March is National Nutrition Month. What does food have to do with your feet? Well at Long Island Foot & Ankle Group, PC we’re glad you asked. There are a number of ways that your diet can impact your podiatric health, including:
· Certain foods can increase or decrease inflammatory responses in the body. This translates into more or less pain from conditions such as plantar fasciitis and arthritis.
· Being overweight is a leading cause of foot pain and can be a risk factor for certain foot ailments as well as greatly increase the severity of painful symptoms.
· Your diet plays an important role in preventing and controlling diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure—all of which can have a major effect on your feet.
Get on the Fast Tract to Healthy Eating
Giving your diet a makeover doesn’t have to be painful! Most of us know what we need to eat more of—lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and what we need to cut back on—saturated fats, sugars and empty calories. In addition to changing what we eat we need to change our habits. Below are some suggestions for making healthy eating easier:
· Don’t skip breakfast—fueling your body regularly with high protein/low fat foods (try berries and cottage cheese or a whole wheat English muffin with a little peanut butter) will give you consistent energy and prevent you from overloading on calories later in the day.
· Cut back on caffeine—even though we drink it for an energy boost, too much can have the opposite effect, causing you to crash in the afternoon and seek out a sugary snack.
· Make friends with your crock pot—cooking meals at home is a great way to control ingredients and portions. However, if you wait until you get home at the end of the day to think about dinner, you may be too tired and hungry and just tempted to graze out of the fridge. Crock pot recipes can be set up in the morning and then when you come home a delicious, nutritious meal is all ready.
Our podiatrists, Dr. Russell Caprioli, Dr. Mary Ann Bilotti, Dr. John Haight and Dr. Marzana Mleczko believe in a total body approach to good foot health. If you have a foot issue that is concerning you or need more information on how to be proactive about your podiatric health, contact our Valley Stream or Lake Success office for an appointment.