Plantar Fasciitis Diet: Key Foods for Pain Relief & Healing

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue that connects your heel to your toes. It’s a common foot condition that causes severe heel and foot pain and can significantly impact walking ability.

Combining an anti-inflammatory diet with intermittent fasting, taking vitamin D3, and regularly stretching the affected foot reduces inflammation and pain and can help to avoid the use of steroid medication or surgery to manage plantar fasciitis.

Let’s look at the best plantar fasciitis diet to support your foot health and get rid of heel pain fast.  

How to fix plantar fasciitis

Research published in Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery suggests that inflammation is the root cause of plantar fasciitis and the often extreme heel pain associated with this condition. 

“A poor diet can significantly impact your body’s ability to combat inflammation and may worsen foot pain,” says Dr. Berg. “Making dietary and lifestyle choices that support anti-inflammatory pathways can ease plantar fasciitis symptoms and relieve pain.”  

Let’s look at the best diet for plantar fasciitis and what steps you can take to support your foot health:

Eat nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods

To support your body’s natural ability to combat inflammation, limit foods that promote inflammation and increase your intake of foods that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Avoid these foods to reduce inflammation and ease plantar fasciitis symptoms:  

• Processed foods, including processed meats, junk foods, and fast foods  

• Refined carbohydrates and sugars 

• Fructose and high-fructose corn syrup

• Refined vegetable oils, including canola oil, cotton seed oil, and soybean oils 

There is a common misconception that too much saturated fat causes inflammation and contributes to chronic inflammatory conditions, including heart disease and plantar fasciitis. 

However, evidence published in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy suggests that a diet high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and low in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids fuels inflammation.

Omega-6 fats are found in fried foods and refined vegetable oils, while omega-3 fats are found in oily fish, seeds, and nuts. 

Here are foods with potent anti-inflammatory properties that can help you to get rid of plantar fasciitis pain:

• Green leafy vegetables 

• Wild-caught oily fish and seafood 

• Grass-fed beef  

• Colorful vegetables rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants 

• Organic full-fat dairy products  

• Seeds and nuts

• Extra virgin olive oil 

• Turmeric 

• Garlic

Healthy Keto® is an ideal plantar fasciitis diet low in inflammatory carbs, sugars, and fructose. It’s also rich in vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fats, and phytonutrients that combat inflammation and potentially help reduce painful plantar fasciitis symptoms.

Avoid trigger foods 

A study published in Foot suggests that intake of gluten can cause plantar fasciitis in individuals with gluten sensitivity. It’s essential to eliminate gluten entirely to avoid activating proinflammatory immune responses if you suspect you are sensitive to gluten. 

Oxalate-rich foods and nightshade vegetables are also known to trigger inflammation in some sensitive people and may worsen inflammatory conditions, including plantar fasciitis. 

Take vitamin D3 

Vitamin D plays a vital role in bone health, helps to improve muscle function, and reduces inflammation. 

Although more research is needed to confirm the link between vitamin D and plantar fasciitis, it's thought that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing inflammation in the plantar fascia. 

Vitamin D is produced when sunlight hits the skin. However, most people don’t obtain enough vitamin D from the sun, and it’s estimated that more than 40 percent of U.S. adults are vitamin D deficient. 

While the National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends 600 IU of vitamin D daily, significantly larger doses of up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 may be needed for individuals with dark skin tone, severe deficiency, or limited sun exposure. 

Do intermittent fasting 

Intermittent fasting is a mealtime schedule that cycles between periods of fasting and periods of eating and has been found to support metabolic health and significantly lowers inflammation. 

When you consume a meal, your body releases insulin, a metabolic hormone that regulates blood sugar. However, insulin stimulates proinflammatory pathways and may worsen inflammatory conditions, including plantar fasciitis. 

Fasting stabilizes insulin levels, which lowers inflammation and alleviates pain. Combining Healthy Keto with intermittent fasting is an excellent dietary pattern to get rid of plantar fasciitis quickly! 

Relief muscle tension 

It’s not recommended to stretch the heel during plantar fasciitis flare-ups as this will likely aggravate the inflamed tissue and may cause micro-tears which worsen symptoms. 

Stretching the opposite muscle, essentially the top of your foot, by holding your toes and gently pulling your foot into a pointed position triggers the relaxation of the muscle in your arch and relieves tension in your plantar fascia. Repeat this stretch ten times for immediate pain relief. 

Watch the video below to learn how to fix heel pain instantly.

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis, also known as a heel spur, is caused by inflammation in the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot and connects your heel bone to the toes. This typically causes severe pain in the heel or arch of the foot, especially when walking or standing for long periods. 

The pain associated with plantar fasciitis is often described as sharp, stabbing, or burning and appears more intense in the morning or after periods of rest. 

Causes of plantar fasciitis

“The plantar fascia is designed to absorb the high stresses and strains we place on our feet when walking, running, and doing other activities like playing sports,” according to an expert group belonging to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons,  “But, sometimes, too much pressure damages or tears the tissues. The body's natural response to injury is inflammation, which results in the heel pain and stiffness of plantar fasciitis.”

Athletes, overweight individuals, and people with flat feet or high arches are at increased risk of developing plantar fasciitis. In addition, having tight calf muscles or Achilles tendons puts prolonged strain on the plantar fascia, which can lead to tissue damage and inflammation.    

It’s important to consult a healthcare provider if you are experiencing symptoms of plantar fasciitis to determine possible underlying causes and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. 

Key takeaways

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammatory condition of the foot that’s typically accompanied by severe pain and may limit your ability to walk. 

An anti-inflammatory plantar fasciitis diet low in refined carbs, processed foods, and corn oils is the best place to start. Include plenty of nutritious, high-quality foods to combat inflammation and ease plantar fasciitis symptoms. 

Taking a vitamin D3 supplement and starting intermittent fasting may also help boost your body’s ability to heal and get rid of plantar fasciitis.

FAQ

1. What foods trigger plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammatory condition, and consuming proinflammatory foods can significantly worsen foot pain. 

Refined sugars and grains, white flour, processed foods, trans fats, and vegetable oils, including canola and soybean oil, increase inflammation in the body and can worsen plantar fasciitis symptoms.

2. What foods help heal plantar fasciitis?

Increasing your intake of nutritious anti-inflammatory foods helps reduce inflammation and eases plantar fasciitis pain.

Fresh vegetables, oily fish, flax seeds, olive oil, foods rich in vitamin C, turmeric, avocados, and grass-fed red meats are all excellent for reducing inflammation naturally. 

3. What should I avoid with plantar fasciitis?

It’s important to avoid overstretching the affected heel and avoid eating foods with proinflammatory properties, including processed foods, refined vegetable oils, sugars, and carbs. 

If you are sensitive to gluten-containing foods or nightshade vegetables, it’s essential to eliminate these from your diet. Consuming foods you’re sensitive to can activate immune cells that trigger inflammation, potentially worsening your plantar fasciitis symptoms.  

4. Is plantar fasciitis a vitamin deficiency?

Vitamin D regulates immune cell activity and has been found to possess potent anti-inflammatory properties. Inadequate vitamin D levels can significantly worsen proinflammatory conditions— including plantar fasciitis—and contribute to heel and foot pain.

5. What deficiency causes plantar fasciitis?

Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids are potent anti-inflammatory nutrients, and deficiency can significantly worsen plantar fasciitis.

In addition, magnesium plays an important role in muscle function necessary to relax the plantar fascia, and inadequate magnesium levels can result in muscle tension, a risk factor for plantar fasciitis.    

6. What is the fastest way to cure plantar fasciitis?

Following a Healthy Keto diet in combination with intermittent fasting, regular stretching, and taking a vitamin D3 supplement can combat inflammation, support tissue repair, and help fix plantar fasciitis.