What can I eat if I have a broken rib?

Rib fractures are actually very common in our daily lives. For example, accidents or external pressure can cause rib fractures, which are relatively common. Patients with rib fractures must pay attention to good nursing care, because good care is necessary for bone healing. For example, in terms of diet, you can appropriately supplement some calcium to promote bone healing.

First, avoid drinking too much meat and bone soup in the early stages. Influenced by the traditional Chinese concept of "you are what you eat", many patients with rib fractures will drink a lot of meat and bone soup. However, if a large amount of meat and bones are consumed in the early stage after rib fracture, the inorganic content in the bone will increase, resulting in an imbalance in the proportion of organic matter in the bone, which will hinder the early healing of rib fractures. Of course, in the later stage, you can add bone soup to the diet to supplement vitamin D, calcium, protein, etc.

Second, you should not be picky about food. Patients with rib fractures often suffer from muscle tissue damage, local edema, congestion, bleeding, etc. The body itself can repair these, but the body's own tissue repair, blood stasis and swelling mainly rely on various nutrients. Therefore, you should not be picky about food.

Third, avoid eating foods that are difficult to digest. Patients with rib fractures have limited activities and difficulty in moving due to the illness. In addition, the injured area is often swollen and painful, and they often lose their appetite. Therefore, food should be both nutritious and easy to digest. You should eat more fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in protein and vitamins to prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis.

Fourth, don’t consume too much sugar and sweets. When patients with rib fractures consume a large amount of sugar, it will cause rapid metabolism of glucose in the body. During the metabolic process, alkaline calcium, magnesium, sodium and other ions will participate in the neutralization process to prevent the blood from becoming acidic. In this way, a large amount of calcium will be consumed, which is not conducive to the recovery of patients with rib fractures.

Patients with rib fractures generally do not require surgical treatment, but rather wait for the fractured ribs to heal on their own. We have no way to predict and prevent the occurrence of rib fractures in advance, but we can promote early healing and recovery of patients with rib fractures through dietary adjustments.