round 32.5 million American adults suffer from osteoarthritis, making it one of the most common health conditions in the United States. And when you’re dealing with osteoarthritic symptoms, doing the activities you love most or even going about your everyday life can be torturous. This is because this disease targets and damages the joints, which are crucial to the body’s overall mobility.
However, given how common this disease is, there are many existing remedies for joint pain, inflammation, and its other symptoms. In this blog, we’ll discuss one of the natural health solutions available: a healthy diet.
Why a Healthy Diet?
There are two factors that contribute the most to the risk of osteoarthritis: age and repetitive joint stress. The cartilage that cushions our joints degenerate as our bodies naturally decline with age. On top of that, most of our everyday activities, no matter how mundane, require us to be mobile, putting our joints under constant stress.
The most fundamental way to manage osteoarthritic symptoms is to sustain the overall health of the body amidst these natural risk factors. And there is no better place to start than your diet, because our food is where we get essential vitamins and nutrients, and it is the core of maintaining a healthy body.
With that said, let’s go over some of these essential diet options, and see how they can help mitigate the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Rich Fish
It has long been proven that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties. They are usually found in oily fish like salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, and fresh tuna. Although omega-3 fatty acids are commonly called fish oil, there are also vegetarian sources, such as flax seeds and oil, chia seeds, walnuts, and soybean oil. The recommended serving for healthy adults is around 250 mg to 500 mg every day.
Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial to everyone, but there are very rare cases where people are allergic. These seem to be similar to common fish or shellfish allergies, or nut allergies. Before adding this to your diet, be sure to check if you are allergic to any sources of omega-3 fatty acids and see if others would work better for you.
Fruits & Veggies
Fruits and veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, papaya, and citrus fruits have long been staples of a healthy diet. They greatly benefit people with osteoarthritis because they contain antioxidants, which help the body combat the free radicals and oxidative stress caused by joint inflammation.
Nuts
As previously mentioned, some nuts and nut-derived oils have omega-3 fatty acids, but nuts have a variety of other health benefits. They contain high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols, and Vitamin E, which has antioxidant properties. Nuts are also rich in calcium, fiber, magnesium, and zinc, which can help the body manage its weight—another risk factor for osteoarthritis—and significantly reduce joint inflammation.
What You Should Consider
Actively following a healthy diet can benefit people at all stages of their lives, but especially during retirement years. It allows you to live life to the fullest because it provides the body with a healthy cushion of nutrients and helps mitigate the risk factors that become more apparent as we age.
However, while a healthy diet can improve your overall health, it is mainly a preventive measure or treatment supplement when used for osteoarthritis. It is extremely effective at managing the symptoms and poses no risk at all, but ultimately doesn’t have the ability to initiate regeneration within the damaged tissues.
That’s why here at Coastal Regen, we provide comprehensive alternative health solutions that stimulate natural joint repair and healing. We are committed to helping our patients make the most of their retirement years by giving them access to all-natural and zero-risk recovery osteoarthritis treatments.
If you wish to learn more about our alternative health procedures, feel free to reach out to us!