In my practice, I see firsthand the healing benefits of eating nutrient-dense whole foods. I start with a client whose health is declining and begin the detective work, asking question about all aspects of their lives, and in the process gather evidence as to why their health is heading downhill. Reviewing their food journal usually gives me the best information and makes it clear that these individuals have been consuming the Diet of America (DOA) for too long.
Many of us accept the idea that healthy foods are good for us, so why is it so hard to accept that unhealthy foods can be agents for chronic diseases, which kill more Americans than anything else? Heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are all diseases of lifestyle, which, of course, includes our food choices. Unhealthy foods deplete our bodies of vitamins and other nutrients and cause our livers to rid our bodies of these toxins masquerading as food.
Very often, when I can convince unhealthy or sick people to make food-choice changes, health issues start to turn around. It can be difficult to grasp the importance of eating healthy, but it really is quite simple: food heals. How can food reverse heart disease or migraine headaches? It can be very hard to convince some people that their diet is the reason they have E.D. or infertility problems, especially when many people have made huge investments of time and money in allopathic medical treatments such as Viagra and IVF.
Food is medicine, as Hippocrates once so famously said. And he is right. I have personally experienced the healing power of food in my life. Underestimating food’s power to heal is bankrupting us and our nation’s medical system, as many believe true healing requires medication.
Let’s examine some of nature’s healing superstars that, as part of a balanced and healthy diet, can prevent chronic disease and a host of ailments. Apples contain pectin, which is known, among other things, to bind toxins and heavy metals and efficiently move them out of the body. Apples contain flavonoids such as quercetin, which inhibit specific enzymes involved in the breakdown of carbohydrates. And fewer carbohydrates available in the digestive system means fewer blood sugar spikes, which in turn means less stress on the pancreas. Apples have an amazing array of polyphenols. We know that these chemicals are the apples’ natural sunscreen. Along with many other benefits, polyphenols help to prevent oxidation of the fat membranes that surround every cell in our body. Oxidation prevention is important because disease always starts at a cellular level. The high levels of nutrients in apples makes them satisfying and self-regulating, meaning one is usually enough (unlike potato chips, where you can’t eat just one!). These are just a few reasons why the common apple is so good for your health.
Pomegranates are my favorite treat. They taste so good and I think the seeds look like little rubies. Pomegranates are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, which keep LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) from oxidizing and causing inflammation in the arteries that lead to the heart. Antioxidants tame the effect of oxidation on the cells in your body. For those of you who regularly read my newsletter, you know oxidation is like rust occurring in your cells. It is caused by certain kinds of internal metabolic functions and by external elements like pervasive toxins in the environment or even sun tanning, which exposes your skin to radiation from the sun. You cannot stop oxidation or free radical damage from happening, but you can use food to neutralize the potential damage from these metabolic processes.
The humble asparagus is another common food that has the power to heal. Asparagus not only tastes succulent and delicious, it has high levels of antioxidants that fight cancer and anti-inflammatory nutrients that fight inflammation. Inflammation is dangerous in the body; all disease processes start with inflammation. Asparagus is packed full of anti-inflammatories, such as quercetin, rutin and kaempferol. Other nutrients found in asparagus include folate (important because it prevents neural tube defect in fetuses), vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, and the minerals zinc, selenium, and manganese. Asparagus also contains a valuable amount of the antioxidant glutathione, one of the body’s premier antioxidants, and it is high is the prebiotic inulin which is very important for nourishing the healthy bacteria in our gut (Remember, those little guys have to eat, too). Asparagus is amazing!
Okay, so how about a food that has fallen out of favor in recent times, so much so it is often wastefully discarded? In past times, this food was commonly served at least once a week for its health benefits. I am referring to liver. Organ meats like liver are very precious. Their density of nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and K2 is unmatched in any other food. Most of us are deficient in these fat-soluble activators. We commonly eat the muscle protein of animals but completely overlook the most nutritious part; it is almost criminal! Liver is high in iron and the iron contained in liver is in a form that is easily metabolized, unlike most iron supplements. Liver is rich in essential fatty acids and super-unsaturated fatty acids and is full of macro and trace minerals.
Here is an example of the importance of organ meats. The big cats of the world will take down an animal and will eat the organs first, leaving the less nutritious muscle meat for the hyenas and vultures. They know instinctively what’s best for them. There is a history of big cats in captivity being unable to reproduce. As the cats in captivity died, it was common to replace them with captured cats from the wild. Eventually, a researcher discovered that the wild cats ate the organs of their prey, and this discovery led to a change in the diet of big cats in captivity (ref. Fallon et al, ref. Price). The change was to include more organ meats, and now big cats reproduce in captivity quite easily.
The foods we eat will shape the course our lives will take. If we learn again how to eat as we are designed, we will see the changes in our health and we can heal from our sickness and disease. The diseases we see so commonly today are reversible. The ability to nourish our bodies has come under attack from corporate food companies who put their wealth ahead of our health and from government agencies, who give us dietary guidelines that need to be called out. Often, these guidelines are not backed by scientific study but are more likely to be influenced by politics and favoritism, again, at the expense of our health. By making the effort to eat well, by making healthy food choices and turning away from processed and other unhealthy foods, we are taking control of our own lives. I believe in the idea of good health as our birth right.
Let’s make it so.
Kalene
Cited References:
1. Fallon, S., Enig, M. Ph.D., 2001, Nourishing Traditions 2nd Edition, Pg. 299-300, New Trends Publishing. ISBN: 978-0-9670897-3-7
2. Price W. Dr., 2011, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Pg. 302, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. ISBN: 978-0-916764-20-3
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