Top Tip to Energize your life

Injury beating food

With better weather on its way, you may take to the garden to start those outdoor jobs or feel inspired to take more exercise. Doing more and being more active increases the chance of hitting your thumb with a hammer, twisting your ankle or straining a muscle. With any injury, nature has designed a system to kick start the healing process - and it begins with inflammation.

Healthy inflammation sounds like a contradiction. However, if you went out jogging or on a cycle ride and came back with gravel rash, bumps and bruises or torn muscles, you need all the inflammation you can get. The healing process is a wonderfully orchestrated series of events, which is instantly set in motion by the initial damage – either on the surface of your skin or deep within your muscle fibres. This is followed by localised protein breakdown, which triggers cell inflammation, swelling, a slight rise in muscle temperature … and pain. This is usually enough to stop you from using the injured muscle. Severely torn or pulled leg muscles need up to a week of rest.

As well as rest, there are certain nutrients which will help the recovery process. In particular, Vitamin C is essential for the manufacture of connective tissue. This is biological “glue” which holds cells together. Most injuries will tear or damage connective tissue. Increasing your intake of vitamin C will greatly help the manufacture of new connective tissue and assist the overall healing process. Aim to eat more vitamin C on a daily basis. This is because humans, along with guinea pigs, are one of the few species who cannot manufacture vitamin C in their body. Vitamin C is a also a water soluble nutrient and is not specifically stored in the body. On top of all that, vitamin C is a delicate molecule and is easily destroyed by heat, light and exposure to oxygen. Fortunately vitamin C is stable in an acid environment which is why fruit such as kiwi, blackcurrants, tomatoes, oranges, lemon and grapefruit are good sources.

On the flip side, unhealthy inflammation actually speeds up wear and tear and can promote injury. The trigger for this process is the release of cytokines – which are highly pro-inflammatory molecules. It is generally agreed that the shift in eating habits over the last couple of decades is a major factor in the production of cytokines. One change has been the reduction in “wholeness” and an increase in highly processed foods. This has affected the type and amount of fat that the average person eats. Processed foods and intensively reared meat have more of the omega 6 fats and less omega 3 fats, compared with wholefoods and organic or free range meat. Omega 6 fats are inflammatory whilst omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory. If you suffer from knee or joint pain, it is time to eat more omega 3 fats (mackerel, salmon or flax oil are good sources) . Also avoid eating trans fats. If your base your eating habits on a lot of processed and ready made snack foods, (such as meat pies and most foods with pastry, most margarines, biscuits, cakes, cheap ice-cream), you are likely to be eating plenty of trans fats.

Take a look at your eating habits and change the balance. Aim to eat foods (fruits, vegetables, rice, nuts, seeds) as close as possible to their natural state.

Past Top Tips...

• Summer Porridge - 06/01/2010
• Burning Calories - 07/07/2009
• Lose weight, eat soup! - 13/01/2009
• Winter food for dark days - 27/10/2008
• Injury beating food - 04/04/2008
• Love Your Liver - 02/02/2008
• eating in season - 01/08/2007
• Bad hangovers. Why alcohol is only partly to blame - 01/07/2007
• Caffeine - Do you need it? - 01/04/2007
• The Power of Porridge - 01/02/2007
• Talking Turkey - 12/12/2006
• Fabulous Foods - Honey - 22/10/2006
• Fabulous Foods - Brown Rice - 01/06/2006
• Thoughts on The Atkins Diet - 01/05/2006
• Thoughts on the GI diet - 01/05/2006