Pain, Diet and Nutrition

Diet and nutrition can have a direct impact on chronic pain.  It can be challenging at times to eat well when you are living with  chronic pain. You may be living alone or have issues with standing and  cutting up vegetables. Being in pain may also leave you feeling tired  and lacking the motivation to eat a proper meal. Yet, eating the foods  that will fuel our bodies is an important step to improving quality of  life while living with pain. 

Being overweight not only increases your risk of developing chronic  diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers, but  also puts pressure and strain on your joints.

By making healthy lifestyle changes that encourage weight loss, you  will be able to better manage certain pain conditions like  Osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Reducing your weight by even 1kg,  significantly reduces the weight off your joints and therefore reducing  the pain you experience.

If you are going to consider making changes to your diet, start with  one small thing and incorporate it into your daily lifestyle. Keep this  going. Once you are happy that this is part of your new daily routine,  then add in another small change. This approach will help you create  sustainable changes to decrease your weight and reduce your pain.

Some things to consider when you are trying to lose weight:

• Think about your portion size
• Avoid sugary drinks
• Cut back on alcohol
• Cut back on sugar
• Watch the fats you eat
• Choose healthy snacks
• Be active everyday
• Sit less (see pain and physical activity for tips on moving without increasing pain)

You may find yourself craving sugary  foods to get you through the day, yet what will give you the most energy  are foods that release energy slowly into your blood stream.  Include  these foods in your diet:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Complex carbohydrates (grains and wholemeal)
• Good quality protein

These foods also have a higher nutrient  content, meaning they contain vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and  antioxidants, that all help the body to produce more pain-relieving  chemicals.

It may be interesting to know, then,  that these kinds of foods are not out of reach for you, even if you  don’t feel like you can cook an amazing meal from scratch. Why not try a  pre-prepared salad from the supermarket, with some nuts or fish from a  can? Or perhaps you will buy frozen vegetables and steam them to have as  a side with your grilled steak. Plan for your food success by having an  idea of what you are going to eat for the week – and purchase online if  you have to.

Each little step you make towards a  healthier diet, will leave you with more energy and feeling better about  yourself. You may be surprised the difference it makes to your pain.