Food as Medicine Part 2

We know that to stay healthy we must have a healthy life style with regular exercise, and a balanced diet free from transfat. We must also get enough sleep, and stay away from smoking, alcohol and drug, and other stressful, unhealthy activities. Our food intake certainly plays an important part, but it is only one of the many factors affecting our health.

Food can be effective medicine. However, it often happens that once we stop eating a certain kind of food known for its medicinal effects, there is a relapse, or our health problem recurs. Therefore, it is better to find out the real cause of the problem before setting up an appropriate holistic treating plan.

Following are some medicinal foods based on folk wisdom and real-life experiences:

Anti-Constipation Foods: coarse wheat bran, rice bran, flax seeds, fruits (apples, oranges, prunes, figs, dates) and leafy vegetables (spinach...), and lots of fluids.

Foods that relieve or prevent diarrhea: starchy soup and cereals, yogurt.
Foods to eat if you have diarrhea: banana, rice, root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.

Anti-Osteoporosis Foods: boron-riched fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, dates, raisins, and peaches; boron-riched vegetables such as soy beans, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts; and honey; manganese-riched foods such as oatmeal, spinach, green tea, pineapple, beans; vitamin D riched and calcium protective sources such as sunlight,salmon, sardine, and dark green leafy vegetables.

Foods that may be beneficial to diabetic patients: onions, garlic,ginger, cinnamon, high-fiber foods, beans, okra, bitter melon/gourd, lentils, fish, barley, high-chromium foods such as whole grains, and broccoli. The best advice is to eat the same diet as the one that prevents heart disease, that is, foods low in animal fat, and rich in high-fiber carbohydrates.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods: fish oil, ginger, turmeric, hot chilly peppers, omega-3 fatty acids (mackerel, sardine, salmon), onions, garlic, pineapple, sage, black currant.

Anti-Ulcer Foods: bananas, plantains, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, turnips, fig, ginger, green tea, licorice.

Foods that may help to prevent or stifle cancer: green and yellow leafy vegetables (kale, collard), garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, onions, carrots, tomatoes, fruits, especially citrus fruits, fish, fish oil, licorice, green tea, soy beans and tofu, turmeric, ginger, wheat bran, whole grains such as brown rice, yogurt, yams and sweet potatoes.

Foods that improve blood cholesterol: Foods high in antioxidants can lower bad LDL cholesterol (almond, apple, avocado, barley, dried beans, carrot, garlic, grapefruit pulp, oats, olive oil, rice bran, shiitake mushroom, soybeans, walnuts). Foods high in vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, co-enzyme Q.10, monosaturated fat (almond, olive oil), red wine.

Foods that boost immune functioning: soy yogurt, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, food high in vitamin C, E, beta carotene, and zinc (carrots, spinach, kale, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, peppers, oranges, broccoli, nuts, fish oil, shellfish, whole grains).

Avoid or limit (as much as possible) the use of salt, alcohol, sugar, processed (frozen and microwavable, smoked or canned)foods, high heat when cooking, grilled animal meat/fish/seafoods, corn or palm oil, any burnt foods.

Source:
Jean Carper, Food-- Your Miracle Medicine (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993)