The Top 6 Best and Worst Foods for Pain Management

For many people, pain management is part of their daily life.

According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, around 100 million people in the United States suffer from chronic pain. We all know how important a healthy diet is, but you may not be aware that if you suffer from chronic pain, what you eat can help ease your discomfort or can exacerbate it even more.

Here’s a rundown on six pain management food items than can help eliminate pain and those to avoid.

Pain-Busting Foods

pain management

Salmon

Salmon is easy to digest and metabolize and is a plentiful source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation within the body that leads to pain. It also offers protection against a range of diseases including, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. As well as helping control pain, this fatty fish can help your brain function better and improve your memory.

Turmeric

This mouthwatering Indian spice has anti-inflammatory properties and can thereby help reduce pain, although pain management effects will be very mild. The active ingredient is curcumin. Curcumin’s other health benefits include reducing the risk of tumor growth, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil has very similar effects on the body as omega-3 fatty acids to, by reducing pain-causing inflammation. It is beneficial for those suffering from fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. Studies have shown that consuming two tablespoons of olive oil relives joint pain as effectively as 200mg of ibuprofen.

Pain-increasing Foods

pain management

Sugar

Chronic pain sufferers should limit their intake of sugar as much as possible. Sugar steals minerals from the bones and joints and increase inflammation, which will exacerbate conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Caffeine

Because fibromyalgia often causes disrupted sleep, sufferers sometimes try to compensate by drinking caffeinated beverages. However in the long run this will do more harm than good as excessive caffeine can increase pain.

Fatty Meats

Fatty meats, like pork or beef the dark meat from chicken and turkey with the skin on can increase inflammation due to their high content of cholesterol and saturated fat. This can cause flare-ups in suffers of chronic pain conditions.

By adding the pain-busting foods to your diet and trying to avoid or reduce the use of pain-increasing foods, it will help with your pain management to minimize your discomfort.