Simply Health and Wellness
Simply Health and Wellness is a podcast designed to encourage, uplift, inspire, and educate young families and the millennial generation concerning a holistic and vitalistic lifestyle approach to health and wellness.
Simply Health and Wellness
Fueling Your Backbone: How Diet Impacts Spinal Wellness
Your spine deserves more than just adjustments – it needs the right nutritional foundation to truly thrive. We dive deep into the fascinating connection between what you eat and how your spine functions, revealing why nutrition might be the missing piece in your back health puzzle.
Think of your spine as a complex machine requiring specific fuel to operate at its best. Calcium isn't just about dairy – dark leafy greens like kale and spinach provide excellent building blocks for vertebral strength. But here's the critical part many miss: without adequate vitamin D from sources like fatty fish and sunshine, your body can't properly absorb that calcium, regardless of how much you consume.
The inflammation battle is perhaps the most crucial aspect of spine nutrition. Omega-3s from salmon, walnuts, and chia seeds function as natural anti-inflammatory medicine, supporting those essential disc "pillows" between vertebrae. Meanwhile, protein serves as construction material for ongoing spinal maintenance, while proper hydration keeps your discs functioning like well-filled water balloons, cushioning each movement.
We break down practical strategies for implementing these principles, including balanced meal planning, spine-supporting snack options, and foods to limit. Special consideration is given to plant-based eaters who need targeted approaches to calcium, protein, and other vital nutrients. The relationship between weight management and spinal stress is also explored, highlighting how each food choice either fights or fuels inflammation throughout your body.
Ready to transform your spine health through the power of nutrition? Implement these evidence-based strategies and experience the difference proper fueling makes for your backbone. Have questions about applying these principles to your specific situation? Reach out to us at Mustard Seed Chiropractic – we're here to support your journey to optimal spinal wellness.
What's up you guys, dr Knight Bryant, here from Mustard Seed Chiropractic, located in beautiful Smyrna, georgia. Today we're talking about the role of nutrition in your spinal health. Now, when we think about maintaining a healthy spine, nutrition might not be the first thing that comes to my patient's mind, and so I want to talk a little bit more today about what we should be eating and how your nutrition really supports your spinal health. Now, just as a house needs quality materials for a strong foundation, our spine requires proper nutrition to stay strong and stay flexible. So you have to start understanding the needs of your spine, right? What are the needs of your spine? Because your spine is more than just a collection of bones. There's a lot of complex structures. The bones, the way they're actually formed, are a lot different than bones you think about on a daily basis, like the vertebra, the disc, the ligaments, the actual nerves, the muscles surrounding your actual spine. Each of these components, they require specific nutrients to function, which is our big word here at Mustard Seed Chiropractic filling and function to help you function optimally and maintain tissue health. So think of your spine as a well-oiled machine. Without the right fuel and maintenance, it cannot perform at its best. So let's examine the essential nutrients that are really needed to make sure you have a fantastic structure that's working exactly how it is supposed to. Here we go Essential nutrients for a healthy spine.
Speaker 1:First thing first is calcium. Calcium is the foundation builder, the foundational block. Why does it matter? Calcium isn't just for strong teeth. It's crucial for maintaining strong bones in your spine, and without adequate calcium, you risk developing conditions like osteoporosis, which can lead to spinal fractures, and so one thing that people need to think about is this I know for years, we've been taught that milk is the number one source. Actually, you should be thinking about dark leafy greens, kale, spinach, collard greens. You also can use fortified plant-based milk and then, interestingly enough, sardines, but with bones in them. So that's some of your best sources of calcium, if you will. The next one we're going to hit on is vitamin D, and this is your calcium helper, and this is a big deal. Why does vitamin D matter? It's calcium's best friend. Without it, your body can't properly absorb calcium, so no matter how much you consume of calcium, your body cannot absorb it properly if you don't have vitamin D. So where the heck do I get that, dr G? Fatty fish, so salmon, or salmon and tuna, are one of your main fatty fishes that you can eat in order to help pull that calcium in. Egg yolk is also one. You also have a sensible amount of sun exposure, which is something that, as spring and summer comes along, we all want to get out in the sun. So just getting out in the sun will really help you create that vitamin D that will pull in calcium and help it be used in the gut and in the body.
Speaker 1:Next one we're talking about is omega-3 fatty acids. This is your inflammation fighters and, as we've talked about a thousand times over, inflammation is the root of all this ease within the body. So we always try to limit the amount of information that the body has and or increase the inflammation fighters. That is omega-3 fatty acids. So why does it even matter these fats? They really do help reduce inflammation within the spine. They also help support the disc right, we talk about the disc being in between the vertebra, almost like pillows. So if you want to support your disc, you really do need to be taking omega-3 fatty acids. They're like natural anti-inflammatory medicine for the body Natural, though, so super cool.
Speaker 1:Fatty fish again. It sounds like salmon is really hitting the top mark here, and then we also have walnuts, flaxseed and then chia seed as well. Next is proteins your tissue builders. You got to build up the tissue with protein. Why does it matter Proteins? They are providing building blocks for repairing and maintaining your spinal tissue. So think of it as construction material for your spine's ongoing maintenance, right? So if it's always trying to maintain itself, we got to have some protein in the mix in order to really build it up and keep that tissue moving and grooving. So your best sources are going to be lean meats, fish, beans, greek yogurt and also eggs, right? So we've talked about some of the main pieces, or building blocks, if you will, of the spine and nutrition.
Speaker 1:Now we need to talk about how the diet, how you actually eat, not what you don't eat, which some people think of diet, but what you actually eat impacts your spine. Number one inflammation. What we can eat either it does this. Either it fights or it fuels inflammation in our body. What we eat can either fight or fuel inflammation in our body. So, processed foods, excess sugars, unhealthy fats these all increase inflammation and it potentially worsens spinal health and other tissues. So, conversely, whole foods rich in nutrients can help reduce inflammation and help your tissues heal better. So again, just to have that take-home message today Whenever I'm eating, am I actually fueling or am I fighting inflammation in my body today?
Speaker 1:Next part is weight management and spinal health Can be a touchy topic, but it is absolutely important when we maintain a healthy weight, when we maintain a healthy weight through proper nutrition. That is critical for our spinal health. Every extra pound it puts more stress on the body. So imagine you carrying a heavy backpack all day. That's exactly what excess weight does to your spine. So if we can reduce the weight on the spine, we actually improve the functionality, the feeling and the longevity of using our spine for years to come.
Speaker 1:Third but not least is hydration. People think about water, but we don't always drink it. So water is this vital role. It is one of the most abundant and important resources within the body. You got to have water to maintain healthy spinal disc. Those pillows in between the bones will not act as pillows if there's no water in the body. So they also can be thought of as like a shock absorber in between the vertebra and with proper hydration it stays plump, it stays open and it stays functional all day long, almost like a water balloon. So just plenty of analogies coming at you today. It's like a water balloon without enough water, they can't do their job effectively.
Speaker 1:Okay, so here we go, practically. Dr G nutritional tips for spinal health. How in the world am I supposed to take all this information and apply it today? Very simple I want you to start thinking about balanced meals. I want you to start thinking about having a meat on the table, veggie on the table and also some fruit on the table with water, especially, especially, especially, adding in your leafy greens. That's very important.
Speaker 1:And then, let's be honest, people just snack more than what they need to. But if you are going to snack, then you want to start having some healthy snacks that actually support your spine. Greek yogurt with berries is a great one A handful of nuts and seeds. You can also use apple slices with almond butter, which is just one of my absolute favorites. You got hummus with vegetables, right. So these are different snacks that you can use in order to improve your spinal health.
Speaker 1:Last but not least, you got foods that you want to limit, and you guys know this. You've heard it preached from probably any and every doctor that you know of. This is nothing that you don't know, but you want to really reduce not necessarily forbid, but you want to reduce these dramatically, and that is processed foods, excess sugar, unhealthy fats, alcohol and excessive amounts of caffeine. So very important. Some of the things that we think about with special dietary considerations, of course, is our people that are plant-based diet people, right? So, vegetarians and vegans, you have to pay special attention in your spine, because calcium and fortified plants and also your leafy greens are where you're going to get that calcium from. When comes to your protein, you're going to be thinking beans, you're going to be thinking plant-based sources. Then vitamin b12 supplements can really help you as well in supporting your actual spinal health. Last but not least, iron from plant sources, combined with vitamin c, will be great for the absorption, if you will. And so just different details that you need to know, if you are on a plant-based diet, of how you can continue to support your spine although you may not be eating necessarily meat.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this is Dr G here Mustard Seed Chiropractic. Hopefully this was helpful. Just a quick, nice little piece of roll of nutrition concerning your spinal health. If you have any questions, thoughts, concerns, please reach out. We're
