How Your Dietary Choices Affect Foot Health

by | Jun 28, 2016 | General Foot Care

Old Town Wichita is full of many exceptional restaurant and dining options—like Korean barbeque from GangNam Korean Grill & Bar or tapas at Gianni Bacci’s—to satiate your appetite! Everyone wants to enjoy delicious meals, but you also need to be mindful of the nutrients (or lack thereof) in them. Most people are well-versed in some of the reasons why—lower cholesterol levels, healthy blood pressure, strong muscles, and lower weight—but let’s take a look at how diet affects foot health.

Foot health might not be the first (or second or third!) consideration when it comes to dietary choices, but your lower appendages work hard to keep you upright and mobile, so you should give some thought and effort into keeping them in good shape! Fortunately, this doesn’t require too much time and energy. Just eating a proper diet can contribute by:

  • Promoting muscle and bone strength. Your lower body faces tremendous force loads from even simply walking around, but a diet rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin D will contribute to healthy muscles and bones in your feet.
  • Shedding pounds. Your muscles and bones do absorb forces, but a way to lighten the load on them (literally) is to be mindful of your diet. Eating the right foods, in the right quantities, will not only boost your self-esteem when you look in the mirror, it will relieve added pressure from your feet.
  • Contributing to healthy blood flow. Your feet are already at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to circulation because they are the furthest points on the body from the heart. Don’t make it harder for them to receive the essential nourishment provided in blood cells by clogging your arteries with saturated fats!
  • Preventing gout. This form of arthritis is caused by dietary choices and causes intense pain at the base of the big toe. Choosing a diet full of whole grains, legumes, veggies, and low-diet dairy and reducing meat and alcohol consumption can reduce your risk of it happening to you.

Diet is an important facet of foot care, but it is not the only one. Measures like wearing proper footwear, exercising regularly, and seeing us at The Kansas Foot Center when issues strike are also very important. For more information on diet and foot health, call us at (316) 283-4330 or schedule an appointment for any of our Wichita, Emporia, or Newton offices online today.