Five Pain-Fighting Foods
1. Cold-Water Fatty Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon are good for your heart because they have anti-inflammatory properties, but they can also fight inflammation in other parts of your body and therefore help reduce pain.
Omega-3 fats found in fish like salmon, sardines, anchovies and trout can relieve pain by suppressing the enzymes that cause inflammation.
They're called 'essential fatty acids' because they're necessary for human health, but our bodies don't actually make them, so we have to get them through food. While you can get omega-3s from plant-derived sources such as flaxseeds and walnuts, the body must convert the fatty acids, which reduces the efficiency of absorption. Omega-3 fatty acids derived from cold-water fatty fish are better absorbed because no conversion process is necessary.
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2. Ginger
Fresh ginger has been used for centuries to treat everything from colds to upset stomach, the University of Georgia recently found it can also reduce muscle pain after exercise by 25 percent. Gingerol is the potent phytonutrient in ginger that is believed to supply these pain-relieving properties. A study found that ginger might be just as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen to treat postexercise soreness. Ginger can also relieve pain in osteoarthritis patients.
*Add minced ginger to vegetables or a stir-fry or KimChee, or making a tea by placing sliced fresh ginger in a tea ball and immersing it in hot water for 10 minutes, then adding honey for sweetness as needed.
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3. Cherries
Cherries—or blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and red grapes—can help reduce pain through the presence of a phytonutrient called anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Cherries fight inflammation related to arthritis, heart disease and cancer.
*Fresh or frozen cherries pack the most nutritional punch.
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4. Olive Oil
A compound in extra-virgin olive oil called oleocanthal, can act similar to the way pain relief drugs do, warding off pain.
Many drugs used to combat pain today were derived from nature. For example, the medicinal effect of the bark of the willow, from which aspirin is derived.
The long-term consumption of olive oil might confer some of the benefits of pain relief drugs, without the downside (increased risk of kidney disease).
*It's important to buy high-quality extra-virgin olive oil and use it in uncooked dishes, which will provide the most nutrition. The darker the color of the oil, the stronger the flavor, which means more oleocanthal.
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5. Green Tea
There's a potent compound found in green tea, EGCG, that's been shown to block the production of molecules that can damage cartilage and bone, so it can help to alleviate arthritis pain.
*One to three cups of green tea a day. However, a cup of green tea does have about one-third the caffeine content of a cup of coffee, so those who are caffeine-sensitive shouldn't overdo it.
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