Feeling Tense? It Might Be What You're Eating.
You just came home from school, work or the gym and you still want to do something more with your day. However, there is this one problem: You have sore muscles due to your daily grind and it leaves you all tired out when you should still have hours of energy left.
This is so common and it’s a shame because it steals away hours and hours of time from people when they could be active, doing things they love. It also makes it harder for people to bring 100% effort to even the normal tasks of the day.
If any of this sounds familiar, keep reading. Because we’re going to look at the ways we can use food and water to create a direct impact on your level of muscle tension. And, we’ll show you how to make a couple simple changes that will start putting more life back in your day.
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Dehydrated and Lacking Minerals: You’ve Heard It Before and It’s True
Our body is composed of about 90% water. Hence, if we are dehydrated, it affects our body and that eventually results in muscle tension.
Muscle spasms or muscle tension are usually caused by mineral depletion in one’s body.
Three of the most common minerals our muscles lack are potassium, calcium and magnesium. These minerals are essential in helping to rebuild and repair our muscles; thus, it’s important to make sure we get enough.
The food we eat plays an important role in getting an adequate supply and avoiding or remedying muscle tensions so we’ll give you a few suggestions later that will help.
The Pain Pill Option
Some people immediately resort to pain killers or other kinds of medications whenever they have muscle tensions. It’s understandable. If you’re in pain you want relief.
Unfortunately, most people don’t realize the long-term effects certain pain medications can have on the body (there’s a list of issues in our ‘Is Chiropractic Safe?’ article). And anyway, the body was designed to function perfectly for many years. If we’re dealing with chronic pain, it is often because of something in our lifestyle or because of a misalignment in our bodies – many of which can be quickly corrected.
It terms of lifestyle, we all know we need to exercise. We also need to incorporate healthy minerals in our diet. And that’s what we’ll focus on for the rest of this article.
The following are 6 incredible foods that can help relieve your muscle tension:
#1 Almonds
Almonds contain high levels of healthy fats, magnesium and vitamin E. Research says that eating at least 10-15 almonds a day can help to eliminate the chance of having muscle spasms due to their high levels of antioxidants that protect against inflammation, premature aging, and other diseases.
#2 Blueberries
Treat yourself these incredible, little nutrition powerhouses. Blueberries can be used to prevent muscle tension. Studies suggest that blueberries accelerate muscle recovery as it contains high antioxidant power and have been shown to decrease oxidative stress and inflammation.
Other than these benefits, blueberries have also been shown to boost your heart health, brain function, and other numerous advantages.
#3 Bananas
Bananas are one of the best post-workouts snacks. They are rich in protein, fiber, and potassium – which replenishes your consumed energy after workouts or the daily grind at work.
Bananas also contain glycogen which is known to help rebuilt damaged muscles. It is said that eating a banana every after your daily workout or exercise reduces the chance of having muscle cramps as it relaxes the muscles.
#4 Salmon
Salmon is one of the best sources of Omega-3 fatty acids that help decrease body inflammation, lower blood pressure, and reducing the risk of cancer. This delicious fish is also quite high in potassium. In fact, research shows that a piece of salmon fillet has higher potassium content than the same portion of bananas!
Wild caught is generally better (and tastier) than farm raised.
#5 Eggs
Eggs are rich in protein, which enables you to boost your body ability to produce protein (referred to as protein synthesis).
Protein synthesis refers to the process of repairing muscles after a strenuous activity. Eggs are also a good source of other healthy vitamins and minerals which are good in muscle recovery such as amino acids, calcium and zinc.
(This study showed that whole eggs were more beneficial for Protein Synthesis than egg whites alone.)
Studies shows that eating hard-boiled eggs everyday does not only help in repairing muscles but it also in losing weight.
#6 And Last But Not Least. . . Chamomile
Chamomile is one of the best medicinal herbs because of its active relaxant compounds.
It contains terpenoids and flavonoids which relax the muscles. It is considered an ancient herbal medicine as it has been used for a very long time to treat inflammations, muscle spasms, menstrual cramps and gastrointestinal disorders.
So, don’t forget to treat yourself with a hot cup of chamomile tea after dinner!
Conclusion
Muscle tension can be optional – especially when there are so many delicious ways to help your body recover from it! Of course, healthy eating probably won’t fix everything. Proper exercise, regular chiropractic adjustments and lowering your stress levels are all very important as well.
So, remember these healthy foods before you grab your meals in order to relieve your muscle tensions.Â
And Bon Appetit!
