REPAIRING THE DAMAGE
No one makes it through the bumper-car ride of life without getting cuts and scrapes along the way. In fact, doctors estimate that Americans get more than 12 million cuts and other wounds every year.
If you happen to be among the walking wounded, you can count yourself fortunate that the skin is usually able to heal itself in deft displays of regeneration. But for healing to occur, you have to eat the right foods. Nutrients such as protein, vitamin C, and zinc are the building blocks for new skin. If you don’t get enough of them in your diet, it takes longer for wounds to heal, says Judith Petry, MD, medical director of the Vermont Healing Tools Project in Brattleboro.
Protein is essential for healing cuts and wounds, but it isn’t always available where you need it most. Only about 10 percent of the body’s protein is found in the skin, while the rest is used elsewhere in the body.
“Protein gets used for energy before it goes to healing,” says Michele Gottschlich, PhD, RD, director of nutrition services for the Shriners Burns Institute in Cincinnati.
When your body goes into healing mode, the need for protein can double. Suppose, for example, that you normally get 50 grams of protein a day. After burning yourself, you may need to increase that amount to 100 grams in order to heal properly, Dr. Gottschlich says. This means increasing your daily intake of protein-rich foods to 8 to 10 servings instead of the usual 4 to 6 servings that nutritionists recommend for general well-being. The amount of protein your body needs for healing depends largely on the severity of the wound. If you’re recovering from massive burns, for example, you may want to increase your protein intake by stirring nonfat dry milk into milk, cereal, soups, and gravies, having desserts made with eggs, such as pudding or custard, and adding shredded cheese to vegetable dishes.
Meats are among the best sources of protein. A 3-ounce serving of flank steak, for example, has 23 grams of protein, or about 46 percent of the Daily Value (DV). If you don’t want to eat meat, you can also get protein from fish, beans, nuts, and grains.
“Tofu is also an impressive source of protein,” adds Dr. Gott-schlich. A 4-ounce serving has more than 9 grams, about the same amount you’d get from 1¼ ounces of ground beef.
Orange juice is a favorite home remedy for colds because the vitamin C it contains helps strengthen immunity. What works for sniffles will work for wounds as well. If you aren’t getting enough vitamin C in your diet, your susceptibility to infection quickly increases.
In addition, vitamin C is essential for strengthening collagen, the tissue that holds skin cells together. When you don’t get enough vitamin C in your diet, collagen gets weaker, and wounds heal more slowly. “Tissue integrity, the actual strength of the skin, relies on vitamin C,” says Vincent Falanga, MD, professor of dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine.
In a study at the Burn Center of Cook County Hospital in Chicago, researchers found that laboratory animals that got extra vitamin C in their diets had better blood circulation and less wound swelling than those getting less.
Whether you have a cut, a burn, or any other kind of wound, it’s a good idea to get at least 500 milligrams of vitamin C a day, or about eight times the DV of 60 milligrams, says Dr. Falanga. In fact, it doesn’t hurt to get even more—up to 1,000 milligrams a day, he says. This is particularly true for older folks and those who smoke, since these people are often low in vitamin C.
It’s easy to get a lot of vitamin C from foods. Good sources include orange juice, strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, tomatoes, bell peppers, and potatoes. A half-cup serving of red bell peppers, for example, has 95 milligrams of vitamin C, or 158 percent of the DV, while an orange has nearly 70 milligrams, or 116 percent of the DV. For a superb vitamin C kick, grab a guava. One guava contains 165 milligrams of vitamin C, or 275 percent of the DV.
Many Americans don’t get enough zinc, a mineral that helps tissues grow and repair themselves. In fact, slow wound healing is often a telltale sign that you’re not getting enough of this important mineral.
The DV for zinc is 15 milligrams. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but getting enough zinc can be tricky, since only about 20 percent of the zinc in foods is absorbed during digestion, says Ananda Prasad, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. However, eating zinc-rich foods along with protein from animal foods will help the absorption of zinc, he says.
An excellent source of zinc is oysters, with ½ cup providing 8 milligrams, or 54 percent of the DV. Wheat germ is also good, with 1⅔ tablespoons containing about 2 milligrams, or 13 percent of the DV.
Heal faster with a broccoli and beef stir-fry. “Protein helps speed burn healing by rebuilding collagen, a building block of skin tissue,” notes Michele Gottschlich, PhD, RD, director of nutrition services for the Shriners Burns Institute in Cincinnati. Vitamin C (found in good amounts in broccoli) also helps rebuild collagen, she says.
Sip more H2O. Water keeps skin hydrated, important while helping to heal burns, Dr. Gottschlich notes. Sip eight 8-ounce glasses a day.
Focus on omega-3 fatty acids. Fats help your body build new cells—and they become part of every cell membrane. Go for oily fish, walnuts, and flaxseed.
Get a full range of vitamins and minerals. If your diet’s not always up to par (and nobody’s is perfect!), consider taking a multivitamin as an insurance policy against a shortfall of important vitamins and minerals, Dr. Gottschlich suggests. These include B vitamins, which help your body use energy from carbohydrates to rebuild tissue; vitamin K, which helps blood clot; and vitamin A, which helps collagen form supportive nets and skin cells reproduce.