Diet for people with Sciatica

Published: 09/02/2011 - Updated: 06/02/2016

Sciatica can be treated successfully if proper treatment is combined with proper nutrition. This condition, also known as lumbago, is inflammation and/or sciatic nerve compression which occur when the cells tears the fibrous network and gelatin disc out of place because of weakness or excessive work, causing the vertebra compress a nervous "cable". Among other symptoms, this condition causes pain in the lower back that may appear suddenly or when you make any effort such as coughing, sneezing, etc.

Some dietary problems that cause this disorder are:

  • Lack of magnesium, since this is a mineral that nourishes and strengthens the nerve fibers and muscle.
  • Lack of B vitamins.
  • The accumulation of toxins in the joints, including uric acid.

So it is necessary to include foods rich in magnesium and B vitamins. It also recommended to follow a cleansing diet to release toxins and accumulated debris in the joints, and include foods that help remove uric acid, and eliminate those that cause it.

A cleansing diet consists in eating only grapes or pineapple for two or three days, choose only one fruit a day. Eat all the fruit you want and drink two liters of pure water.

Recommended foods: fruits and vegetables, especially banana, apricots, avocados, etc. As well as walnuts, almonds, etc. Soy products, legumes (lentils are excellent), seeds and whole grains too.

Not Recommended Foods: all the flour and refined sugars that wear terribly nervous system. Don’t eat cow's milk and derivatives, fried sausages and processed or junk food.

Tofu Soup with Lentils

Ingredients

  • One cup of hard tofu into small cubes
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 3 cups of chicken broth
  • 1/2 pound of dried lentils, washed and picked
  • 3 small and chopped carrots
  • 1/2 pound of diced potatoes
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened yogurt

Preparation

  1. Sauté onion, garlic and tofu in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally. Cook the lentils and chicken broths with a piece of onion for 10 minutes, then add potatoes, carrots and tofu stew, add salt to taste and cook until tender. Do not overcook.
  2. Serve decorated with a little yogurt on top.

Salmon Salad with Avocado

Ingredients: (4 servings)

  • 4 fresh salmon loins
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  • ½ onion
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
  • Black pepper
  • Sesame salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil, salt and other avocado (for avocado mayonnaise)

Preparation

  1. Do the avocado mayonnaise mixing avocado with just three tablespoons of olive oil, salt and lemon to taste. Add lots of lemon so it doesn’t turn brown.
  2. To make the salad of avocado, wash and cut cherry tomatoes into quarters, peel and chop the onion in brunoise.
  3. Put both ingredients in a bowl and then peel the avocado and cut into cubes, add it to the bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice, mix well so it does not oxidize and darken.
  4. Wash and chop coriander leaves to add to the salad, add finally little salt, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Reserve the salad until ready to serve, put it in the fridge.
  5. To make the grilled salmon, put a little oil on a griddle or frying pan, do not put too much because the salmon is a very fatty fish.
  6. Put the fish first by the skin, add salt to taste and turn it over once it has browned on both sides, reduce heat to continue cooking slowly. When it’s ready, turn off the fire.

Anti-Sciatica Shake

Ingredients

  • 1 large banana
  • A glass ofsoy milk
  • 5 almonds
  • Two tablespoons of oats
  • Honey (rich in B vitamins)

Procedure

  1. Blend all and serve

Seaweed Soup

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 20 gr. of dried Chinese mushrooms, in this case, shiitake and pleorotus ostreatus
  • 1 leek
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 15 gr. of dried seaweed, in this case called "wood ears" (tremella fuciformes)
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon of brown sugar

Procedure

  1. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for about 15 minutes. Soak seaweed in cold water, also 15 minutes.
  2. Sauté the leek, thinly sliced, until soften slightly. Add ¾ pint of water, soy sauce and mushrooms with their soaking water. Cook over low heat about 7 minutes.
  3. Incorporate algae, slightly drained and chopped a little, and sugar. Finish cooking a couple of minutes.

Soy and ginger broth (ginger is excellent-inflammatory)

Ingredients

  • 1 tray of bean sprouts
  • 250 g of mushrooms
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 onion
  • 1 leek
  • 1 medium turnip
  • 200 g of cassava
  • 2 ham or beef bones
  • 3 tablespoons of oil
  • Grated ginger
  • 1 Lime
  • Sea salt

Preparation

  1. Peel the onion and place in a baking dish to roast with the bones for five minutes until they take color, brushed with oil.
  2. Put a pot with two quarts of water to the fire with onions and browned bones. Cover and boil for 30 minutes.
  3. Scrape the carrots and cut into thin slices, peel turnips and yucca and cut into regular cubes. Peel the leeks and remove the ends, also slice. Finally, remove the stem and wash mushrooms under running water to remove sand.
  4. Once clean, slice and keep the shape of mushrooms. Sauté all vegetables and sprouts with olive oil and a teaspoon of salt for five minutes, stirring carefully with a slotted spoon.
  5. Add these vegetables to the broth, remove the onion beforehand. Grate ginger over the stock, according to the taste you want and correct the salt. Simmer uncovered for at least 1 hour, until vegetables are tender. Serve in earthenware bowls sprinkling a few drops of lime.

About the author
  • K. Laura Garcés G

    Writer, therapist and lecturer. She is a lover of natural medicine and the power of mind and emotions in body and life. In addition, he has studied nutrition and develops appropriate diets to support this healing process.She has written more than 1500 articles in magazines in Spain and Mexico, winner of two literature contests. Linkedin.

2 Replies to “Diet for people with Sciatica”
  • Carl says:

    I love this kind of recipes; they are very healthy and amazing to impress people around us! You should keep posting things like this one! I?ll send a lot of greetings and tell you that my family loves your recipes and I love preparing them. Even though I don?t have sciatica or a problem of that kind.

  • Stacy says:

    It’s just crazy to think that controlling your diet could actually help with something like sciatica. A lot of times I associate diet will healing more subtle, internal conditions, like ulcers or skin conditions…but sciatica seems to be much more concrete. I guess it makes sense though, thanks for hte information!