18/01/2022
Ok so following on from yesterday's cheeky little post about the magical healing powers of salty, crunchy potato chippies, here are some simple but evidence based strategies on eating for injury recovery.
👌 Manage inflammation i.e. your body's response to injury or tissue damage.
Inflammatory processes help clean up and remove damaged tissue and are central to triggering essential repair functions.
So whilst inflammation can be painful and debilitating, we need it in order to facilitate recovery and repair.
However, much like the Goldilocks principle, too much inflammation is unhelpful.
To support your body's healing process during an initial inflammaory phase, try increasing your intake of anti-inflammatory foods:
✅ Olive oil
✅ Avocado
✅ Oily fish - salmon, sardines
✅ Nuts and seeds
👌 Limit pro-inflammatory foods, so ideally remove, or reduce:
❌ Processed fatty foods
❌ Alcohol
❌ Vegetable oils - corn, sunflower, safflower
❌ Trans fats
👌 Promote recovery (proliferation & remodeling)
Proliferation involves the removal of damaged tissue and replacement with new blood supply, cell structures and 'scar' tissue (collagen & fibronectin).
In a sense, this is your body laying down the foundation for the next phase, remodeling.
At the remodeling phase, more permanent tissue and structures develop.
Because proliferation and remodeling are both metabolically active stages you want to prioritize overall food quality. This means:
✅ protein for repair and rebuilding tissue - lean meat, legumes, tofu, eggs, plant based proteins
✅ healthy fats - nuts & seeds, olive oil, flax oil
✅ minimally processed whole carbohydrates - quinoa, brown rice, steel cut oats
✅ colour up your fruits and vegetables - the more colors the better 👌
By dialing up your approach to nutrient quality during these transitions, the easier and speedier your recovery.
(And the sooner you can enjoy the magical healing powers of those cheeky little chippies 🤣🥔😋)
