Treating Plantar Fasciitis with Diet (Cure Heel Pain Naturally)

Plantar fasciitis is a very common and painful condition occurring in the muscles of feet. Learn how to recognize the symptoms and how to heal your feet from the inside out using diet to get rid of it permanently.

 

If you get up in the mornings and experience heel pain when walking, you may have plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is when the muscle tissue connecting your heel to your toes becomes inflamed. Usually, it is felt in the heel but it can be felt all along the underside of your foot or around the arch area in some cases.

 

In this article, you will learn all about how to heal yourself from the inside out. This will also help to prevent future bouts of heel pain as long as you follow the other tips too. Let’s learn more about plantar fasciitis. If you would like to speak to me one on one for personalized advice get started here.

 

Symptoms Of Plantar Fasciitis

 

Plantar fasciitis can cause the following symptoms in one or both of your feet:

 

• Sharp, dull, or burning pain

• Swelling and in some cases the foot can feel warm

• Tenderness or painful to touch

• Heel spurs (bony growths) can develop after a few years

 

In less severe cases, people only experience the pain when walking or standing. Although the pain is most commonly felt in the morning, you may also experience it during the day in more severe cases.  

 

Causes Of Plantar Fasciitis

 

• Wearing shoes that do not fit properly or are not comfortable and supportive

• Standing for long hours, especially on one place

• Injuries to your foot muscles

• Walking or running for long periods of time

• Being flat-footed (collapsed arches)

• High arches

• Obesity

• Pregnancy

• Excess inflammation or uric acid in the body

 

Most cases of plantar fasciitis occur in people who are between 40 and 60, but people younger than this and older than this can all get this condition. We need to look after our feet externally, but also from the inside.  

 

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Diet

 

Along with rest and exercises for your feet and lower legs, eating correctly is necessary to cure heel pain.  

 

1. Consume A Mostly Alkaline Diet

Our bodies are designed to regulate acidity and alkalinity on its own but our diets have changed. We are eating lots of acidic foods and many do not eat enough alkalizing foods. This places a burden on your body and after a while, the combination of a poor diet and the toxins that we are exposed to every day can cause our bodies to regulate acidity less effectively.

 

Inflammation fuels disease and is responsible for worsening and sometimes causing conditions like ankylosing spondylitis. By eating a mostly alkaline diet, we can help our bodies.

 

Avoid or limit acid promoting foods like:

 

• Alcohol
• Coffee
• Dairy (Excluding raw dairy)
• Meat
• Eggs
• Grains
• Junk food and processed food
• Vegetable oils high in omega 6 (e.g, canola and sunflower)

 

Consume more alkalizing foods like:

 

• Seasonal vegetables as they are more nutritious

• Fruit is alkalizing but limit them to 1 serving a day only

• Soaked nuts, especially walnuts which are high in omega 3

• Soaked seeds, especially flax seeds and chia seeds

• Legumes (but make sure that they are soaked 8-24 hours before cooking)

• Fatty fish like salmon and sardines

 

It can be hard to consume no acidic foods at all, but keep them to a minimum. A mostly anti-inflammatory diet is easy to maintain as there are delicious foods that you can eat without worrying about inflammation.  

 

2. Stay Hydrated

 

 

In order for your muscles to be at their best and to flush toxins from your body, you need to stay hydrated. 6-8 glasses of water is recommended. On hot days or when you have exercised heavily you may need to drink more and be sure to include foods or drinks containing electrolytes like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

 

Herbal teas can also be consumed, but keep in mind that those with diuretic properties, meaning they make you urinate, can result in dehydration if you drink too much. Dandelion tea is one of these teas. Another refreshing and alkalizing drink that you can drink is lemon water.  

 

3. Uric Acid Immediate Relief Protocol

 

The excess uric acid in the body can result in inflammation and forms crystals in the joints and kidneys. A common condition associated with this is gout. There are many things that can cause uric acid levels to become too high such as a poor diet, hormonal imbalances, certain medications, and aging.

 

To get immediate relief, follow this protocol:

 

1. 2 x 1000 mg (2 g) of vitamin C per day.
2. Take a collagen protein supplement if possible or try bone broth.
3. Start eating lots of vegetables including romaine lettuce.
4. Rub CBD (cannabidiol) oil on the paining area, do not worry, it will not make you high. Please do not consider a painkiller.
5. Drink lots of water with turmeric and black pepper to reduce inflammation.

This will help to break down the crystals in your body and get rid of them which will relieve the pain.  

 

4. Instead Of Painkillers, Use Anti-Inflammatory Herbs And Spices

 

When people are in pain, the first thing they reach for is painkillers. NSAIDs (or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are not good for your kidneys or your liver in the long run and can damage your digestive system. Herbs and spices are effective and do not have these detrimental effects, in fact, they are associated with lower cancer risk and aging gracefully as well as reducing inflammation in the body.

 

Turmeric (2 g) was tested against painkillers and found to be just as effective. They do take longer to work but they are the healthier and more delicious alternative. Herbs and spices can also help to get rid of toxins in the body.

 

These are some of the most anti-inflammatory herbs and spices:

 

• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Cloves
• Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Chilli
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Coriander

 

You can find them as teas (in fact, chai tea is made of several of these spices), supplement form (which may be better for specific use as a painkiller as it is easier to get a higher dose), and you can use them either fresh or powdered in your meals (the effect is not lost by cooking).  

 

Example Meal Plan


Here’s an example of how to put it all together:

 

Breakfast:

• Start your day with a glass of lemon water, you can also add some salt if you tend to have low blood pressure and little energy in the morning.

• A nice breakfast would be some curd or raw yogurt with berries or fruit slices and soaked nuts and/or seeds. You can also drizzle some raw honey on top.   

 

  
Lunch: Either                                              

•  A green juice (for example cucumber, spinach, coconut oil, turmeric, ground flax seeds, and a slice of fruit)

Or

• A nice big salad using romaine lettuce, slices of celery, tomato, carrot, some soaked seeds, drizzled with a mix of olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

 

Dinner: Either          

• A fillet or two of rawas (Indian salmon) flavored with herbs and spices, steamed vegetables drizzled in olive oil and lemon juice and some sweet potato on the side.

Or

• A vegetable dhal curry cooked using coconut oil, delicious herbs and spices. Try to avoid chapati or naan. Rather try it with sweet potato or cauliflower rice. If you must go for a grain, try going for a gluten-free whole grain and only consume a little bit of it.

 

Snack ideas:

• Smoothies or juices using veggies
• Sliced raw veggies like carrot, celery, cucumber, okra with hummus (a dip made from chickpeas and sesame seeds)
• Soaked nuts

 

Drinks:

You can sweeten the teas with raw honey if you would like to do so:

• Water, if you would like you can flavor it with a slice of lemon or cucumber. Drink it regularly throughout the day.
• Masala chai tea. You can add turmeric to it as well.
• Ginger tea.
• Green tea.
• Your favorite Darjeeling tea

 

Heel Pain Exercises

 

 

After resting for a week or two, being on your feet as little as possible, you can do some exercises to help. The two best exercises to do are:

 

The Heel Stretch

 

1. Stand a little bit away from the wall or the back of a sturdy chair and use it for support.
2. Put one foot forward and bend your front leg leaning forward and straighten the back leg until you feel a stretch in the back calf muscle (lower leg). Keep your back foot flat on the floor.
3. Hold for 15-30 seconds and then switch legs.

 

Calf Raises

 

1. You can do this on a step or on the floor. Use a wall or chair for support.
2. If you are on a step, have your heels hang over the edge, but don’t let your heels sink down.
3. Simply raise yourself up onto the balls of your feet and slowly lower yourself back down.
4. Do 3 sets of 10.
5. You can raise yourself up from a lower heel position but you need to be gentle and in control to prevent injury.

 

You can also roll a tennis ball or even a golf ball under your feet to massage the muscle and relieve pain as well. For more exercises check this video out. Please share your story with us all and if you have any questions, please feel free to post them in the comments. I would love to hear from you.  

Summary

 

• Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the muscle tissue that connects the heel to the toes.

• Heel pain (especially in the morning) is the most common symptom.

• Other symptoms can include pain in the arch or all along the soles of the feet, swelling, tender to the touch, and in chronic plantar fasciitis heel spurs.

• Causes include poor quality and unsupportive footwear, standing for long periods of time, hormonal imbalances, excess inflammation or uric acid, pregnancy, injury to the foot and being flat-footed or having high arches.

• Eat a mostly alkaline diet avoiding and limiting foods like alcohol, coffee, junk food, meat, dairy. Increase foods like seasonal vegetables, one serving of fruit per day max, soaked seeds, legumes, and nuts.

• Stay well hydrated

• Do this to get rid of excess uric acid: 2 g Vit C daily, collagen supplement or bone broth daily, eat lots of veggies,  use CBD oil on painful areas instead of painkillers, drink lots of water with turmeric and black pepper.

• Herbs and spices to replace painkillers: turmeric, ginger, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, chili, thyme, rosemary, coriander.

• Helpful exercises for heel pain include calf stretches and calf raises.