Podcast Episode 45: The importance of a nutritional diet

Hello, my name is Michelle Gerber. I currently work as a brand manager at Ergo Medical, which is an industry partner of the Lindsay Leg Club. I'm also a qualified dietitian. So today I'm going to speak to you about the importance of a good diet, especially when there is a wound present. We hear a lot about diets, but what actually makes a diet healthy? To my mind, a healthy diet ensures that the body is provided with essential nutrition. This includes calories for energy, macronutrients like proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and then your all-important vitamins and minerals. What we know is that during wound healing, some of these nutrients become especially important. And today, we will speak a little bit more about these nutrients. Before I start, I just want to stress that I am a very strong advocate of mindful eating. And this is really about stopping to reflect on what you are eating and putting into your body. Oftentimes we eat on autopilot or we follow an emotional cue to pick up something that's not really adding anything nutritional to our bodies. I think we all know what I'm talking about. So mindful eating is about savouring each bite you take and being mindful of the nutrition it is offering your body as you eat it. Food is meant to be enjoyed and being mindful of the impact it can have on your health and well-being only adds more to the enjoyment of a delicious snack or meal. Also by eating a variety of foods not only do we find more enjoyment in eating but we are better able to reach those nutritional goals we have set. Now did you know that your nutritional status plays a very important role in how your wound will heal? In fact if your dietary intake is is not optimal, often a wound can take longer to heal. So I think this just shows the importance of following a balanced diet, particularly when we have a wound that needs to heal. I'm always fascinated by the role that each nutrient can play in healing a wound. And what's even more fascinating to think about is that while we might think of on the outside dressing a wound or perhaps applying compression to a wound, nutritional healing is coming from the inside. And this is just as important as the product we use on the outside. And ideally, we would want them to work all together to give you the quickest possible healing that is out there. If we look in terms of wound healing, there are some very important vitamins and minerals that we need. Some of these include vitamin A and C and then you also have the all important zinc and iron. These are in terms of the micronutrients and then in terms of macronutrients we have protein, which becomes a very big part of making sure a wound heals. If you were to ask me, what is the one food you should add to your diet, to help with wound healing, I would say, any vegetable would make a huge difference in healing your wounds. Why is that ? Well, vegetables offer a huge range of nutrients, especially the all important vitamins A, C and iron. Vitamin A plays an important role in maintaining skin strength and vitamin C plays an important role in the formation of new tissue. So a lack of vitamin can actually cause your skin to become fragile, which will slow down the healing process. Adding vegetables to your diet can really be of huge benefit. If we look specifically at vegetables, if there was a specific vegetable you should add, it would definitely be of the green leafy variety. So your spinach, your kale, watercress. And the simple reason is not only are they a good source of vitamins, but they are also a great source of iron. Now iron is also essential in terms of wound healing, because it plays a role in keeping your blood cells healthy. So make sure that these green leafy vegetables are part of your your daily intake. Interestingly, the body absorbs iron from animal sources more easily than from plant sources. So if you do eat animal products, you could include foods like red meat, chicken, fish and eggs. And what is wonderful about these animal products that I've just mentioned, is they are also excellent sources of protein. Now protein helps build and maintain muscle, it heals tissue, and it supports a healthy immune system. Your body may actually need more protein to help you heal a wound, and this is why it's recommended to include foods that are high in protein into your daily diet. We get proteins from foods like meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Dairy products like yogurt and milk and cheese also contain protein, so you could definitely include them into your diet. If you are a vegetarian and you're not eating meat, you can also get proteins from some really good plant based sources, like for example, beans and nuts. And you will see that these foods are also excellent sources of iron, so they definitely cover a range of those all-incessional nutrients that we need during wound healing. Zinc is also really important in that it helps with the formation of new tissue. And we also know the incredible role it plays in our immune system. But just like iron, it is more easily absorbed from the foods that come from animal sources. So again, including your protein sources, like we mentioned before, can really help meet your zinc needs. Again, if you would prefer to eat from plant based sources, you can use legumes like beans, lentils, chickpeas are also a great source of zinc, nuts and seeds and then brown rice is also a lovely good source of zinc. I think the other point take home today, is that make sure you're drinking enough fluids. Fluid is also part of your nutritional status and is an important part of the healing process, because it helps oxygen and nutrients get directly to the site of the wound. So it's a good idea to plan your fluids and your drinks into your daily routine. You can count water, milk, juice, soup or tea as part of your daily fluid intake. Now, if you are in any doubt as to whether your diet is providing you with the nutrients you need, or if you are concerned, or if you find that you are experiencing weight loss and you're unable to eat, please contact a dietitian in your area. Dietitians will be able to give you a personalized eating plan that will really meet your specific needs. They're very knowledgeable and have studied for many years to be able to help you. So do reach out to one near you for more advice. I think this becomes even more important if you have abnormal sugar levels like in diabetes. And also remember that being overweight can have a negative effect on your health too. So do reach out if you would need some more nutritional advice from a dietitian. Thank you so much for spending your time listening today and I hope you have found the information helpful. Goodbye.