Top Five Foods to Reduce Pain and Muscle Soreness

A lot of people run right to the medicine cabinet and grab a pill bottle  when they have a headache or sore muscles. Knowing what I know about all the side effects of those over-the-counter and prescribed drugs, that is perhaps the worse thing you could be doing–unless of course you’re looking to add more damage to the situation. Of course you don’t want that! So, here’s a better solution…

Listed below are five amazing foods designed by nature to relieve your body of aches, pain and soreness. And guess what? They come with NO side effects! 

1) Blueberries, tart cherries and other dark-colored fruit
These dark fruits have potent nutrients that accelerate the elimination of waste products in your body. They raise the sleep hormone, melatonin, so you get better rest. Other powerhouse fruits in this category include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and plums. 

2) Leafy greens and cruciferous veggies
Leafy greens include kale, chard, collards, mustards and others. Cruciferous veggies include broccoli, cauliflower, and  brussels sprouts. These green vegetables have an armload of benefits. Check them out:

• helps the body safely eliminate the hormone estrogen
• improve the metabolic processes
• gets rid of free radicals that slow down the body’s healing
• reduce inflammation
• reduce insulin response
• lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol
• provide low glycemic energy
• support the function of the thyroid
• improves hydration

3) High-glycemic fruits 
These are fruits like watermelon, pineapple and kiwi.
The energy source for your muscles is the muscle glycogen store. These fruits help to rehydrate and replenish that storage area. They act as a protective antioxidant for your muscles by suppressing inflammation. Other benefits include:

• improve nitric oxide production
• deliver nutrient-rich blood to damaged muscle tissue
• raise the blood’s antioxidant status
• provide compounds that help fight pain 

An important side note: try to avoid these fruits in juice form. The manufactured  juices contain no fiber as the whole fruit does, plus lots of sugar and additives go into the making of those concentrates.

4) Almonds & other nuts
Eating a variety of fats from nuts offers a protective measure for the body. It also provides it in just the correct ratios of the different forms of fat. Whether omega-3 fat or omega-6 fat, they’re balanced for proper energy or repair. A variety of nuts is best. For instance, here are what a few of these powehouse nuts are known for:

• Almonds – omega-6 fat that boosts energy and is an antioxidant that performs well in aiding with recuperation
• Brazil nuts – raises tetosterone, contains selenium, magnesium, zinc and a host of minerals good for hormone balance and recovery
• Walnuts – nutrient rich, improves energy usage in the body giving it an anti-fatigue factor

5) Tumeric, cinnamon and ginger
These two spices are derived from rhizome plants. They are very powerful anti-inflammatory agents and have been known to speed up the body’s recovery from soreness, pain and even injuries. Tumeric, especially, is a poweful super food. Studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory, pain-killing compound in tumeric called curcumin is effective in the treatments of so many things from wound healing to cancer.

There you have it! Just think, these are only five of the long list of FOODS not medicine that can give you the pain relief and healing your body needs. So, the next time you reach to open the medicine cabinet–which is, no doubt, simply a habit–reach for your kitchen cabinet instead. 

In upcoming blogs, I’ll continue to share more superfoods with you. In the meantime, I challenge you to go online and see how many “healing foods” you can find. Make a list of them and become eating your way to health!

Love & RAWspect,

​Terri, aka T-RAW