Be careful with foods that prevent your body from healing itself, foods that lower overall bone mineral density and inhibit the body’s absorption of calcium are of particular concern. One of the most important keys to full recovery from a fracture is paying careful attention to what’s going on in your body.
Fractures are among the most common orthopedic problems and about 6.8 million of them are treated annually in the US alone.
If you want to recover quickly from a bone fracture, here are 3 foods to limit or avoid.
1. Alcohol
Alcohol consumption in large doses is known to lead to reduced bone mass, decreased bone formation, increased incidence of bone fractures, and a general delay in bone healing, leading to delays in the healing of fractures.
Experimental evidence points to the fact that stopping alcohol consumption leads to a prompt recovery of osteoblast functions, and this has clinical implications. In other words, less or no alcohol means a better rate of recovery from bone fractures.
Therefore, alcohol should be consumed in moderation or avoided entirely while your bone is healing, giving your body a breather to heal itself in time.
2. Foods high in sodium (salt)
Sodium removes calcium from the bones. The more sodium you eat, the more calcium you lose to improve your bones because salt is known to cause excessive excretion of calcium through the kidney.
Essentially, therefore, more salt equals less calcium in and for your body.
Your daily goal should be to eat no more than the recommended daily salt. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
Stick with it to avoid delaying bone healing.
3. Caffeinated foods and drinks
Caffeine can leach calcium from the bones. Mount Kisco, NY “In fact, you lose about 6 milligrams of calcium for every 100 milligrams of caffeine you ingest.”
Caffeinated beverages may also contain compounds that can bind calcium preventing the calcium from being absorbed and therefore limiting healing.
Now, take it one level higher. Combine sugar with caffeine and you have a cocktail that has detrimental effects on bone health.
Therefore, you should choose decaffeinated coffee and tea and reduce your intake of foods that contain sugar and caffeine as much as possible to allow your bone fractures to heal quickly.
When you pay attention to what you eat, you pay attention to your body. When you feed your body a good diet and avoid foods that impede your body’s healing, your fractures naturally heal faster with less effort.
