When we started eating real food again, we were amazed at how good we felt. My husband and I also noticed that the kids didn't get sick as frequently and when they did get sick, they seemed to power through it so much better than before... So it got me to thinking and then researching.There are tons of books out there about the healing properties of food. A couple of my favorites are onions, garlic, celery, and ginger. These were my 'go to' staples when we did get sick. However, since we've incorporated these foods and many others into our diet, we just don't get sick as often.
Here are a few examples of the medicinal power of foods:
(the list goes on! The following are excerpts from The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Food)
Onions: sulfur compounds, high amounts of flavonoids especially quercetin which has been shown to reduce platelet clumping and prevent some forms of cancer.
Garlic: natural antibiotic, antifungal, sulfur compounds which prevent blood clotting and allow for smooth blood flow, immunity-boosting compounds that can fight off colds and other infections, can prevent cellular changes that lead to cancer.
Celery: good for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, anti-inflammatory, great source of soluble fiber
Ginger: full of COX-2 inhibitors (which are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds), digestive aid, good for motion sickness
Kids are going back to school. Fall is right around the corner. Start thinking now about healthy choices you can make now for prevention. Experiment with adding these and other whole foods to your diet to crowd out the 'fake food' - the processed, prepackaged, white flour, white sugar, preservative packed stuff.
Something else we added to our diet on a regular basis was probiotics. This is a product you can buy at the natural food store. It is 'good' bacteria which feeds your intestine and colon. There are little hairs on the inside of your intestine and colon called villi. These villi are the means by which nutrients are absorbed into your bloodstream. Usually, the longer the villi, the healthier the intestine. Probiotics feed the gut which boosts the immune system because the villi are a healthy length. Lactobacillus acidophilus is just one strain if a probiotic. It is usually recommended to get a product with multiple strains. You can get more information here.
As you add more healthy, whole foods to your diet, you will notice a shift in your energy levels. This is because your body actually knows what to do with what you are feeding it! Real, whole food heals the body naturally. Love yourself enough to give your body what it needs.
Posts
