Our knee is made up of the tibia at the upper end of shinbone, the femur at the lower end of the thighbone, and the patella or kneecap. All these parts have a connection with each other through ligaments and cartilages. The cartilage in your knees, act like a cushion that protects them from injuries. However, the knee cartilage wears away with time (old age) or due to injury that result in arthritis and stiffness in the joint.
Many people undergo surgeries for this severe problem. Do you know that certain foods can save you from going under the knife to cure the cartilage problem? If yes is the answer, then very good. However, if the answer is no, then read this article further and find out which foods help you build-up knee cartilage and save your knees.
Citrus fruits:
Vitamin C has a great potential to build knee cartilage. Vitamin C synthesizes collagen in human body, which is an essential part of healthy ligaments. Deficiency of collagen results in joint pain and stiffness. Collagen also helps to reduce uric acid in the body. Oranges, grapefruits, berries, bell peppers and tomatoes are rich sources of vitamin C.
Vegetables:
Overweight exerts more pressure on joints, weakens the knee cartilages, and results in osteoarthritis. The weight loss or gain depends on how you balance your calorie intake. For a healthy weight, regular exercise and a healthy diet that includes vegetables is advisable. Vegetables are a low calorie food that supports healthy weight.
No to inflammatory foods:
Certain foods build and some break the knee cartilage. The food that breaks the knee cartilage is the highly processed foods like the fast food, and saturated fats. Foods low in saturated fats like tofu and beans, foods rich in Omega 3 like seafood, have the capacity to increase the quality of your knee ligaments.
Cook food at low temperature:
High cooking temperature is one of the major reasons for the inflammation in the body. Excess heat produces some inflammatory compounds in the food, like in the case of grilling and broiling of the food. However, using poaching or slow baking methods of cooking is a better alternative as it does not produce any inflammatory compounds.
Nuts:
With their high level of Vitamin E, nuts and peanuts are a good source to fortify the cartilage in your knees and lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Summary:
Aforementioned are the foods that can help you escape from going under the knife and cure worn out cartilages in your knees.