“Inflammed muscles feel tight, not painful, during stretching. Appear bigger or swollen, and at certain times also relax and appear shrunk. Inflammed muscles trap heat, most noticed as a reduction in sweating inspite of rigorous exercise or heat”
Muscles need both heat and lubrication to stay healthy. But heat without healthy fats or adequate cooling are the perfect recipe for inflammation. This is often where those who exercise regularly can also fall short.
Muscle and Heat
Most foods that build muscle also generate heat: Seeds & nuts are a classic example. Rosted seeds like peanuts make heat excessive. The same issue underlies drinks made of roasted seeds, with coffee topping the charts followed closely by roasted peanuts. Even barley, which when soaked is cooling, produce heat if consumed roasted. So if heat is the problem:
- Restrict roasted foods to winter/cold months.
- Add enough healthy fats to your diet to balance the dryness and subsequent inflammation that heat can produce. Adding ghee to Makhana is a great example of this.
- Stay well hydrated. However, for those who exercise a lot or sweat a lot and experience muscle inflammation, simple water hydration is not enough. You will need to add electrolytes & nut milk smoothies (examples below)
Foods that Calm Muscle Inflammation
Coconut
- Raw coconut slices in hot months, also always during Indian monsoons, since its high Vitamin A kills bacterial infections.
- As cream in roasted hot drinks like coffee
- As fresh coconut chutney with ginger & coriander. No spices.
- Fresh green coconut water, esp if electrolytes are an issue.
Cucumber
- Remember the stomach is also a muscle and sometimes heat affects this muscle most impacting your B vitamins and carbohydrate absorption. You can feel this if there is an immediate bloating or tightness after eating.
- Eat as raw without adding anything.
- Have as juice. 2-3 cucumbers with either fresh mint leaves or fresh coriander leaves.
- Also calms the heat in kidney and urinary track (felt as warm urine)
Tori/ Sponge gourd
- Pre-menopausal and menopausal women in India have consumed it through the ages, knowing that it helps keep muscles healthy.
- Best as a fresh juice, or simply cooked vegetable
Sunflower Seeds
- Contains the magical Vitamin E that is essential in muscle health. Cheaper, cooler and easily available, sunflower seeds are those less known seeds with exceptional properties. Just make sure you buy them unroasted
- Soak 2 teaspoons each night (8 hr soaking), have as paste mixed with banana or figs or just eat as seeds. Combined with 2 soaked figs it also adds calcium, vitamin D to this mix.
- Add as soaked seeds to salads.
- Consume regularly if inflammation and muscle weakness is present, else 2-3 times a week.
Avocado
- Sometimes a lack of essential vitamins is what makes you more prone to inflammation, especially Vitamin D & E. These are both fat soluble vitamins and need a base of healthy fat for absorption. Avocado does vitamin absorption best.
- Have regularly as guacamole or as an addition to raw salads.
Virgin Olive oil
- Scores high when it comes to muscle inflammation, mainly because of its cooling properties and Vitamin E.
- Add to your hummus, salads and any other raw dip for maximum benefit.
Apricot oil
- Has the best muscle relaxant properties
- Too hot to consume but works very well for a deep tissue massage.
Mustard Oil
- The oil with the most magnesium & magnesium relaxes the muscles
- Works well when used for a deep tissue massage or as an oil pack in the navel.
- For using in the navel, lie flat on your back, add a few drops directly in navel till navel is full. Put a thin wet towel on top of navel and keep a hot water bottle on top of the towel. Do this for 10 minutes. Can be done upto twice a day, if inflammation feels severe and causes bloating or tightness in the GUT.
- Also, very helpful if inflammation comes with an infection.
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