Your diet affects more than your weight and general health. The nutrients you ingest every day can greatly influence your foot health. Certain foods may lead to foot tissue inflammation, which can cause plantar fasciitis (also called heel pain syndrome) and foot arthritis.
Do nutrients influence inflammation?
Certain foods may increase the chemicals in your body that lead to inflammation. It’s important to be aware of these foods and how much of them you’re consuming each day.
Common foods that influence inflammation:
- Refined grains, sugar, and trans fats found in baked goods and junk food
- Saturated fat found in red meat
- Omega-6 fats found in vegetable oils such as corn, soybean, and sunflower oil
Other Causes of Inflammation:
- Chronic allergies to common foods like wheat
- Eating, in excess, foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, like pasta, sweets, and white flour
How to Reduce Inflammation and Foot Pain through Nutrition
Taking a healthy approach to nutrition can help reduce inflammatory foot pain. Here are some general tips for reducing inflammation:
- Eat more omega-3 fats. These can be found in fish, such as salmon, and in fish oil supplements. Generally, a person’s diet consists of far more omega-6s, so it’s important to get enough omega-3s to keep things properly balanced.
- Following an overall healthier diet. This means eating more green vegetables, fresh plant-based foods, and reducing the amount of refined grain foods and sugary snacks that you consume each day.
It’s important to take the proper precautions when you first notice any sort of foot pain to reduce the risk of developing any more serious complications as a result. By reducing inflammation in your foot and heel through proper nutrition, you can improve not only the symptoms you’re experiencing but also your overall foot and body health as well.
