By Carin Shuler PT, DPT, MS, CHC
Nutrition Matters!
As you seek out the best Physical Therapy services, you, too, have the ability to make some important life changes! Changes to your nutrition and lifestyle can positively impact your rehabilitation and recovery! Of course, you may have general knowledge of what a “healthy diet” and lifestyle may be. But did you know that science demonstrates the negative impact of the typical American diet on your health? Scientific evidence is also clear about healthy lifestyle management. To research and understand what may be the right choice of nutrition and lifestyle changes for you can be challenging! As you begin and progress through your Physical Therapy program, lifestyle and nutrition does matter! Let’s consider why this is so.
How the Standard American Diet was Born
Sometime after World War II, our country began to deliver more and more processed foods to market. Americans were beginning to value the convenience of the newer packaged foods and the shelf life of these processed foods. With more women joining the work force, whole foods in their natural state were thought to be more time consuming to prepare. Television was entering more homes. Therefore, more advertising of these processed foods influenced Americans to buy them. Over this time period, the American family farm was beginning to die too. Agri-business began to slowly take over. Animals were beginning to be fed foods not natural to them just to fatten them up to get them to market faster. And the modern Standard American Diet (SAD) was born!
The Standard American Diet is SAD!
SAD also known as the Western Diet, is known to include higher amounts of many processed foods. These can be processed proteins, carbohydrates, sweets and industrial seed oils. SAD is typically known to be calorie rich but not nutrient rich! Many unhealthy conditions are aggravated or possibly caused by the SAD. Heart disease, Obesity, Type II Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Colon Cancer and Autoimmune conditions are just a few examples. This is indeed SAD! Nutrition does matter for your health! There are an increasing number of alternative “diets” publicized to improve your health. However these, such as the South Beach Diet, Ketogenic, Paleo, Whole 30, Mediterranean, the American Heart Association Diet and many more can be overwhelming to research! Accordingly, what might be best for you and who can help?
The Role of Physical Therapists in Nutrition
In 2015, The American Physical Therapy Association passed a landmark motion. This motion documented the role of Physical Therapists in the area of diet and nutrition. (http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/2015PacketI.pdf). This, along with the ongoing scientific study of nutrition in physical recovery and bodily functions, has made it abundantly clear! Evaluation and instruction for lifestyle management including diet and nutrition is an important role of your Physical Therapist. The Rehab House Call Team has taken this seriously! Your team endeavors to provide you with this full scope of care and coaching! You deserve the best care for optimal results to improve and/or regain your physical function. Rehab House Call is the health-centered practice for you!
Your Body’s Specific Nutritional Needs
Just think about it and be honest with yourself. Do you have the knowledge to implement the best diet for your specific needs in your body’s healing and repair processes? As you start a physical activity or exercise program, your nutritional needs rise or change. This is because your energy demands change. Consequently, your body is demanding specific nutritional support to heal and recover and, then, to pursue your performance goals. The Physical Therapists at Rehab House Call have additional training to help you understand these nutritional needs.
Ask Yourself, Do You Know?
In addition, do you know the best way to supply your nutritional needs for not only healing and repair but prevention? Your immune system could use nutritional support too! This is particularly important in the COVID 19 environment that we are all currently facing. And for instance, do you know which foods are best to fight inflammation? Ask yourself if you know those that can support the nervous system function best? The latter can help to prevent or abate such conditions and diseases as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis. Let’s consider some of these further.
Nutrition and Inflammation
Let’s look at one of the most commonly known issues in bodily repair and recovery as an example; that of inflammation. Inflammation is both good…and bad. It is the process which is important at the cellular level for repairing the wear and tear in the body. You all have experienced it when you have a simple cut or bruise. However on the flip side, inflammation can become excessive or long-lasting. It then becomes a “bad guy”. This “bad guy” is a primary source of unhealthy aging and chronic diseases. Our Standard American Diet unfortunately can promote the “bad guy”. Your therapist will evaluate (among other things) your diet and lifestyle status. They then will make recommendations that may include an anti-inflammatory diet. More on this in upcoming blogs!
Nutrition, Type II Diabetes and “Diabesity”
As another example, let’s look at the well-known condition, Type II Diabetes. It too has gotten a great deal of press lately; especially in how it also correlates to obesity. In fact, “Diabesity” is now an in vogue term used in blending the two conditions. Most understand that excessive sugar is a factor in this. Again, we can look at changes to our Standard American Diet to positively improve “Diabesity” in America. There are complicated reasons at the cellular level for this to occur. These can be difficult to fully understand. In addition, related medical terms can be overwhelming and confusing. How do all these bodily processes and medical terms actually matter to you? Do they impact your physical therapy program and recovery? Might they affect your overall wellness, weight management and even healthy aging? All of this is important for you to understand and your Physical Therapist can help!
Blood Sugar - We Depend On It!
As a very basic explanation, your cells need energy to function. Consequently, food consumed provides blood sugar for energy. Otherwise known as blood glucose, we depend on it! Your pancreas produces the hormone, insulin. Insulin’s job is to escort the blood glucose to your cells that need the energy that the glucose provides. Often, as we age or gain too much weight, our cells can become less sensitive to insulin. Therefore, we become insulin resistant. If insulin resistance occurs, the cells can’t take in the needed glucose. Therefore, increased sugar and insulin in the blood results. Our cells can’t function as well without the needed energy. This can lead to Pre-Diabetes or onto full-blown Type II Diabetes. Your Physical Therapist can provide you with the most up to date knowledge regarding prevention and reversal of Type II Diabetes through lifestyle and nutritional changes. AND, watch our website for further, more in depth articles on such specific topics!
COVID19 and Nutrition
And yes, I briefly mentioned COVID19 above. It is certainly the topic of the day! Ask your Physical Therapist, not only about the best practices for infection prevention, but also about improving your general immunity through lifestyle and nutritional support! There is no supplement that can prevent or cure the novel Corona virus. You can however build your immunity! Build it with proper rest and sleep habits, nutritional support and by moving! Get physical activity and fresh air each day. This will also help to reduce your stress levels that can impact your immunity.
Build Your Immunity Through Nutrition
The age old quote attributed to Hippocrates of “Let Food Be Thy Medicine” certainly is important in 2020 too! Make certain that you are consuming good, well-sourced whole-foods and protein. This is important for your cellular repair and maintenance to keep your immunity level high! Various vitamins and minerals can help too. Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E and Folate and a number of trace elements such as zinc, copper, selenium and iron have a role in preventing infections. Their prevention power is best when consumed in whole foods. Lastly, gut health also plays a significant role in our body’s immunity. Maintaining a healthy level of our natural gut loving bacteria is key to gut health. Pro- and prebiotics may be a good adjunct to your diet to help maintain your healthy gut. (http://www.nutrition.org).
Nutriton and Lifestyle Management - Tools in the Toolbox!
These are but a few selected examples of how and why nutrition and lifestyle management matters to your overall health! Particularly, they matter to you when you have greater physical demands when undergoing rehabilitation, healing and recovery. A health-centered, customized physical therapy program is the scientifically evidenced-based approach needed for anyone in 2020 and beyond! Nutrition and lifestyle management is but one tool in the physical therapist’s toolbox, but one of the key tools well supported by science. These are exciting times in health and wellness! An overall health-centered Physical Therapy program including instruction in nutritional and lifestyle awareness can help you to reach and maximize your personal goals. And if necessary, appropriate referrals for Health Coaching or Nutritional Counseling will be recommended.
References:
Grotto, David et al. Nutr Clin Pract. Dec 2010 25(6) 603-12. The Standard American Diet and its relationship to the health status of Americans
Sears, William with Martha Sears. Prime Time Health: a scientifically proven plan for feeling young and living longer. Little, Brown and Company, 2010
American Physical Therapy Association: RC 12-15 The Role of the Physical Therapist in Diet and Nutrition (http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/2015PacketI.pdf)
American Society of Nutrition: Nutrient Information. (https://www.nutrition.org).
