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Health and Wellness Coach Bobby Chacko Discusses How Certain Foods Can Help Heal Injuries

Nothing sets back fitness goals quite like an injury. Injuries are disheartening occurrences that can lead to weight gain and even depression. However, wellness coach Bobby Chacko recently explained that an injury doesn’t need to squash your fitness goals, and there are a number of foods you can consume to heal the injury more quickly.

“Many people think that when they’re injured they should eat less to continue on their path to trimming down or becoming more fit,” Bobby Chacko said. “However, injuries typically require our bodies to expend more energy, which often means we need more calories than before the injury.”

Bobby Chacko added that skipping meals or eating extremely low-calorie diets can deplete muscle mass. Protein is essential to the healing process as well, and protein consumption should actually be increased while healing. Bobby Chacko suggests consuming at least 20 grams of protein in each meal as well as including protein shakes or snacks in your diet when healing. Leucine, an amino acid that boosts muscle protein synthesis can also aid in the healing process. Leucine can be found in tofu, beans, eggs, fish, beef, and more.

“Vitamin C is something we associate with immunity, but it is also an essential part of collagen production,” Bobby Chacko added. “Fruits and vegetables can be excellent sources of vitamin C as well as dietary nitrates.”

Wellness experts like Bobby Chacko emphasize that dietary nitrates, such as those found in spinach, arugula, beets, and celery, can aid bone remodeling and wound healing. The boredom associated with enduring an injury may also lead a person to consume more alcohol than they normally would. Unfortunately, alcohol slows wound healing and depletes muscle mass, so it’s important to limit alcohol consumption while injured.

“We want to heal our injuries, but we often need pain relief as well,” Bobby Chacko said. “There are plenty of ways to decrease pain through food instead of pharmaceuticals.”

Bobby Chacko explained that a lot of the pain associated with broken bones and other injuries is due to inflammation. The consumption of anti-inflammatory foods can help reduce pain and muscle soreness. Common anti-inflammatory foods include beets, berries, pomegranate, tart cherry juice, turmeric, saffron, and ginger. Saffron and turmeric can add flavor to sauces and stews while reducing inflammation, and ultimately, reducing pain.

“An injured period is not a time to starve yourself and further deplete muscle mass. It’s a time to use food to your advantage, so you can get back to the exercise you love more quickly,” Bobby Chacko said. “Your body needs 15 to 50 percent more calories based on the injury you sustained, so make sure those calories are working for you.”