by Rick Kaselj
I’m known as the exercise for injuries guy. I rarely discuss the nutrition side of injury prevention and recovery. Today I have a very special article for you written by my friend Lori Kennedy RHN, CEO of WOW! Weight Loss Inc.Today she is sharing her 5 Nutrition Strategies for Improving Recovery after an Injury. Take it away Lori…
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Hi everyone!
Thanks for having me back on the blog again Rick. I read Rick’s blog diligently because my client demographics are mostly baby boomers. A lot of my clients have injuries that prevent them from engaging in exercise or even being active in their daily lives.
While exercise and rehab routines are a necessity to recover from injuries, the nutrition side of recovery often gets ignored. Being that I am a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and not an expert in exercise recovery I turn to food to help my clients. I’ve been using some fairly simple, yet really powerful healing nutrition strategies with my clients that I wanted to share with you.
Strategy #1: Focus On Mono-Unsaturated Fats
Examples of mono-unsaturated anti-inflammatory fats are Omega 3 essential fatty acids like olive oil, fish oil, avocado, salmon, certain nuts/seeds like walnuts, flax oil and flax seeds. In order to keep inflammation in check it’s important that clients consume these foods on a daily basis.
The most popular solution I use is to have clients take between 3 to 9 grams (based on body size) of an Omega 3 supplement daily. The chances of them eating the appropriate amount of mono-unsaturated foods every day is slim. You will experience better compliance with the supplements recommendation.
Strategy #2: Add In Strategic Foods Or Supplements
Research shows that there are some well-known foods that can aid in injury recovery. While these foods are readily available it’s highly unlikely that your clients are going to remember to consume them daily.
- Bromelain: (from pineapple): 1 cup daily OR 500 – 1000mg daily
- Garlic: 2-4 whole cloves daily OR 600 -1200mg extract daily
- Turmeric: 1 tsp daily OR 400 – 600 mg daily
Strategy #3: Ensure Adequate Daily Caloric Intake
It’s quite common for appetite to decrease when clients are injured. It’s also common for injured clients to have the mindset that they need to eat less because they are unable to exercise to burn off calories.
This is faulty thinking. During an injury period resting metabolic rates actually increase between 15 – 50% depending on the injury. If the client decreases their caloric rate they could actually be slowing down the repair and recovery process because the body is not getting enough energy to cover the metabolic healing demands.
This can be remedied by getting your clients to do a simple 3-day diet diary. You can survey your clients’ intake over a 3-day period to make sure they are taking in enough calories.
Strategy #4: Getting Enough Protein
When appetite is already low and the client is in pain they will most likely consume a diet full of carbohydrates. We know that just like the anabolic training process requires protein the healing and remodeling process does too.
If I were to explain to my clients that they need 1 gram of protein per lean pound of body weight they would look at me like I had 2 heads. Instead I give them a very simple visual representation of the portion size of protein they should be consuming 3 times per day.
2 closed palms for men or 1 closed palm for women. Flat palms, not closed fists.
I provide a small list of quality proteins, things like eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, fish, bison, BioTrust protein powder and Greek yogurt.
Strategy #5: Compliance Checklist
While it’s all well and good to be giving your clients this helpful information it only serves them if they actually follow it. How do you get your clients to remember to take the supplements and eat the foods when they are in pain and angry about their injury?
I create a very simple checklist that they print and post on their fridge as a reminder. Each day it lists what supplements they need to take and the foods they should be eating. When they complete their goals for the day they put a check mark.
Download my sample Compliance Checklist HERE (<== When you click this, the file will download to your computer)
As you can see these are easy nutrition strategies you can recommend to your healing clients. You don’t need any fancy certification or credentials to be able to give these basic tips.
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Thanks Lori.
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