What you choose to eat matters to your health. Every system in your body requires certain essential nutrients for proper support, and a nutrient-rich diet is the best way to ensure your body gets what it needs. Proper nutrition is vital for joint health because joints experience everyday wear and cartilage changes as a normal part of aging.
Getting these nutrients is easy and can be delicious too. Here are a few recipes that deliver joint-supporting nutrients and happy taste buds in every bite.
Something Light
Bone broth is a liquid containing brewed bones and connective tissues. These bones and tissues contain important nutrients that support whole-body health, including collagen, which helps promote joint health. Collagen is the main protein found in the body’s connective tissues including cartilage, but beginning in your 20s, your body’s collagen production starts to slow down.
Bone broth offers collagen which helps maintain connective tissue and can reduce typical oxidative stress to tissues for less everyday stiffness & soreness. Adding cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, packed with antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K, provides additional support to reduce common joint discomfort.
6-Ingredient Bone Broth Soup
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cups small, organic broccoli florets
1 cup cooked pearled barley
3 ½ cups homemade bone broth (see below)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 ½ cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened and translucent.
3. Add the broccoli, Italian seasoning, bone broth, and water.
4. Bring the soup to a low boil.
5. Cover with a lid and cook until the broccoli florets are tender.
6. Add the cooked barley and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat.
8. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and serve.
Basic Bone Broth Ingredients
3 pounds bones (chicken, beef, pork, lamb etc.)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 cups water
2 bay leafs
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Finely ground sea salt to taste
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 400 F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Arrange the bones on the baking sheet, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
3. Next, roast them for 30 minutes, or until slightly brown.
4. Turn half-way through to promote even cooking.
5. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, transfer the bones to a heavy stock pot. And then pour in the water. Drop in the bay leaves and peppercorns.
6. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, and then immediately turn the heat down to low.
7. Simmer, uncovered, at least 8 hours and up to 16 hours. Skim any foam that appears at the surface of the broth.
8. Strain the broth, and season it with fine sea salt as you like it.
You can also get nutrients that support joint health while adding some warmth with this fresh turmeric soup.
Something Satisfying
Fatty fish, like salmon, are among the best food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, potent compounds that help reduce common harm caused by oxidative stress in your joints. The addition of cherries provides anthocyanins to help protect against everyday wear and to aid occasionally stiff, sore joints.
Turmeric Salmon With Cherry Sauce
Ingredients
1 pound wild salmon
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli, washed and ends trimmed
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Cherry Sauce:
1 ½ cups frozen cherries (tart or regular)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon arrowroot powder (or tapioca starch)
1 tablespoon water
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Combine the spices in a small bowl.
2. Rub spice mixture over the entire surface of the salmon and place on a large baking sheet. Arrange broccoli around the salmon.
3. Drizzle the broccoli with the olive oil and any remaining spice mixture.
4. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until salmon is cooked through and broccoli starts to wilt.
5. For the cherry sauce, start by placing the frozen cherries, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a small pan over medium heat.
6. Once simmering, break up the cherries a bit using a spatula.
7. Cook until water has mostly evaporated.
8. Mix the arrowroot powder and water together in a small bowl.
9. Turn the heat to low, add to the cherry mixture, and stir for about 30 seconds.
10. Serve on top of cooked salmon, with broccoli on the side.
Something Sweet
This sweet potato muffin recipe and chia pudding recipe below show that just because something is sweet doesn’t mean it’s bad for you. You can satisfy your sweet tooth and still get nutrients that support joint health. You don’t need to feel guilty about indulging in this yummy treat. In addition to the health benefits of cherries, the chia seeds are packed with zinc, copper, and alpha-linoleic acid, a potent omega-3 fatty acid, to aid everyday joint discomfort.
Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding
Ingredients
¼ cup chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup dark sweet cherries
Directions
1. Mix chia seeds and almond milk. Let sit for at least an hour in the fridge.
2. Add the rest of the chocolate chia pudding ingredients.
3. Mix in a high-speed blender.
4. Layer chocolate chia pudding in a bowl with cherries.
5. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Something Extra
A balanced, nutrient-rich diet is important for promoting optimal joint health. There are certain foods with the essential nutrients to support joint function, overall mobility, and quality of life. In addition to diet, the comprehensive joint health supplement, MoveMD®, combines two clinically formulated ingredients with powerful collagens and hyaluronic acid to stop everyday joint aches from slowing you down.
♦ AprèsFlex® Boswellia Serrata has been shown to aid joint discomfort and support joint flexibility and mobility.
♦ Zanthin® Natural Astaxanthin, one of the most active of all antioxidants, works to reduce common harms caused by oxidative stress in your joints.
♦ Type X.I.V. Eggshell Membrane Collagen contains the same joint compounds and proteins that are essential for the maintenance of healthy joints and connective tissues.
♦ Type II Chicken Collagen helps promote normal range of motion and addresses connective tissue ailments.
♦ Hyaluronic Acid helps maintain healthy viscosity of joint synovial fluid for targeted joint mobility and flexibility support
Final Thoughts
The nutrients your joint tissue needs must come from food, so a daily routine that includes a balanced diet along with regular exercise and stress management is the best way to promote optimal joint health, flexibility, and mobility. These nutrient-rich recipes are a delicious place to start and for some extra joint support, add MoveMD® to your health routine, so you never have to worry about losing your natural get up and go.
Dr. Adam Kreitenberg
Dr. Adam Kreitenberg is dual board-certified in both rheumatology and internal medicine. He completed his internal medicine internship, residency, and rheumatology fellowship at the University of Southern California and Los Angeles County Medical Center.
