5 Common Nutritional Errors
That Make Your Back Pain Worse!
by Sam Visnic, CHEK III, CHEK NLC II, NMT, LMT
Uh-oh! There it goes again! Your nagging back pain is back. You wonder, "What did I do this
time?" Would you believe that it might have come from what you ate?! In my years as a Corrective Exercise
Specialist and Neuromuscular Therapist, I have found that poor eating habits can
contribute heavily to the backaches and pains that many of my clients experience.
Once I educated them on how to eat properly, many of them reported not only decreases
in the frequency and intensity of pain, but also a reduction in bodyfat and an
overall sense of wellbeing. Avoiding these common
diet and nutrition pitfalls can help anyone experience similar improvement:
1. Not eating for your individual metabolism
Just as you are a unique person, your body has a unique biochemistry which will process
nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats differently from someone else.
Generally speaking, people tend to fall into one of three major metabolic categories, which can indicate
the type of nutritional mix that works best for their body chemistry:
Protein Type - those who perform best on a diet based primarily on proteins and fats
Carbo Type - those who function optimally on a high carbohydrate, low fat diet
Mixed Type - those whose nutritional demands fall in between
If you are a Protein Type, and you are currently eating like a Carbo Type, the hormonal
imbalance created by unfavorable nutrition will create stress on your body. In particular,
failing to eat the right fuel mix for your metabolic type can result in gut stress, which has been
shown to reflex pain to the lower back. There are many symptoms you may experience
from eating the wrong fuel mix, and back pain can be one of them.
2. Eating foods to which you may have an allergy or intolerance
Exercise expert Paul Chek says, "When pain impulses come from the small intestine,
bowel or any organ of digestion, there may be some level of inhibition (weakness)
and possibly pain in the corresponding region of the abdominal wall. It is important
to remember food allergies and intolerance commonly cause inflammation of the gut."
The higher the level of inflammation you have, the weaker your abdominal
muscles. Since the abdominal muscles stabilize your lower back, it is very
important to keep them working. There are two ways to take action against food
allergies and intolerance. Blood tests can be helpful at detecting allergies to identify
foods to avoid. Another method is to follow a rotation diet. This means that you don't
eat foods from the same genetic family more than once every four days. For example,
if you eat chicken on Monday, then you would not eat it again until Friday. This allows
you to more effectively determine your reactions to different foods.
3. Not drinking enough water
The main function of water is to maintain a stable environment in cells throughout
the body. It also aids in the removal of waste products in cells. Drinking enough
water is important to hydrate the discs in your spine and keep them healthy. I
recommend drinking half of your bodyweight in ounces of water each day.
4. Not consuming enough omega-3 fats in your day
Your body needs omega-3 (linolenic acid) and omega-6 (linoleic acid), two essential
fatty acids. They are called "essential" because your body cannot make them...they
must be supplied by the foods you eat. Most people tend to get more omega-6
in their diet than omega-3. In fact, some people eat as much as 25 times more
omega-6 than omega-3. But with that 25-to-1 ratio, you are just asking for pain.
That is because omega-6 promotes inflammation and pain, while omega-3 does just
the opposite. For people suffering from inflammation, the amount of essential fatty
acids in the diet may not be as important as the ratio of the two. If you are fighting
inflammation, a 2-to-1 to 4-to-1 ratio may best. The best source of omega-3 fatty
acids are found in fish, however most fish today are highly toxic with chemicals
and heavy metals such as mercury. I suggest using a high quality cod liver oil or
fish oil supplement instead.
5. Eating processed foods
It is not uncommon to look at food labels today and not be able to pronounce even
half of the ingredients! The majority of these words listed on the label are the
various substances used to color, flavor, stabilize, bleach, texture, preserve,
or sweeten the food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists about 2,800
international food additives and 3,000 chemicals that are added to your food supply
every year! Many of these food additives and chemicals are known to be mucous
membrane irritants, central nervous system depressants, and cause major stress in
your gut. This can all lead to inflammation in the body and make your back pain
worse! Avoid packaged or processed foods. Spend your time shopping around the
perimeter of your local store and pick fresh foods.
There you have it! If you avoid these 5 common nutritional mistakes, you will find
yourself with less back pain and feel significantly better. Less stress
to your body in general will allow it to heal any areas that may be causing you pain.
If you give your body the right environment to thrive in, it can and will heal itself!
References:
1. Chek, Paul. How To Eat, Move And Be Healthy! CHEK Institute, San Deigo, CA, 2004.
2. Wolcott, William. The Metabolic Typing Diet. Doubleday, New York, New York, 2000.
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