It only makes sense that I follow up last week’s post about my active children with a post on healing when said outdoor activity results in broken bones. Just to be clear, my son’s broken arm occurred in a real free-ride park and not the trails he built in my backyard. But that’s neither here not there, the point is that active kids (and adults for that matter) will become injured, either from chronic overuse injuries or acute breaks, strains and sprains. The key to getting back to your favorite activities and staying active is giving the body every opportunity to heal to the best of it’s ability and I hope to provide some insight on the best ways to do that.
As a disclaimer, our son will see some of his favorite, non-nutrient dense foods. I’m a firm believer that ‘comfort’ food and food that makes us feel good (for whatever reason) can have a place in healing. We just need to understand if those foods are contributing to, or detracting from, the healing process and adjusting the rest of our diet accordingly. I believe he has been given fried chicken (which he did request over a salad!) and BBQ Pringles thus far and I’m pretty sure I heard my husband promise to bring Taki’s home. So here is where I step in and try to add, all the good stuff he needs to hea,l everywhere I can.
High quality protein is essential for muscle and tissue repair and while vegetarian options will work, I will be focusing on high quality meats for my son over the next few months since we already incorporate it into our diet. I encourage you to buy the highest quality meat you can afford. Some studies have shown that animals raised on pastures, or even better – wild game, contain significantly higher amounts of nutrients and you are doing the planet a favor by choosing meat that is sustainably sourced. I currently buy our meat primarily from my local farmer’s markets (we have quite a few sustainable farmers here in GA!) and I order regularly from White Oak Pastures in southern GA. In addition to meat and poultry, it’s important to incorporate two servings of oily fish a week, if it is tolerated in your diet. I know I am not great about going to the fish market, but I am going to see if this period of healing can help me to create a better habit of getting great fish into my family a couple times a week. Legumes, high protein grains, nuts and non-GMO soy will also frequent our table to round out our protein intake.
Many spices have fabulous anti-inflammatory properties and I aim to get my kiddo off NSAIDS as soon as possible without placing him in excess pain. Specifically, turmeric (served alongside black pepper), ginger, rosemary, oregano, cayenne and cocoa have been shown to reduce inflammation in studies. Cooking with spices is a great way to provide your body with a multitude of benefits while also adding incredible flavor to food. The wonderful thing about spices is that they provide many of these benefits either fresh or dried, so go ahead and try adding some spices to every dish!
Part of being injured is being subjected to procedures and experiences that increase your exposure to free radicals. Luckily, the study of phytonutrients and specifically antioxidants has expanded greatly and we know that increasing our intake of antioxidants can help to counteract free radicals in the body. Antioxidants are responsible for the variety of colors, flavors and smells of our unprocessed foods and each of those colors, flavors and smells provides different antioxidants which provide different benefits. The concept of ‘eating the rainbow’ is exactly the best way to think of getting antioxidants. We hear about blueberries, wine and cocoa, but the truth is that antioxidants are in all whole foods and by eating a large variety of colors, smells and flavors, we can help our bodies get the antioxidants they need to counteract the free radicals created by x-rays, MRI’s, cat-scans, narcotics, plastics and those pesky ‘junk’ foods that give some comfort. When I first started posting my food to my Instagram site, I quickly realized that if the dish wasn’t ‘instagramable’ it was lacking in nutrition and usually could easily be fixed with a garnish that inevitably added a nutritional benefit at the same time.
I prefer to focus on what TO eat, but a post on healing wouldn’t be complete without stating that sugar, caffeine, alcohol and highly processed foods deplete our body of nutrients and when we are healing we need all of the nutrients we can get. So if you choose to get or give a little comfort through nutrient depleting foods, be sure to give extra attention to those whole foods that provide that extra nutrition.
Rest. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a Mom, a Dad, a teen, or a toddler, resting doesn’t come naturally to many of us, but the body rebuilds during periods of rest. Both sleep and time devoid of stress are incredibly important to helping the body recover. There is no time like recovery time to add a mindfulness practice to your life. I mean, you probably are having to take a break from something else anyway, right?! That being said, I’m currently trying to figure out how to get my kiddo ready for a math test that he needs to take on Friday (and needs a good grade on) which seems downright impossible without the use of his dominant hand. No stress there!
I will do my best to keep my Facebook and Instagram updated, with foods I make over the next couple months, in an attempt to help my kiddo heal the best he can!