First Aid at our Place

First Aid at our Place

Claire Aslangul - Monday, June 17, 2013

On the weekend my husband played 2 games of football. During the second game he copped a bad tackle and both he and his opponent landed on his ankle which was twisted under him. After spending a number of hours in the hospital ruling out a fracture, we came home to now treat a fairly serious sprain.

So following standard convention, RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is still one of the most effective ways of treating sprains and the doctor also suggested anti-inflammatories. So I rushed out and grabbed some this afternoon. This is what they look like:

Why the Oysters?

Oysters seem to be one of those foods you either love or hate. I mostly comes down to texture as a good oyster tastes like fresh clean ocean air on a summers day. But what oysters really are power-packed balls of life giving amazingness (You can tell which side of the fence I sit on with the oyster argument). They are incredibly anti-inflammatory, not quite as good as say caviar, but relatively more affordable. Just 2 oysters contain more than twice our daily minimum of Vitamin B12, all our requirement for Selenium and Zinc and a quarter of our daily requirement for Iron and Manganese. There is even vitamin C in oysters! Add to that almost 700mg of Omega-3 oils and we are looking at something that is better than most multivitamins on the market.

So in the case of my husband and his dodgy ankle, what does this mean? Firstly the anti-inflammatory property of the oysters will help to take the swelling out. The B12, and Zinc are vital for repair of the damaged tissue. Selenium* has so many roles in the human body, particularly with brain and nerve health, that having an adequate amount will only lead to faster healing. Finally the omega-3's, you could simplify them down to "oiling the joint" again, they are required for so many functions in the body that increasing the amount of omega 3 will help on a number of levels.

Why the Beef bones?

The grass fed** beef, which is a shank and some ox tail is for making bone broth. This is yet another super food full of awesome goodness. Bone broths, which are made from bones and joints contain all the minerals required for healthy bones and joints, because that is what it is made of. These include Magnesium, which is anti-inflammatory and is required for creating melatonin, which is a hormone vital for sleep, and growth hormone, which is required for repair.

Another set of substances in bone broth are glycosaminoglycans (glucosamine is just one of these). These are responsible for laying down collagen in joints, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. Collagen is part of what is known as intercellular cement, the stuff that holds your cells together. It requires zinc and vitamin C with these glycosaminoglycans to make collagen. See where I am going with the combination of oysters and broth?

The other side of the coin is avoiding foods that increase inflammation. These include grains, legumes, sugar (soft drinks, lollies, commercial honey), artificial sweeteners and "factory produced" meats, especially chicken and pork.

If you are suffering from joint issues, either acute or chronic these 2 amazing foods are your friends and adding them daily to your diet can save you hundreds of dollars on supplements and pain killers, not to mention without poisoning your liver and kidneys.

* High levels of selenium are toxic. never exceed 400mcg per day. RDI is 60-70mcg

** There is a huge difference in the inflammatory properties of grain-fed feed lot beef and grass fed. Just like if you eat inflammatory foods, like grains you become inflammed, the same is for cattle. It may look the same, but it is very very different in how it impacts your health.