The correct diet for osteochondrosis helps not only slow down the progression of a dangerous ailment, but also significantly improve the quality of human life. It is no secret that the pathological processes that occur during the disease: damage to the intervertebral discs, vertebral bodies, their articular surfaces and the fixing apparatus (ligaments) are degenerative-degenerative changes in the main column of the musculoskeletal system, which negatively affect the functioning of all internal organs. This leads to the appearance of pains of various nature: head and heart, spinal, lumbar, cervical.
Suffering is aggravated by physical exertion, sneezing or coughing, weight lifting or sudden movements. Destructive changes provoke muscle atrophy, aching or numbness in the extremities, impaired back sensitivity. Unfortunately, modern medicine cannot completely cure this disease, but a well-designed diet for osteochondrosis, along with a whole therapeutic complex, where doctors include exercise therapy, massage, taking medications, can significantly improve the condition of a sick person, alleviate suffering and support its activity.
The benefits of nutritional treatment for osteochondrosis
At the appointment with the attending neurologist, patients usually receive a memo, which gives the basic principles of organizing a diet and the rules for its correction. Depending on the presence of concomitant diseases, the doctor may give additional recommendations on nutrition. How does the diet affect osteochondrosis? It helps to normalize metabolic processes in the body, prevent the deposition of salts in the spine, restore damaged cartilage, strengthen the ligaments of the intervertebral discs, reduce excess weight, which increases the load on the musculoskeletal system and provokes the further development of the disease. Very often, in patients with osteochondrosis, doctors diagnose obesity, which worsens a person’s condition and stimulates a degenerative process in the spine. Low-calorie nutrition, which is recommended for the main diet for this disease, allows you to reduce the weight of the patient and lighten the load on the thinned, damaged by the disease, cartilage tissue.
General principles of nutrition in osteochondrosis
In accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (No. 330) for pathologies of the spine, neurologists recommend patients the main option of dietary nutrition, and with concomitant obesity, supplement it with a low-calorie diet.
The basic diet for osteochondrosis of the spine is a physiologically complete diet, which includes the optimal amount of proteins and fats, but significantly reduced the amount of carbohydrates (due to digestible) and sodium chloride. From the daily human need for nutrients, the following are distinguished: proteins, the mass of which should be about 90 g (of which 50 g of protein is of animal origin); fats - 80 g (including vegetable - 30 g); carbohydrates - 330 g, of which simple ones should have a volume of not more than 40 g. The average daily caloric intake of the diet of a patient suffering from osteochondrosis does not exceed 2150-2400 kcal.
Diet
Most nutritionists are sure that fractional nutrition for an overweight patient, when he takes food at least five or six times a day, is the most favorable schedule. In patients with normal body weight, the number of meals can reach four or five times a day.
The correct diet for osteochondrosis with frequent meals can eliminate the excessive load on the digestive tract, and, accordingly, improve the process of assimilation of nutrients. In addition, such a routine for obesity will be a good prevention of overeating and fat deposition in the body. The final evening meal should be easy and should be done no later than 3 hours before bedtime.
Means of cooking and drinking
Almost all types of culinary processing can be used when feeding people suffering from osteochondrosis, with the exception of frying: cooking and baking (without crust), steaming and stewing in own juice or a small amount of water. Of the recommended methods: meat and fish are first boiled a little or stewed, and only then a little fried.
When baking fruits, the fruits are wrapped in foil, and then placed in the oven or steamed. The latter method is especially welcomed by doctors, since it allows you to minimize the processing of products, while retaining most of the useful substances in them. Treatment of osteochondrosis, a diet in which is abundant with micro and macro elements involved in the exchange of osteocytes (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese), is much easier, exacerbations in this case occur much less often, prolonging periods of remission. To prevent dehydration, it is also necessary to include the use of one and a half to two liters of pure water per day, except for first courses and drinks. This prevents the drying of the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs and its further destruction.
Allowed Products
In proper nutrition for osteochondrosis , all necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates and minerals must be present. Categorically forbidden for such patients diets that exclude meat dishes. But this product - the most important supplier of proteins - must be natural and non-greasy. Diet for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and other vertebral zones should include: beef and veal, meat of turkey, rabbit and chickens. Eggs and fish should also become components of a weekly diet so that the body can receive natural calcium to strengthen the skeleton.
Fish and other seafood are prepared in their own juice or with a small addition of vegetable oil. Eggs are used only in boiled form or are prepared as a steam diet omelet. If the gastrointestinal tract tolerates dairy products well, then they must be included in the diet. Sour-milk drinks and cottage cheese can replace natural milk in case of intolerance or become another healthy component of the diet. Cheeses are an excellent source of calcium for patients with osteochondrosis, but for overweight people it is necessary to choose less high-calorie varieties of this product.
Also, for diseases of the spine, it is necessary to regulate the daily norm of salt - no more than 3-4 g, sugar (which is better to replace with honey) - no more than 35 g. Do not forget about the "hidden" supply of these flavoring substances in products. Also welcome in the diet for osteochondrosis are cereal cereals and rye bread, a maximum of nature's gifts (fruits and vegetables), buckwheat, vegetable oil, poultry liver and greens (the only exception is sorrel).
Unwanted and Prohibited Products
One of the most insidious drinks for people suffering from spinal diseases is coffee. He washes out the necessary calcium and other trace elements from the body. In this case, juice or weak tea can serve as a substitute. If it is difficult to refuse your beloved power engineer, then caffeine is excluded, instead of which chicory is used.
It is advisable to refuse baking and sweets - they are high-calorie and heavy for digestion by the stomach. These products do not supply the body with useful energy, but provoke the formation of a fat layer.
Sweet grape varieties, sorrel (due to acid), strong drinks (tea and coffee), as well as sweet sodas, spices (pepper, horseradish, mustard and others), spicy dishes, foods with food E-additives that adversely affect the digestive and the musculoskeletal system are undesirable components of the daily diet.
In addition to cakes, pastries, ice cream and marmalade, the diet for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and its other parts should not contain: rich broths and soups from them; margarine, as well as fat (culinary, mutton and beef); stockfish and marinades; canned meat and fish; sausages; pickles homemade and purchased, smoked meats and lard.
Features of the diet for people with cervical or lumbar osteochondrosis
What should a person diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis eat? The diet of such patients should be based on fat-free vegetarian soups, eggs, fish, seafood, lean meats, vegetables, fruits, and unsweetened juices. “Treats” for the intervertebral discs and vertebrae are: pears and apples, strawberries, raspberries, ground pear (Jerusalem artichoke), lentils, pumpkin, lettuce, hazelnuts and soy yogurt.
The diet of patients with osteochondrosis complicated by arthrosis requires an increased amount of protein in food, but prohibits whole milk, which can be replaced with dairy products. Their dietary features also exist for patients with a diagnosis of lumbar osteochondrosis. Diet for people with affected vertebrae in this area can include any low-calorie foods for weight loss to ease the burden on the diseased organ.
With exacerbation
During the deterioration of the state of health in osteochondrosis, it is necessary to limit the use of broths, eggs and meat, exclude any fatty foods, and not drink alcoholic beverages, coffee or tea. Everyone who has not gotten rid of nicotine addiction needs to do this for effective treatment of the disease.
During this period, multivitamins are additionally prescribed to patients and products containing calcium, magnesium and B vitamins are recommended: fish and seafood, cabbage, legumes, nuts, wholemeal bread, cottage cheese, yogurt, fresh milk (not boiled).
About pseudo-diets ...
In osteochondrosis, it is unacceptable to use various mono-diets that exclude the full provision of the body with nutrients, trace elements and vitamins. Rice, kefir, apple and other nutritional systems with a poor diet slow down the process of rehabilitation of destroyed cartilage tissue, increase the negative side effects of drug therapy, reduce the metabolic rate, provoking further weight gain.
Experts are skeptical of a rice diet with the use of a raw product for a month and a half. The objective of such a diet is the conclusion of toxins, as its authors claim. However, in 45 days, any exacerbation passes on its own, without any treatment. And the myth about the removal of toxins has long been debunked by professionals, since the constant renewal of the epithelium in the intestine does not allow “toxins” to attach to its walls. In addition, in people with gastrointestinal problems, eating raw rice can exacerbate digestive diseases.
A salt-free diet can be helpful in overweight patients with osteochondrosis. It is known that 1 g of salt is able to retain about 100 ml of moisture in the body, so the refusal of a flavoring additive can help reduce weight and strain on the spine. In addition, a salt-free diet for cervical osteochondrosis helps reduce the number of attacks of hypertension and reduce headache. But people are mistaken who claim that the rejection of salt positively affects the development of osteochondrosis of the sacro-lumbar spine, preventing the deposition of salts in the destroyed area. This erroneous opinion does not stand up to criticism of professionals. All dystrophic changes and degenerative processes are associated exclusively with constant tension and overload in the joints, and the destruction affects the blood supply, which leads to nutrient deficiency in the cartilage and vertebrae. Thus, edible salt has no effect on the condition of the joints themselves and the spine. However, even a temporary refusal of salt helps to restore taste buds, which can cause addiction to under-salted food. And this leads to favorable changes in the body as a whole.
Increased calcium intake also does not relieve osteochondrosis, because it does not affect dangerous changes in the intervertebral discs resulting from severe overloads. The nutrition of people with spinal pathology should be full and balanced.