Properly organizing nutrition for spinal hernias is the first thing a person diagnosed with this condition should focus on. One of the most common causes of spinal hernias is insufficient nutrition of the intervertebral discs with essential substances.

The surrounding muscles and ligaments nourish the discs and remove metabolic waste products. When the ligaments and muscles do not perform their functions adequately, the exchange of oxygen and nutrients decreases, leading to excessive wear of the discs. Initially, osteochondrosis develops, which later leads to the formation of a hernia. The progression of the disease can only be halted through proper nutrition and physical exercises.

Harmful Foods for Herniated Discs
Below is a list of foods that should be limited or preferably removed entirely from your diet:

✔ Refined flour and sugar – completely useless products because during industrial processing, all vitamins and minerals are removed;

✔ Ice cream, various jellies, sweets, most baked goods;

✔ Coffee, tea, carbonated drinks – they flush calcium out of the bone tissue, softening the vertebrae and increasing the risk of spinal deformities;

✔ Oatmeal – hinders calcium absorption;

✔ Salt accumulates in joints and bones, so salt your food at the table, gradually reducing the amount of salt used;

✔ Also avoid other salty products: nuts, pickles, ketchup. Such foods promote inflammatory processes;

✔ Fatty meat – due to high cholesterol content, it can impair blood vessel flow, which worsens the nutrition of the spine;

✔ Meat products like sausages, bacon, hot dogs contain too many colorants, stabilizers, flavor enhancers, etc.;

✔ White rice, canned foods – contain sodium which causes fluid retention in the body. This can affect the spinal cord located inside the spine, as it can be compressed by nearby large blood vessels swollen with fluid;

✔ Margarines and spreads;

✔ All smoked products, especially store-bought fish, which is treated in special solutions rather than smoked naturally;

✔ Alcohol and cigarettes destroy the cartilage tissue of the discs. Also, due to vessel spasms, the nutrition of bone and cartilage tissue of the spine, as well as the spinal cord, is impaired.

Beneficial Foods for Spinal Hernias

✔ Pears, apples, tomatoes, Jerusalem artichoke (topinambur), strawberries, raspberries, cranberries. These contain important vitamins and nutrients such as vitamins C, A1, B2, B9, E, K, H, and PP, which are essential for our body.

✔ Citrus fruits, black currants, and rose hips. Reliable sources of vitamin C, which is responsible for nourishing the spine.

✔ Carrots and beets. Excellent antioxidants that can slow down the aging process. Drinking carrot juice with milk promotes the growth and regeneration of bone tissue.

✔ Greens and leafy vegetables. Contain a large amount of organic calcium necessary for the strength of each vertebra. Particularly beneficial are celery, spinach, alfalfa, and kale.

✔ Onions and garlic. Strengthen the immune system and help prevent inflammation.

✔ Lentils, hazelnuts, and other nuts, dark raisins, dried apricots with pits, beans, pumpkin, cabbage.

✔ Whole grain bread, bran, cereals.

✔ Dairy products, cottage cheese, and cheese. Fresh milk, kefir, yogurt, and other dairy products are necessary for the strength of the entire skeletal system, including the spine. The calcium contained in them does not tend to form stones but is fully used by the bone system.

✔ Fatty fish (salmon, trout, and similar) and seafood. Contain organic phosphorus and polyunsaturated fatty acids needed for strong vertebrae.

✔ Herring and olive oil. Sources of vitamin F, which has an anti-inflammatory effect on the spine.

✔ Fish liver, egg yolk, and butter. Rich in vitamin D, which helps maintain calcium in the vertebrae.

✔ Chicken fillet, rabbit meat, and turkey meat.

✔ Gelatin and aspic made from animal ears and tails, cartilage, and seaweed. These products are rich in substances that ensure the normal function of intervertebral discs.

✔ Products containing agar-agar — a substance made from seaweed.

✔ Chondroprotectors (cartilage protectors) are made from animal cartilage, so they effectively protect cartilage tissue and slow the progression of degenerative changes in joints and spinal discs. Treatment with these medications usually lasts up to six months because cartilage tissue grows quite slowly.

✔ Water! Cartilage consists of 85% water, so no juices, coffee, tea, or compotes will improve your cartilage health. Only water. For information on how much water to drink daily and which water the body recognizes as water, you can read more here. Drink warm water, close to your body temperature. Avoid drinking juices on an empty stomach — this puts a heavy load on the pancreas and is a first step toward diabetes.