Foods To Help With Inflammation When Running

**Collaborative post**

Inflammation is inevitable after an intense running session. It’s something every runner has to deal with. When you run and stress your muscles, micro-tears form. This causes your white blood cells to rush to build the stressed areas. This repair process can result in soreness.

If you rest your body properly, your muscles will positively adapt and become stronger. If you train too hard and you don’t give your muscles the time needed to repair, you will likely find the inflammation gets out of hand. Your muscles need time to repair and recover. If you don’t give it time, the inflammation can become chronic and can lead to injury. If you suffer from specific complaints like plantar fasciitis then specially designed plantar fasciitis shoes are advisable.

Not only do you need to give your body plenty of time to recover and rebuild, but you need to optimize your diet to enhance the repair process. Getting the right nutrients can help you fight excess inflammation to recover faster. You want to fill your diet full of anti-inflammatory foods to recover quicker. Here are some of the best foods to cram into your diet to fight inflammation caused by running and working out.

Table of Contents

Anti-inflammatory Foods:

Avocado

This is one of the best foods you can get into your diet. Avocados are a great source of healthy fats. Avocados contain persenone A. This is a chemical that reduces the effects that cause inflammation throughout the body. Likewise, as mentioned, they are full of healthy fats which can naturally reduce inflammation. Finally, they are also full of healthy vitamins that your body needs to fight inflammation.

Turmeric

This is a spice that is excellent for reducing inflammation. This spice contains an active ingredient known as curcumin. This spice/ingredient has been shown to have natural anti-inflammatory properties. Likewise, it also contains very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants include Coenzyme Q10 and ALA. All of these things can help to naturally fight the inflammation you are experiencing.

Sweet Potatoes

Another good source of food you want to get into your diet to fight inflammation is sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are excellent because they are full of healthy vitamins and minerals. They contain a lot of vitamin A which is one of the most powerful antioxidants. Likewise, they also happen to be full of healthy fiber. It’s mainly all of the vitamins that make sweet potatoes so effective at fighting inflammation. They contain everything from vitamin A to vitamin K and even potassium.

Blueberries

Blueberries are an excellent source of polyphenols. Meaning, they can fight inflammation. One of the best things about blueberries is that they can prevent and even repair the damage done by free radicals. Free radicals can induce inflammation. Because they can prevent and repair the damage, they are some of the best foods to fight inflammation. They also happen to be extremely good sources of vitamin C and vitamin E which both naturally fight inflammation.

Ginger

Ginger is another excellent spice to get into your diet to fight inflammation. Ginger has a lot of anti-inflammatory effects. Not only that, but ginger can also naturally boost the body’s immune system.

Pineapple

Pineapple is another good fruit to consider getting into your diet. It contains a lot of healthy components that make it an effective anti-inflammatory food. Not only is it rich in vitamin C, but it contains a digestive enzyme known as “bromelain.” Some studies show bromelain can help the body naturally reduce inflammation by regulating the immune response that causes it. There is even evidence that points to bromelain helping reduce the risk of heart attacks by stopping blood platelets from sticking together.

Spinach

Spinach is another good food to get into your diet because it has powerful antioxidant properties. It contains a lot of vitamin A which is a natural anti-inflammatory. It’s also a leafy green and contains a lot of vitamin K, iron, and folate which all help with curbing inflammation.