Dietary principles for healing from an injury

[Chiman360]

Hey there,

Just wanted to share some dietary recommendations I give to my patients who are healing from an injury. They also apply when training for a competition or other event. This is pretty standard Chinese medicine. The basic principles are to avoid cold and cold natured foods, and sour foods especially in the first month of an injury. Cold temperature and cold natured foods are believed to slow and impeded tissue healing. Furthermore these foods make cold more likely to lodge in the injured tissue or joint, turning an acute injury into a chronic one that is worse in cold weather. Sour foods are astringent and tightening to the sinews which may cause cramping and pain. These recommendations may seem odd to some, but they are effective adjuncts to healing in the clinic.

General Chinese medicine dietary principles for healing an injury:

To promote healing and prevent the development of further stagnation:

General principles of Chinese medical diet:
All food cooked and warm; thorough chewing; simple combinations of a few ingredients; smaller meals more often; regular meal times; high complex carbohydrate and vegetable, low meat; emphasize bitter and pungent flavors; low intake of fats and oils, dairy and sugar. Abstain from late night meals, deep-fried and junk food.

For all stages and types of injuries:
Avoid/reduce: foods and drinks that are either cold or are cold natured: raw juices, raw vegetables, sprouts and salads, soybean, tofu, cold fluids, iced drinks, citrus, shellfish (except shrimp), carp, most fish, tomatoes, seaweed, celery, watermelon, bananas, milk, ice cream.

For injuries within the past month:
Avoid sour and astringent foods: barbecue sauce, most fruits, lemons, vinegar, sour cream, yogurt, sourdough bread, salami, buttermilk, tomatoes, pickles / pickled vegetables, yeast, liver, salad dressings, mustard.

For pain that is worse with the cold:
Try to include more of the following in your diet: spices such as clove, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, fenugreek, fennel seed, star anise, turmeric, onion, chives, garlic, lamb, duck, and small amounts of liquor or wine.

For pain that is worse with damp:
Use the spices recommended for pain worse with cold (except for lamb and duck); eat foods that are bitter and pungent. Avoid: white wheat flour in breads and pastas, ice cream, cow’s milk (yogurt is ok), sugar and concentrated sweeteners, fatty meat (pork, lamb, duck), tofu, soy, lard, butter, chocolate, peanuts, cashews, tropical fruits, salt, vinegar, beer.

Gerry Harrington, L.Ac.

[taai gihk yahn]

when I was immediately post-op from back surgery (L5/S1 hemi-laminotomy & microdiscectomy), my sifu recommended beef broth and papaya;