Diet for osteochondrosis
The content of the article:
- Basic principles of nutritional therapy
- Basic dietary requirements
- Drinking regime
- Salt intake
- Featured Products
- Minerals and vitamins
- Harmful products
- Video
Diet for osteochondrosis, a chronic dystrophic process that primarily affects the intervertebral discs, and then the osteo-ligamentous apparatus of the spine, is an important component of complex treatment. Correction of nutrition cannot eliminate the formed degenerative changes in the structure of the spine, but it can slow down their further development. The basis of a correct diet for osteochondrosis is to provide the body with all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and trace elements that improve trophism and synthesis of cartilage tissue.
Nutrition for osteochondrosis should be complete and balanced
Basic principles of nutritional therapy
A complex of degenerative disorders in the articular cartilage, called osteochondrosis, most often develops in the discs located between the vertebrae. All parts of the spinal column are subject to this process: cervical, thoracic and lumbar. The defeat of each of them leads to the appearance of pain and certain neurological symptoms.
The primary cause of the disease is the deterioration of the trophism of the cartilage tissue. Since the vascular bed in the intervertebral discs in an adult is absent, their nutrition is carried out diffusely. Inadequacy and imbalance in the diet significantly impair this process.
There is no diet created specifically for the treatment of osteochondrosis and its neurological manifestations. But there are basic basic principles of nutritional therapy that apply to this disease. Therefore, the diet for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should:
- be physiologically complete;
- comply with the principles of good nutrition;
- contain vitamins and minerals in the required amount;
- cover daily energy costs;
- include foods rich in chondroprotectors.
Biologically active substances are called natural chondroprotectors - chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which slow down degenerative changes in cartilage and contribute to the restoration of cartilage and bone tissues of the musculoskeletal system.
Basic dietary requirements
The basic requirements for dietary food can be described as follows.
| Index | Approximate daily rate | Features: |
| The energy value | 2200-2700 kcal per day | Indicators change depending on age: after 50 years, they gradually decrease. In women, they increase when carrying and feeding a child: after the 4th month of pregnancy, 300 kcal are added to the age norm, during breastfeeding, an additional 650 kcal. |
| Multiplicity of food intake | Breakfast should be 30% of the daily food volume, lunch - 40-45%, afternoon tea - 10%, dinner - 15-20% | With obesity, the number of meals can be increased, and the one-time volume, respectively, reduced. Frequent, fractional nutrition is also indicated for concomitant diseases of the digestive tract. |
| The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates | 1: 1: 4 for middle-aged people | For men and women of young age engaged in mental work - 1: 1.1: 4.5; performing heavy physical work - 1: 1.3: 5. |
| The amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates |
In the diet of a worker human: protein 100 g, fat 80-100 g, carbohydrates 400-500 g |
The ratio for overweight and obesity changes: the normal protein content, in the range of 80-100 g, is combined with a lower amount of fat - 50 g, carbohydrates - 250-300 g. |
| Balanced diet | Proteins: animal origin 60%, vegetable - 40% | A balanced diet is part of the broader term “nutritious food”. There are a lot of necessary nutrients, it is customary to assess the balance, taking into account the main ones. The amount of technological fats and sugars in obesity is minimized. |
| Fats: animal origin 50%, vegetable - 30%, technological (margarine) - no more than 20% | ||
| Carbohydrates: starch 75%, sugars 20%, pectin 3%, fiber 2% |
Drinking regime
The optimal amount of liquid drunk by the patient during the day should be from one and a half to two liters. Such a volume prevents tissue dehydration, leading to drying out and loss of elasticity of the intervertebral discs, and subsequently to their destruction.
It is necessary that the proper proportion of clean water is at least 70% of the total fluid consumed. This is an important condition for the normal functioning of the body as a whole. In case of impaired renal function, the amount of fluid you drink can be reduced to 1 liter per day to prevent congestion.
Salt intake
Nutrition for cervical osteochondrosis is based on the principle of diversity and balance, therefore there are no strict restrictions. This also applies to the amount of salt consumed by the patient. It cannot be completely excluded from the diet, as this will adversely affect the metabolic processes in the body.
Considering that many foods contain salt in their composition, its daily intake should not exceed 5 grams. This limitation should be observed, since excess sodium retains water, promotes the development of edema, increases the risk of cardiovascular pathology, and leads to potassium deficiency. When using salt, it is recommended to add it to ready-made dishes.
Featured Products
The menu of patients suffering from osteochondrosis should contain healthy and easily digestible plant and animal products rich in protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber.
| Type of food | Products |
| Vegetables | Broccoli, cauliflower, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, melon |
| Greens | Parsley, celery, salad |
| Legumes | Beans, white and red beans, red lentils, peas |
| Fruit | Apricots, apples, pears, peaches, plums, avocados, kiwi, bananas, oranges, tangerines |
| Berries | Watermelon, strawberry, currant, grapes, sea buckthorn |
| Dairy and fermented milk products | Natural yogurt, fermented baked milk, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, cheeses without preservatives |
| Meat | Rabbit, beef, veal |
| Bird | Turkey, chicken |
| Eggs | Chicken |
| Fish and seafood | Herring, trout, salmon, tuna, halibut, sardines, shrimps, squid |
| Cereals | Rice, oatmeal, buckwheat, corn grits, millet, pearl barley, barley |
| Bakery products | White bread, rye, bagels, drying |
| Nuts and dried fruits | Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, raisins, sesame seeds, dates |
| Oils and fats | Butter, ghee, sunflower, olive, linseed |
The choice of first courses is wide enough: borscht, cabbage soup, pickle and other soups. Food for the second course can be prepared in any way. For the side dish, the above-mentioned cereals and pasta made from durum flour are used. Salads made from fresh vegetables and herbs, seasoned with vegetable oils, with the addition of ground sesame or flaxseed are very useful.
Sour milk drinks, fruits, freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, rosehip decoction, green tea, still mineral water should be consumed daily.
Minerals and vitamins
To maintain and regenerate the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs, a sufficient intake of vitamins, macro- and microelements with food is necessary.
| Vitamins, minerals | High content foods |
| Calcium | Hard cheeses, feta cheese, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, young nettles, basil, celery, cabbage, dried apricots, peanuts, almonds |
| Magnesium | Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, bran, cocoa, soybeans, beans, peas, cashews, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, wheat groats, buckwheat |
| Manganese | Hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, spinach, wholemeal bread, rye bread, brown rice, avocado |
| Phosphorus | Wheat bran, processed cheese, yeast, sesame and pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, cashews, almonds, eggs, beef liver, salmon |
| Vitamin A | Carrots, parsley, spinach, pumpkin, peas, viburnum, beef liver, melon, apricot, avocado |
| Vitamin C | Rosehip, cilantro, bell pepper, sea buckthorn, black currant, parsley, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kiwi, strawberries, strawberries, citrus fruits |
| Vitamin D | Carp, mackerel, halibut, tuna, herring, trout, beef liver, eggs, butter |
| Vitamin B | Oatmeal, nuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, bananas, legumes, eggs, beef liver |
| Vitamin E | Sunflower, corn oil, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, sea buckthorn, dried apricots, spinach, salmon, mackerel |
With osteochondrosis, it is useful to eat fruit jelly
Harmful products
When treating osteochondrosis, especially of the lumbar spine, it is necessary to get rid of excess weight. With obesity, there is an additional load on the discs between the vertebrae, the surrounding tissues, nerve roots are squeezed, and the cartilaginous structures wear out. Therefore, the menu should limit foods that contribute to weight gain, as well as those that impede the absorption of vitamins, macro- and microelements. The list of such products includes:
- alcohol;
- coffee, strong tea;
- carbonated drinks;
- hot, spicy condiments, marinades;
- sausages;
- mayonnaise;
- lard, fatty meat;
- rich pastries, cakes;
- sour cream, high fat cream;
- pickles, canned food.
The use of mono-diets, when only one product (rice, buckwheat, kefir) is consumed for a long time, is inappropriate. This approach robs the body of valuable nutrients and is not beneficial.
Rational, balanced nutrition for osteochondrosis is not a panacea, but in the complex of rehabilitation measures, along with physical therapy, reflex and physiotherapy, massage, hydrokinesis therapy, traction methods, herbal remedies, it can significantly improve the functional state of patients.
Video
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Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author
Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".
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