Since sharing my knee story a few weeks ago, many people have asked about my diet. They were mainly curious how I managed to stay so lean, given how little physical activity I was partaking in. Some wanted to know what I learned about healing foods that help reduce joint pain. Others just asked how I did my grocery shopping on crutches (I used a delivery service called Instacart, which was a life saver!)

It turns out I’ve learned quite a bit about how food effects the body, and how the right diet can help you recover from an injury. This post is my attempt to explain the food choices I made throughout my recovery process, as well as the overarching principles that led to these choices.

My Typical Meal

Before getting into details, here are the foods that comprised over 90% of my meals once I found the right healing formula:

• Spinach salad: spinach, avocado, walnuts/almonds/pepitas (pumpkin seeds), extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper
• Kale (steamed)
• Broccoli (steamed)
• Carrots
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Healthy protein
  • Organic grass fed beef
  • Organic pastured chicken
  • Organic pastured eggs (for breakfast)
• Diced ginger root and turmeric mixed into everything I cooked
• A dash of cinnamon
• Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
• Pineapple, papaya (when available)
• Grass-fed beef collagen in warm water, once a day

BIG Caveat: I did NOT deny myself meals and treats on certain occasions. While I was fully committed to doing whatever it took to heal from my injury, I also learned how stress can negatively impact the healing process. For example, I ordered a sandwich from my favorite sandwich shop on my birthday.  It didn’t make sense to worry about whether I should eat a specific food or not, especially if it caused further stress and worrying. Eating something when I really wanted it, but staying within my healing food guidelines most of the time, would be most beneficial for my overall health and recovery.

Now let’s take a look at how I arrived at these healing foods.

Why Change My Diet?

A quick glance at my typical meal, and you might deem it overly restrictive. Some might even call it obsessive to eat like this for weeks on end. Those who are more forgiving may admire the self control, but say to themselves, I could never eat like that.

Perception aside, the reality is probably more nuanced than you think. The food I ate didn’t result from restriction, obsession, or self control. It came from a desire to feel good, inside and out, and the willingness to explore all possibilities to heal.

Specifically, there were three driving forces behind my desire to find a healing diet direction:

1. Inactivity. My body didn’t need as much food, since I wasn’t as active as I normally would be. There was a noticeable drop in my hunger levels once I went from regular workouts 5-6 days a week to virtual bed rest. I simply didn’t need to take in as much energy as I was used to, otherwise my body would store it as fat. This made eating nutrient-dense food even more important, since I wouldn’t be consuming as many calories to cover my energy needs. Inactivity was the first trigger to cause a shift in the food on my plate.
2. Inflammation. The primary symptom of my knee injury was inflammation, leading to swelling, pain, and redness in the affected area. While the initial cause may have been a result of chronic irritation and overuse, I came to learn that dietary factors can influence the body’s inflammatory response. While there are certain foods, herbs, and spices that have a cooling effect on inflammation and joint pain, other foods can trigger a negative inflammatory response and even worsen symptoms.
3. Sanity. I was going through a tough time, and needed food to provide energy and vitality. My emotions were taking a toll on me mentally and physically; the last thing I needed was to have them guide my eating habits. Since I couldn’t exercise or socialize, I needed all the help I could get to feel energized throughout the day. I wanted to look forward to my meals. This meant eating food I felt good about, in addition to making my body feel good in return.

What I Removed

The following foods are known to have inflammatory effects on the body, and I gradually began removing them from my diet:

• Refined sugars, grains, and wheat
• Soy products
• Alcohol
• Legumes (beans and peanuts)
• Nightshades (bell peppers, potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, hot sauce)
• Vegetable oils (and cooking with them at high heat)
• High-glycemic fruits

Once again, take note of my caveat: I was NOT on a diet, and allowed myself to eat these foods when I really wanted to. I removed these foods from my diet most of the time, and took care to enjoy my meals, whatever I was eating. Stress is arguably a bigger factor in provoking inflammation than any of the foods listed above, so maintaining a positive mindset towards food was a primary goal throughout my recovery.

Healing Foods

The following foods are known to help reduce inflammation, provide nutrient-dense calories, and are mineral-rich (minerals aid the healing process):

• Ginger root
• Turmeric
• Grass-fed, organic beef collagen (stirred into warm water to create a gelatinous soup)
• Coconut oil – to cook with, instead of vegetable oils
• Foods that improve your omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio (the ideal ratio is roughly 3:1; you should consume three omega-6 grams for every one omega-3 gram)
  • Olive oil (organic extra virgin) – as a dressing, unheated
  • Almonds
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) – also have anti-inflammatory effects, among other benefits
• Pineapple – contains bromelein, an anti-inflammatory enzyme
• Papaya – contains papain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme; high in vitamin C
• Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
• Cinnamon – releases arachidonic acid, which helps reduce inflammation; it also helps maintain blood sugar levels, thereby reducing sugar cravings

Wait, what’s up with the fruit?

I’m glad you noticed. While the high sugar content in fruit initially gave me pause (sugar can be very inflammatory), I later learned there are beneficial micronutrients in fruit that can help reduce inflammation. So while it took some experimentation and research, I finally concluded that small dense berries were best, as well as fruits high in vitamin C and anti-inflammatory enzymes.

My Typical Meal

To recap, here are the components of a typical meal during my recovery:

• Spinach salad: spinach, avocado, walnuts/almonds/pepitas (pumpkin seeds), extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper
• Kale (steamed)
• Broccoli (steamed)
• Carrots
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Healthy protein
  • Organic grass fed beef
  • Organic pastured chicken
  • Organic pastured eggs (for breakfast)
• Diced ginger root and turmeric mixed into everything I cooked
• A dash of cinnamon
• Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries – for vitamin C content
• Pineapple – enzyme bromelain shown to have anti-inflammatory effects
• Papaya – enzyme papain shown to have anti-inflammatory effects; also high in vitamin C
• Grass-fed beef collagen in warm water, once a day

Takeaways

This meal plan was a huge part of my recovery, and I still follow this template most of the time. Eating this way three times a day for several months kept me lean, helped me heal, and gave me the energy to fight through my mental and emotional demons. I stopped craving the bad stuff, and looked forward to each meal.

That said, here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re thinking about beginning your own healing foods journey:

• Think of eating as an experience
• Enjoy your meals – sit down to eat with a positive frame of mind
• Chew your food
• Show gratitude – breathe, relax, and give thanks
• Choose healing foods most of the time – don’t beat yourself up if you veer off track

If you’re diving into healing foods yourself, or know any favorites I didn’t cover, I’d love to hear about it. Give me a shout in the comments.