Your Diet And Your Joints

 

Antioxidant-rich foods help to reduce inflammation and strengthen our joints 

As well as provide other health benefits. With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density. It weakens them and makes them more susceptible to fracture. You might even become a bit shorter. Muscles generally lose strength and flexibility, and you may become less coordinated or have trouble balancing.You should include plenty of calcium and vitamin D in your diet. Build bone density with some weight-bearing activities, such as power walking and strength training at least twice a week, too. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Building muscle also protects your joints from injury and helps you maintain flexibility and balance.

Joints consist of the following:

• cartilage - the bones are covered with cartilage (a connective tissue), which is made up of cells and fibers and is wear-resistant. Cartilage helps reduce the friction of movement.
• synovial membrane - a tissue called the synovial membrane lines the joint and seals it into a bone capsule. The synovial membrane secretes synovial fluid (a clear, sticky fluid) around the joint to lubricate it.
• ligaments - ligaments are tough, elastic bands of connective tissue, they surround the joint to give support and limit the joint's movement.
• tendons - tendons are another type of tough connective tissue on each side of a joint. They attach to muscles that control movement of the joint.
• bursas -Thesr are fluid-filled sacs, between bones, ligaments, or other adjacent structures help cushion and reduce the friction in a joint.
• meniscus a curved part of cartilage in the knees and other joints.

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause for achy joints. It is a chronic, degenerative disorder characterized by loss of cartilage and found in men and women. Rheumatoid arthritis is the second most common type of arthritis and involves the immune system, which sets it apart from other joint pain illnesses. Finally, gout is the least common and occurs mainly in men. Gout is characterized by a chronic elevation in serum uric acid levels, causing crystals to form and collect in joints and soft tissue. This collection of crystals can cause you sudden, severe pain, with tenderness, redness and swelling of your joints, specifically ankles, knees, and toes. If your joints feel creaky or painful, the food you eat can make them feel worse, or better. While no single food is a magic cure, a combination of things in your daily diet can help to alleviate joint problems. Food can either increase or decrease levels of inflammation in our bodies. Internal inflammation isn't visible in the same way as a rash so it's easy to ignore, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Inflammation is one of the key reasons why joints hurt. Think about a splinter or even a hangnail that makes your finger red and very sensitive to the touch. You can see the inflammation. We can't literally see the inflammation inside our bodies but it basically works in the same way and sometimes, we can feel its effects on our joints, but the foods you eat, or avoid, can calm or fuel the fire.

Certain categories of foods, especially red meats, fried foods, fast food, starches, and added sugars, contribute to inflammation. Key foods that reduce it include fish and other seafood, and fresh vegetables and fruit. Red meats contain fat that contributes to inflammation. Starches and sugars do the same thing in a different way. They are very rapidly converted to blood sugar, and that initiates a series of hormonal events that leads to inflammation. Fast food contains a combination of unhealthy fat, starch, and sugar. So trade some bad options for good ones, like

• Choose fish over red meat and pork, sometimes. Wild caught salmon, herring, and sardines are especially rich in anti-inflammatory fats so aim to eat one or more of these a week. Any other type of fish or seafood really is also a good choice. When eating fish that are particularly high in mercury, such as swordfish, and tuna, be sure to drink green tea and you will block the mercury absorption. Skinless breast meat from poultry is good next-best option.

• Enough with the GMO grains, replace pasta, breads, baked goods and fried potatoes with lots of non-starchy vegetables. Whole grains such as wild red or brown rice as a side dish. If you make it a priority to eat lots of non-starchy vegetables, and fruits you're on a good path. Instead of sodas, try, fresh made organic lemon aid, or white or green ice tea, which contains anti-inflammatory ingredients. For dessert, pick fresh fruit. Or dark chocolate with 70 % of coca.

Now,no matter how good those deep fried Twinkies are, frying food, and using batters for fish or chicken dishes, is the key type of cooking to avoid. Grilling or roasting is done at a lower temperature, so you're better off grilling  than frying. Vegetables don't become pro-inflammatory if they're grilled, or steamed. A light brushing with some olive oil is all they need on the grill and steaming is an easy way to cook vegetables on the stove top, and you can use an inexpensive steamer insert that fits most pots. Also fish and vegetables in your diet is good for joints in two other ways. It helps to control weight, and losing excess pounds reduces stress on joints. Some of the best foods for joint health include oranges, carrots, apples, asparagus, pineapple, dark leafy greens, avocados, red peppers, peaches, strawberries and other nutrient-rich green vegetables. Omega-3 fatty acids also are very helpful for joint health. The essential fatty acids in these foods lubricate the joints and reduce inflammation in the body. Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids include sunflower seeds, salmon, cod, flaxseeds, eggs, almonds and other nuts. There's also preliminary evidence, mostly from animal studies, and mostly based on garlic extracts rather than whole food garlic. That our our musculoskeletal system and respiratory system can benefit from anti-inflammatory compounds in garlic. The diallyl sulfide (DAS) and thiacremonone in garlic have been shown to have anti-arthritic properties. Also in the case of allergic airway inflammation, aged garlic extract has been show to improve inflammatory conditions, in animal studies. What about Glucosamine?

Well many people do not believe it works for them, because it can take awhile to build up enough for people to see a direct benefit from it. I think that most people give up before reaching that point. The pills are very large and hard to swallow and you are often required to take large numbers of them every day. I think that leads to not taking them. At least it did with me. Only a small fraction of the glucosamine you take is actually utilized by your body. In the case of pills and capsules, the studies demonstrate that only about 15-20% is absorbed. Much of the glucosamine on the market is derived from shellfish, specifically crab, lobster, and shrimp shells, are a common allergen. Obviously, you should avoid glucosamine if you're allergic to shellfish.

The long-awaited NIH trials on glucosamine showed disappointing results. There were no significant differences between glucosamine alone, chondroitin alone, or the two combined, when tested against placebo. While generally considered to be free of side effects, some people do experience gastro-intestinal upset from it. Chondroitin molecules are large, making it difficult for your body to digest, which could be what causes problems for some people. It's not clear, even after many studies, whether glucosamine affects blood sugar levels. Most doctors agree, people with diabetes or hypoglycemia should be cautious about taking glucosamine, and should carefully monitor their blood sugar levels if taking it. Water is the most essential anti-inflammatory nutrient you can consume. Clean filtered water less the chlorine and fluoride. It lubricates your joints, and helps to prevent aching. Sedentary men should consume at least 13 cups of water daily. About 9 cups for women with the same considerations.Your joints have to support your body weight, so in addition to following the dietary recommendations listed above, lose weight if you are overweight. This will take any excess pressure off your joints and bones. Just like your bones need calcium, so do your joints. Make sure you get enough calcium for your gender and age, in your diet. If you haven't yet, grab a friend and start an exercise program. NOW !

As you can see these girls are doing heavy curls, To improve their elbow joints, and they look to be in quite good shape, Good Luck...

Doc's Fitness Tip's Publishes Twice Weekly

Flex-Appeal Personal Training  Service, the publisher of Doc's Fitness Tip's is Located In Dana Point, Ca. Our 20+ years of personal training experience also proudly serves the communities of, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, and MissionViejo,Ca. 
 
Flex -Appeal is currently offering, for new customers, a 2 for 1 personal training special that allows you to enjoy a one month personal training program. This is the perfect opportunity to get personally trained and bring a friend or spouse for FREE! Or Split The First Months Cost !!   

But, hurry this offer ends Soon!

Call - (949) 443-0133 for details on how to receive Orange County's premier personal trainer experience! 
   
Or you may be interested in trying A NO COST Introductory personalized training workout or diet consultation by phone, Skype or in person! 
     
For the best Personal Fitness Training in Orange County, California:

PLEASE CONTACT ME; DOC MASTERS, at
flexappealdoc@hotmail.com  

  
For Pure Clean Drinking Water any time, anywhere click one of the "Nourish A Life" banners on either side of this article at the top of the page, or doc.nourishalife.org and get your own water filtering bottle. Save the environment, save your health, "Nourish A Life"