Sciatica! The word does sound very scary, isnโt it? But, it is a common health condition that causes pain in the nerve. This pain occurs because of the injury or irritation to the sciatic nerve located in the buttock or gluteal area. As per a report, nearly 40% of the population, suffers from this disease. And with age, it becomes more often. Being the longest nerve, any unwanted change in it affects the body negatively. It can make the person feel numbness and weakness in the specific areas of the body.
List of foods that you need to avoid in sciatica
To prevent any increase in pain you should follow a strict diet and avoid eating some food. Here is the list of five foods that you need to avoid to treat sciatica.
- Sugar
You all like to drink carbonated drinks and juices but are not aware that too much consumption of such drinks can result in health issues. These drinks contain a high amount of sugar which can worsen the symptoms of sciatica. It is necessary to cut down on your consumption of sugar intake. Excess consumption of sugar leads to increase inflammation throughout the body.
- Refined Grains
Refined grains lack nutrients as they pass through the machines for modification. This eliminates all the nutritional substances present in the grain products. Thus, the consumption of refined grains reduces the number of healthy carbs and fibre that are necessary for the body. Make sure to avoid eating refined grains and switch to options like whole grains. Doing this will help you to minimize any pain caused by sciatica.
- Saturated Fats
Foods such as processed meats, high-fat dairy products, poultry skin, egg yolks, etc. contain saturated fats that increase inflammation. It contains a high percentage of daily calories that an individual consumes. Hence, you should avoid the consumption of such products and try to replace them with foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids will help you to fight sciatica by reducing the pain and inflammation.
- Fried Foods
Everyone loves to eat fast foods, without knowing that the oils used to cook them might be harmful to the health. Mainly, all the fried foods are cooked in vegetable oils or sunflower oils, hence, increases the inflammation and pain of sciatica. These oils contain more fat that can increase the severity of sciatica. Therefore, those who are suffering from this health issue should try to avoid eating fried foods or foods that are cooked in vegetable or sunflower oils.
- Flour
Food items like pizza, pasta, cakes, and bread should be avoided. These products contain gluten that can be harmful to the ones who are suffering from sciatica. Therefore, eating such food items causes difficulty in digestion and increases the inflammatory level. So, make sure to eat gluten-free food to treat the pain caused by sciatica.
So, avoid consumption of these mentioned foods to get the effective result of treatment of sciatica. Doing this will not only help you to deal with the pain and inflammation but will also help you maintain a proper diet that is rich in vitamins and minerals to lead a healthy lifestyle.ย