Herniated Disk Diet

Herniated Disc Diet: Food You Should Eat and Food You Should Avoid

What is a Herniated Disc?

Back pain is a condition that most people will have to go through at one point or time in their lives. In the US alone, about 31 million people suffer from the condition, specifically in their lower backs, according to the American Chiropractic Association.

But what most people don’t know is that one of the leading causes of back pain is a herniated disc. A herniated disk is a term for a problem that occurs in one of the rubbery cushions between the individual bones of your spinal column. A herniated disk is simply when a disc slips out of place and pushes out through a tear in the tougher exterior.

Herniated discs can be very irritating to the nerves near the affected area, and can result in pain, and even numbness and weakness. A herniated disc can affect a person severely in that he or she will have difficulty doing everyday tasks unlike before. But fortunately for people experiencing herniated discs, the treatment itself isn’t that much of a chore.

A herniated disc can be dealt with alternatives that can be done at home, as opposed to medications prescribed by the doctor. Having a proper diet and taking the right supplements can be a viable treatment option that you can follow to heal your herniated disc. These herniated disc diets can help you heal your condition and achieve fast back pain relief.

Herniated Disc Diet: Foods You Should Consume

1. Eat Collagen Rich Food– collagen-rich foods such as sipping on a hearty bone broth diet can help speed up the healing process of the affected area. This is because collage proteins make up about 30% of the dry weight of a bone. Bone broth is rich in collagen, and collagen can help heal and repair damage discs and tissues that are related to your bones. Both bone broth protein and bone broth liquid is rich in collagen.

You can easily purchase liquid bone broth at the supermarket and online and it usually comes in frozen form. You could also choose to make your own bone broth, by combining chicken or beef bones in a crockpot, along with spices and vegetables such as celery, carrots, onions and some meats to make a hearty collagen-rich bone broth soup.

2. Consume Calcium-Rich Food– calcium-rich food groups are always a safe choice when it comes to strengthening your bones, as it is essential for overall bone health. Calcium can help maintain the necessary level of bone mass as you age. It is perhaps the most prominent of among the variety of bone minerals and thus ideal as a part of your herniated disc diet.

Calcium can be found in a variety of food and beverages such as milk, yogurt, cheese, tofu, soy milk, eggs, and vegetables and nuts such as kale, okra, red kidney beans, baked beans, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, sesame seeds as well as certain types of fish.

3. Magnesium– Magnesium is also a key element in a bone’s overall structure and is necessary to maintain good bone health. Sad to say, magnesium deficiency is a common occurrence in most people nowadays leading to poor bone health, which roughly translates to an increased risk for a herniated disc.

Magnesium is found in rich amounts in green leafy vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts and whole grains, as well as in yogurts, dark chocolate and in certain fruits such as avocados and bananas. Make sure to include a magnesium-rich food in your herniated disc diet.

4. Vitamin D3 Rich Food– this nutrient helps the body absorb calcium better and can be found in fatty fish such as salmon, cod liver oil and in eggs.

5. Vitamin K2 Rich Food– this vitamin acts mainly as a director for bone minerals, as it responsible for properly distributing calcium into your bones. Vitamin K2 is found in healthy meat fat, cheeses, egg yolks and dairy products as well as in spinach, kale, and broccoli.

6. Vitamin C Rich Food

7. Vitamin B12 Rich Food

8. Iron-rich food and Supplements

Other Food Types you Should Include in your Herniated Disc Diet:

• Fiber-rich foods– as they help in digestion, putting less strain on the discs that are sensitive to pressure in the abdomen
• Soy Products– as they are high in genistein or isoflavone, that is responsible for collagen production
• Sulphur Rich Foods– because they help in accelerating collagen and protein production
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids– because they have collagen forming properties that the body uses to repair cartilage and inflamed vertebral discs
• Super Foods– such as dark green vegetables, red fruits, and vegetables, seeds such as flaxseeds and chia seeds, beans, cold water oily fishes, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and grains.