More salad equals less joint pain?

Eating more salads and other whole vegetables appears to reduce your risk of knee pain from arthritis. Interestingly, this does not appear to be simply a factor of consuming more vitamins or anti-oxidants. There seems to be something special about eating whole vegetables that’s protective.

Doctors evaluated the diets of more than 6,000 adults and found that those who reported eating the most vegetables and fruits had the lowest risk of severe knee pain. However, there didn’t seem to be any relationship between the total amount of vitamin C or beta carotene consumed and knee pain.

Of course, this study revealed an association (or correlation) but did not definitely prove that eating more vegetables prevents knee pain. But what exactly is the downside of taking this advice?

About half of all adults will  develop knee pain due to arthritis (wear and tear in the joint) and the risk is significatnly higher if you’re overweight.  Not surprisingly, knee pain has negative effects on mood, participation in social and recreational activities, and sleep.

Eating more vegetables, on the other hand, is linked to a wealth of benefits, ranging from lower body weight to reduced risk of cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart disease, and–that old favorite–a longer and healthier life.

So eat up! Here are tips on finding vegetables you like to eat.  And if eating more vegetables is one of your goals, consider participating in the upcoming 30-Day Nutrition Upgrade. It’s a fun way to improve your eating habits…and eating more veggies and less sugar are the two biggest changes people report making. Click below for all the details.