Make Food Your Medicine
Elizabeth Beetham BSc Holistic Nutritionist, Natural Health Journalist and Wellbeing Expert suggests we make food our medicine
If you don’t make food medicine for your body, then one day you will find that medicine will become your food and remember that for every medication you take there is going to be a side effect.
Yes, you must read those contra-indications to be found in the leaflet supplied with any medication. We know that medical science has saved countless lives and of course medicine is essential in some cases but isn’t it better to avoid the need whenever we can? Of course there are no guarantees, even if we eat the perfect diet, avoid everything naughty and are paragons of virtue sometimes health issues appear out of the blue. Unfortunately, some of us have a genetic predisposition to certain illnesses, for example heart disease or diabetes.
The body is incredibly complex and miraculous; cells are renewed every second and it is estimated that there are between 50 and 75 trillion cells in the body although other research I found stated 32.7 certainly more than most of us can envisage. Each type of cell has its own lifespan. Scientific research suggests that liver cells can multiply fast enough to replace large portions of the liver within a matter of hours. However unhealthy liver cells, for example found in someone with alcoholism or chronic hepatitis lose their regenerative capacity, so progressive destruction of the liver can sadly not be avoided. A very good reason to love your liver and have those alcohol-free days! Another example of regeneration is that our stomach lining replaces itself every 4 days and the digestive cells that are involved in the digestive process are replaced every 5 minutes.
I am stating these facts so you can consider how wonderful it is when everything is working well, and we feel fit and healthy; it is good to be grateful! I am grateful every day for my health and vitality. As the old saying goes, health is wealth. Making good choices for our health is essential if we want to avoid living on a diet of medication. Let us look at what foods can enhance our health and are readily available to us.
Approximately 25% of the prescription medicines sold today are (or were originally) derived from plants. For example, morphine and codeine come from the opium poppy; aspirin originated from willow bark; digitalis, a heart muscle strengthener derived from the foxglove plant; and paclitaxel (Taxol), used in cancer chemotherapy, comes from the Pacific yew tree.
It is true that today more people are turning to natural alternatives to medical drugs and scientists are also looking at herbal remedies. In parts of the world the population depend on plants to treat common ailments. A word of caution here, it is important to understand that some herbs can be dangerous particularly when taken with medical drugs for example St John’s Wort should never be taken with other anti-depressant drugs so please consult a qualified practitioner and also check with your doctor if you are taking other medication.
Here are everyday herbs and spices that can be beneficial to your health, the first is turmeric. In India turmeric is used for medicinal purposes and has been for hundreds of years.
- Turmeric – used in Indian cooking and gives food the bright yellow colour. Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory agent and is high in antioxidants. Turmeric may also improve hair growth.
- Garlic – This is a wonderful herb and although you may worry that it makes the breath smell its benefits are well worth it. Garlic is a powerful anti-bacterial substance which may also protect us from heart disease and cancer. It contains potassium and vitamin C.
- Ginger – Very good for gastrointestinal problems; it aids the absorption of food and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve arthritic pain. It is effective for travel sickness (crystallised stem ginger will do). It also has a stimulating effect on the heart and circulation so good for cold hands and feet and helps dispel mucus and phlegm.
- Cumin – This is also good for digestion and may also have anticancer properties.
- Chilli – May help arthritic pain and reduce blood fat levels and relieve congestion.
- Cinnamon – Research by US scientists found that less than half a teaspoon daily helped type 2 diabetics to bring down their levels of blood sugar and harmful cholesterol. It also helps to make blood less sticky and likely to clot so may prevent stroke.
Remember you are responsible for your own good health so please make food your medicine!
Live with joy and health.
Elizabeth Beetham
Healthy Living for Life
Tel: 07773 790736