Total: Oestoarthritis
Let’s talk about Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.
It can be such a pain (excuse the pun) in the back, hip, knee, hands etc. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage, which is like a cushion at the end of the bones within joints, gradually starts to wear away. Cartilage is a firm but slippery substance that allows the joint to move easily. If the cartilage disappears completely you may end up with bone rubbing on bone which can be even more painful.
Think about a door hinge that is rusted over, it is going to be hard to open that door because of the rust. There is lots of stress on the hinge, and it grinds against itself each time it moves. The same thing happens within an osteoarthritic joint! So…how can we manage this…? Lubricating the hinge and reducing inflammation within the body will be super helpful – FastTrack can help with these things, keep reading.
Potential Causes of Osteoarthritis are:
- Wear and tear on the joint (e.g. from high contact sport or repetitive movements)
- An injury to the joint such as a fracture or torn cartilage
- Carrying excess weight can put more load on the joints
- Lack of physical activity
- Infection in the joint or bone
- Family history of osteoarthritis
Symptoms:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Tenderness
- Loss of flexibility
- Grating sensation
- Swelling
How FastTrack can help?
The food you put into your body can play an important role in helping to manage osteoarthritis symptoms. You may be wondering how does it do that? Specific foods can help to strengthen your bones, muscles and joints and other foods help the body to fight inflammation!
One of the reasons why FastTrack is 90% plant based is so that we can include seafood (kaimoana) within our recipes. Seafood such as salmon, kahawai and tuna contains good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fats have anti-inflammatory properties and also help to lubricate the joint.
FastTrack meals are packed with plenty of plant protein. Having a good amount of protein each day will also help with osteoarthritis as it supports your muscles and bones and therefore your joint health overall. Lastly of course FastTrack includes a wide variety of veggies it’s kind of our speciality being plant based 😊 especially dark greens such as kale, spinach, broccoli and many more which also help, as they are filled with antioxidants, which all also help to reduce inflammation.
What isn’t in FastTrack kai are the high saturated fat, sugary and processed foods which are all inflammatory within the body!
If you have osteoarthritis and feel like you would like to incorporate more plant centred kai into your lifestyle to help lower inflammation, give FastTrack- Kai Ä Nuku a go!Sign up to any of our 3 packages or flick us an email to get in touch.
Research article links:
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/o/osteoarthritis/
