How Your Diet Can Help You When You Have a Nagging Back Pain

If you are suffering from chronic back pain, you’ve probably attempted to alleviate by taking certain drugs like, Advil or Tylenol. These drugs are pretty effective pain killers, in large part because they provide anti-inflammatory relief. Inflammation is one of the largest sources of chronic pain and has the ability to slowly degrade your quality of life over time. You do not have to solely rely on over the counter pain meds to get relief from your back pain. You can also work on adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet. At the end of the day, we are what we eat; an anti-inflammatory diet can be healthy as well as the key to substantial and permanent pain relief. Read on to find out what foods are best to eat to maintain an anti-inflammatory diet:

The Key to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

At its core an anti-inflammatory diet should primarily consist of fruits and vegetables, with some anti-inflammatory seasonings and spices included in the mix. You should also include a lot of omega-3 fatty acids as they have built in anti-inflammatory properties. There are a few foods that truly specialize in providing anti-inflammatory relief.

Kale

Kale is the leafy green vegetable you love to hate, but it’s definitely good for you. In general, the darker and greener the vegetable, the more pain relief it can provide. If you can’t stand the taste, try mixing it into a smoothie.

Olive Oil

Olive oil has good fats in it that contain anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants. Specifically, it has the antioxidant, oleocanthal, a chemical that functions quite similarly to ibuprofen.

Salmon

Salmon and other fatty fish are great sources omega-3 fatty acids. They have built in anti-inflammatory properties that are great for reducing chronic pain, especially joint pain.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice famous for its medicinal properties. It is one of the most potent anti-inflammatories available thanks to its primary active ingredient, curcumin. Try making a turmeric and ginger smoothie to really up the power of this spice.