Cuts, bruises, sore muscles, and injuries can hinder our day to day activities not to mention leave us in a state of discomfort when not addressed immediately. Although most of us will take advantage of medications to treat our ailments, there are those who simply leave their body well enough alone. On the other hand, if you want to speed up the healing process, you can turn to your diet and make changes to it so you’ll feel right as rain in no time.
So what foods exactly promote healing? If you are looking for a way to heal your wounds and injuries fairly quickly, try adding these to your diet.
Honey. Everyone loves this natural sweetener as part of their drink or the meals that they eat. But did you know that this liquid gold is actually useful in terms of healing wounds? Honey can reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain. It is also known to contain antibacterial properties that can prevent germs from contaminating wounds.
Vitamin C rich foods. Vitamin C rich foods such as citrus fruits, bell peppers, tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes, peas, and spinach are good additions to your diet as they can help with the healing process. Vitamin C plays an important role in the formation of capillaries, bones, as well as skin hence increasing your intake of these foods can boost healing.
Adding foods that are high in iron such as dark, leafy green vegetables also promote better healing of wounds, aches, and pains. The lack of iron in our blood can actually hinder the healing process and may cause anemia as well.
Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds should also be considered to speed up your recovery because they contain essential fatty acids including the antioxidant vitamin E. Studies have shown that vitamin E can reduce inflammation while making cell membranes more stable. Sunflower seeds, hazel nuts, almonds, and the like are just a few examples of nuts and seeds that you can add to your diet to benefit from their store of antioxidants and fatty acids.
Protein foods. Protein plays a critical role in the healing process which is why health experts recommend that you add more protein to your diet. Foods like chicken, egg, turkey, beef, and milk contain amino acids that can regenerate tissues and muscles that were injured. As much as possible go for lean meat to reduce calorie intake while increasing protein consumption for faster healing.
Ghee. Based on a research that was conducted on rats, Ghee, or clarified butter, can aid in the healing process. What this butter can do is to seal wounds while at the same time, regenerate the tissues around the damaged area. This in turn boosts the healing stage so you will feel better in no time.
Turmeric. Spices are not just for adding flavour to one’s meal but they can also be used to heal wounds and scars. The presence of curcumin in turmeric is believed to speed up healing because of its anti-inflammatory properties. In ancient times, turmeric was applied on the wounds before being covered with cloth. In India, this is still practiced on wounds and injuries.
Vitamin A rich foods. Vitamin A is also an essential component in the healing process that it is only right that you increase your intake of foods that are rich in this antioxidant. Among the foods that are high in vitamin A include carrots, cantaloupes, kale, spinach, eggs, and beans. Adding these to your diet can encourage better healing so that you will be able to recover faster.
