Pain Fighting Foods

Eat healthy...Most of us have heard this our entire lives. One reason to make the effort, believe it or not, is to prevent pain. Instead of reaching for that piece of leftover chocolate cake in the fridge, move your hand to the left and grab the red grapes! Some of these healthy foods pack as much pain-fighting power as ibuprofen. Cheers to a new and holistic approach to pain management!

Here are some foods that may be worth including into your diet:

Red Grapes--This popular fruit contains resveratrol, a powerful compound that blocks the enzymes that contribute to tissue degeneration. The evidence: In lab experiments at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, resveratrol protected against the kind of cartilage damage that causes back pain.

Ginger--Almost two-thirds of patients with chronic knee pain reported less soreness upon standing after taking a ginger extract, according to a six-week study from the University of Miami.

Soy-- An Oklahoma State University study found that consuming 40 grams of soy protein daily for three months slashed patients' use of pain medication for osteoarthritis in half.

Cherries--High amounts of antioxidants called anthocyanins are the key to cherries' pain-fighting power. In a U.S. Department of Agriculture study, participants who ate 45 Bing cherries a day for 28 days reduced their inflammation levels significantly.

Coffee/ Caffeine- University of Georgia researchers showed that moderate doses of caffeine (equivalent to two cups of joe) reduced post-workout pain by almost 50 percent.

Fish—Eating fish 2-3 times per week can help tame the pain or inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, and some autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's disease.

To learn more about these highly beneficial foods visit: http://www.aarp.org/food/diet-nutrition/info-03-2011/pain-fighting-foods

Easy Living News:

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