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    Nutrition and Your Feet

    Published on May 20th, 2016

    It goes without saying that the food you eat affects your health. Loading up on food that isn’t good for you, such as sugar and processed foods, can lead to weight gain, increased cholesterol, bad heart health, and more. Eating a balanced diet, with lots of vegetables, whole grains, and protein, can help you live longer and maintain a healthy weight. However, did you know that the food you eat also affects the health of your feet?

    Your Diet and Inflammation

    One of the biggest ways your diet affects the health of your feet is through inflammation. The nutrients you take in affect the tissue in your body. For example, the fat that is in red meat and many baked goods, along with sugar, encourage inflammation. In addition, the American diet is often heavy in white flour, pasta, and sweets, which can lead to increased inflammation.

    This affects your feet in a very specific way. When the tissue in your body becomes inflamed, so does the tissue in your feet. Your feet are extremely delicate, with lots of bones, ligaments, muscles, and tissue. You have one thick band of tissue along the bottom of each foot, and when this becomes inflamed, plantar fasciitis may develop.

    Other Health Concerns

    Aside from plantar fasciitis, your diet can easily cause problems with your lower extremities through diabetes and peripheral artery disease. When your arteries are not functioning properly, likely due to a diet rich in fat and sugar, your blood is unable to get to your lower extremities as quickly. Poor circulation can lead to a myriad of problems, such as foot ulcers and general pain.

    Prevention is Key!

    Fortunately, maintaining a proper diet is a safe way to prevent these problems. While you do not need to avoid sugar and trans fats altogether, you will want to have a much higher ratio of fruits and veggies! Lower your intake of saturated and trans fats, as well as sodium, and consume whole grains over white flours, and you should be set! Remember: everything in moderation.

    Courtesy of: Everyday Health

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