition and diet guidance, to help you overcome or prevent painful disorders. Contact our office today!