Fruits & Vegetables and Pain

This is accomplished through a healthy diet high in antioxidants thereby limiting free radicals, in addition to undertaking lifestyle changes. This diet is often referred to as an “anti-inflammatory diet”. “Mindful eating” is important as some foods increase inflammation while others decrease it by being high in antioxidants and limiting free radicals. For example, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins and phytonutrients (essential nutrients you need that are only found in plants) decrease inflammation by increasing the availability of antioxidants. Contrarily, foods like sugar, flour, and certain types of fats increase inflammation by causing oxidative stress on the body. The targeted use of nutritional supplementation may be needed to bring balance to our body.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is very important. Vitamins, found in fruits and vegetables, have long been thought to be the key to a healthy immune system. We now know that this is only part of the story. It has been only recently (within the past 30 years) that scientists have discovered other vital nutrients in fruits and vegetables called phytonutrients, which not only protect against disease but also combat pain through acting as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Phytonutrients are what protect the plant from disease, sun damage, predators, and oxidation so it makes sense that it would give us similar protection. Eating a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables is important as each color has different phytonutrients necessary for health and longevity. Some potent phytonutrients found in certain color fruits and vegetables that you may have heard of include: lycopene (red), quercetin (white), resveratrol (purple/blue), beta-carotene (yellow/orange).

It is recommended that adults eat at least 1.5-2 cups of fruit a day and 2-3 cups of vegetables a day (depending on age and gender). Most people are getting nowhere near this much or when they do, it’s on a very inconsistent basis. Those with pain and inflammation would benefit from even more servings. For both these reasons, most people would benefit from being on a good quality fruit/vegetable supplement in addition to a diet high in fruits and vegetables.