Reduce Back Pain Trough Nutrition
Shared by Dr. Bryan Stephens
When patients come in looking for the cause of their neck or back pain, along with a physical exam, we delve into their diet and nutrition. Much of our chronic inflammation stems from what we eat. Unfortunately, most of the US doesn’t eat a diet congruent with a healthy lifestyle. The acronym for our standard American diet says it all…S.A.D. We encourage patients to stick with whole foods consisting of vegetables, fruits, and proteins without the added preservatives and modifications you might find on many ingredients lists on the back of boxes and packages. A good rule of thumb: if you can’t pronounce the word on the ingredient list, it is probably not good for your health.
The recipe I made earlier this week was based around this concept. I used couscous to add plant protein to my meal and based it on that. It’s also great because couscous is high in selenium as well as being a high antioxidant. This is what helps keep the inflammation at bay as it fights the oxidative stress placed on the body through daily life. The fact that selenium is an antioxidant also helps the immune system to do it’s job. I added a number of other vegetables and chicken to it as well, but I wanted to spotlight a lesser-known ingredient that I haven’t discussed in the past.
Whether it is this meal or another one you find on our website, I encourage you to stay within the confines of what our body actually needs when it comes to food and away from the highly processed and preserved foods we often find.
Recipe
- ½ cup couscous
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 2 green onions
- 1 pasture raised chicken breast, ¼ inch dices
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tsp cilantro minced
Add 2 Tbs olive oil to pot and sauté pepper and tomatoes about 4 minutes. Add couscous and 1 ½ cup water and bring to a boil. Boil for about 7 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and add 2 tsp lemon juice.
While couscous cooks, add 2 Tbs oil to pan and cook chicken pieces. About 6 minutes. In a separate bowl, add pesto, lemon juice, and cilantro and mix. When chicken is done, lightly toss in pesto mix. Plate chicken on top of couscous and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pham-Huy LA, He H, Pham-Huy C. Free radicals, antioxidants in disease and health. Int J Biomed Sci. 2008 Jun;4(2):89-96. PMID: 23675073; PMCID: PMC3614697.
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our Chiropractors located in McKinney, near the corner of Eldorado Pkwy. and Stonebridge Rd., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts. By improving these areas of our lives we can become healthier, stay out of pain and reduce risk of diabetes and other diseases!