“I am a 45-year-old woman and although fit and healthy my knees are starting to cause problems, especially when going up and down hills. Is there anything I can do nutritionally that might help so that I can continue hiking – it’s so beneficial for my physical and mental wellbeing.”
Clinical Nutritionist Suzie Sawyer answers:
Good nutrition is, of course, the cornerstone to wellness so let’s take a deeper dive into what foods and supplements might help you. Obviously, knees are complex but where there is any form of pain, there will underlying inflammation, so it’s important to support this situation nutritionally.
Foods to help reduce inflammation
Foods that help manage inflammation throughout the body are berries (all types), cruciferous vegetables (especially broccoli), oily fish (choose wild salmon rather than farmed), green tea and avocados.
Spices including turmeric, ginger and garlic are also great, so add them freely to dishes; stir fries are perfect in this respect. You might also want to add some green juices to your diet to increase your nutrient intake and support the inflammatory process.
Essential Omega 3s
The omega-3 fats, primarily found in oily fish as well as nuts and seeds, support the body’s natural anti-inflammatory pathways. Wild salmon is great but try also to include sardines, pilchards, and mackerel, if you can. Omega-3s are also available in supplement form (including vegan forms) so if you’re not eating enough of them, you might want to think about supplementation.
Minimise sugar
Sugar, in all its forms, triggers inflammation so be aware of how much refined sugar is in your diet. And beware fizzy drinks: they upset blood sugar balance and are often high in phosphoric acid which encourages calcium to be leached from the muscles and bones which is not good for knee health.
Equally, processed foods and any refined carbohydrates upset blood sugar balance and encourage inflammation. Interestingly, if blood sugar is out of balance, it can affect mental wellbeing too. Many people suffer more low moods when eating a highly refined diet.
Herbal help
Additionally, while a good diet will support knee health, the herb Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) has been used for centuries to treat pain, especially in the joints and muscles, and works as a natural anti-inflammatory. With any herbal treatments you need to take them for a couple of weeks to fully appreciate their benefit. I’ve used this herb very successfully with many marathon runners so I hope it will help you too.
If you fancy using your love of walking to raise some money, March is ‘Walk 100 miles for mental health’ month. To find out more visit the MIND website.
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