Things You Should Avoid Eating During a Physical Injury
For many athletes or fitness enthusiasts, the fear of weight gain is real when they stop working out due to an injury. The first thing they hear is don’t diet, or starve yourself, which is true. The best way around it is to eat when hungry. But that does not mean you can eat whatever you wish or drive yourself into a food coma.
When in recovery mode, there are certain things you should eat more of and things you should avoid. Here are some things you should not eat when recovering from a physical injury.
Sports Beverages
You may assume that sports drinks are great for your health or even a better alternative to fruits or juices. People assume that sports drinks are an efficient concoction of exactly what they need without the sugars. This is a massive misconception. Sports drinks were made for athletes who underwent really intense training and did not have the necessary sources of energy right after. Sports drink replace depleted water, electrolytes and sugar instantly!
During a physical injury, your body does not need the extra electrolytes because you are not working out, and there are plenty of other sources of sugar that you are not paying attention to. Surprisingly, Gatorade has 30g of sugar in each bottle. You should stick to drinking loads of water to stay hydrated.
Microwave Popcorn
Popcorn has loads of starch and carbs. While you probably were not eating this during your fitness regime, you should not eat popcorns when you are injured especially when your metabolism isn’t as efficient as it used to be.
The processed food element is not the only reason you should avoid this food item. Microwave bag popcorn, in particular, has some other harmful effects as well.
Microwave popcorn has chemicals like PFOA stuck on the bag lining. When microwaved the toxins get inside the popcorn and stay in your body for a while.
Fat-Free and low-fat foods
Food items that label themselves as low in fat content or entirely fat-free replace the fat with something worse, sugar.
The truth is food that is fat-free tastes awful, and that is why sugar is a necessary addition. When the body is recovering, it is not as good at processing sugar and carbs. Processed food will only result in raising the levels of fat in your circulating blood which poses other health hazards and hinders the recovery process.
This is not the only thing in your processed food. Fat-free foods are usually processed products which means they are loaded with artificial sweeteners and chemicals.
Fake Butter
The rise of alternative butter which is advertised to be just as healthy as butter is nothing but a hoax. The biggest and most popular alternative is margarine. The fact is butter is healthy, but margarine and other alternatives are definitely not.
When recovering it is actually recommended that you consume grass-fed butter which is a great source of Vitamin K2 and fatty acid butyrate which are good for health.
French fries and Chips
White, whole potatoes, when fried, are extremely unhealthy. They contain high amounts carcinogenic and acrylamides. The fried items are loaded with omega-6 fatty acids which cause inflammation and slow down the recovery process.
Fried food is loaded with calories and it is difficult to eat excessive amounts of them. You gain weight and because you cannot indulge in physical activity, this may hinder the process of getting back to a fit lifestyle.
Alcohol
The world’s most popular recreational beverage is one you must stay away from. Having alcohol after you have had an injury hinders the body’s ability to build muscle, this can lead to significant muscle loss. There are other catastrophic health effects related to this. It causes liver damage, brain damage, diabetes, cancer, and depending on your injury may cause infections as well.
Make sure you stay hydrated and drink enough water to boost your recovery. If you need help with alcohol withdrawal, contact Psychologists and Substance Abuse Counselors using a reliable telemedicine platform.
Agave Nectar
Agave nectar is another seemingly “healthy” food item. It has a low glycemic index, however, that is not what denotes the harmful element of sugar. Agave nectar is harmful because it is loaded with an unnatural amount of fructose. Too much fructose causes all kinds of problems especially if you are not exercising. The sugar that is metabolized by the liver turns into fat. This leads to other kinds of metabolic problems. Regular sugar comes with 50% fructose, however, agave contains as much as 90% making it worse than granular sugar that one commonly uses.
AUTHOR BIO:
Judy Robinson is a passionate health and lifestyle blogger. She loves to write on healthy lifestyle, fitness 101 and DIY related topics. Currently, she is associated with centracare Follow @judyrobinson for more updates.