From the Inside Out

Bite This: It only takes 1 second for a 3^rd degree burn to occur with water that is 155 degrees or hotter. What does this have to do with anything? You'll find out. 

It’s been a while, eh? Well, no time for pleasantries.

The body is such a fascinating, complex, powerhouse of cells that can do their thing without us even thinking about it. This post is inspired by my dad’s recent burn injury.

When the body is injured, there is such a complex cascade of events that take place to begin the healing process. However, without the proper nutrients from foods, the healing process can take much longer than anticipated.

So what is needed to speed up the recovery period? It can depend on the injury, but one common nutrient needed for skin regeneration in particular, is protein. I have mentioned protein many times on this blog, but when it comes to wound healing, protein is your guy….or whatever.

Protein is important for all cell regeneration including skin and muscle. When there is an open wound, or burn, your protein needs can be 1.5 times what a body would normally need. Protein breaks down in the body to help with the healing process which can cause lean muscle loss.  All protein that you eat contributes to your overall protein intake, but some protein may be better utilized by the body. (Brace yourself – I am about to get real nerdy up in here.) Protein is made up of amino acids – there are 20 amino acids total. Some are essential which means they must come from dietary sources because the body cannot make them (9 total) ,and others are non-essential meaning the body can produce it from other sources such as carbohydrates. Generally, by- products of animals (meat, fish, poultry, and eggs) contain all 9 essential amino acids. Protein from vegetables may be lacking in essential amino acids. For this reason, vegan diets may lack complete proteins, but you can combine certain foods that contain different combinations of amino acids in order to get all 9 essential amino acids. Still following? Some examples would be rice with beans, pea soup and toast, and cheese, chick peas and sesame seeds. So, right…protein is important for healing.

Another important nutrient to aid in the healing process is omega-3 fatty acids. Okay, so this came up with some mixed results, and I am not a doctor, but it makes sense to me. So inflammation is important to initiate cell regeneration, however, chronic inflammation can delay the healing process. If you remember, omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and are therefore likely to shift the inflammatory response and speed up healing time! However, before you jump the gun and start scarfing down omega-3 supplements, this may only be beneficial for late stages of wound healing versus early. Taken in early stages may actually delay wound healing due to insufficient inflammation in the beginning.

Micronutrients are also critical for wound healing. Vitamin C, Selenium, and Zinc are among those. These nutrients are lost through burn wounds and the loss continues as long as the burn wounds are not closed. Nuts, seeds, meat, fish, and poultry are high in selenium and zinc. Citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers,  broccoli, brussels sprouts, and tomatoes are high in vitamin C.

Sound bite: Next time you have an open wound, pay attention to what you eat in order to speed up healing time.