Posted in Healthful Eating and Living

Healing Foods

AARP the Magazine has an article by Gabrielle deGroot Redford, in which she lists several foods that are considered healing.

Quoting Redford, “Nearly 2,5000 years ago Hippocrates is purported to have said, ‘Let food by thy medicine, and medicine by thy food.’”

She identifies nine of the most powerful disease-fighting foods:

Whole grains – According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, eating three daily servings of whole grains can reduce the risk of heart disease by 25 to 36 percent, stroke by 37 percent and type 2 diabetes by 21 to 27 percent.  Pick food whose first ingredient contains the word “whole” instead of “enriched.”

Cherries – Researchers at the Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, California have found that eating fresh Bing cherries a couple of times a week will add antioxidants into your diet and help ease arthritis. 

Yogurt – the most popular food that contains probiotics – “friendly bacteria” that helps fight illness or disease.  Two recent studies show that eating yogurt significantly improves ability to fight of pneumonia.

Salmon – heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.  Adding salmon into your diet reduces blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and helps prevent heart disease.  Now researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have reported that higher intake of omega-3s also appear to preserve bone density, keeping your ones stronger and protecting against falls and fractures.  Other fish high in omega-3s are sardines, tuna and mackerel.

Cabbage – in a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research found that Polish women who ate cabbage and sauerkraut four or more times a week were 74 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.  The ingredient seems to be sulforaphane, which stimulates cells to eliminate cancerous substances.  If four times a week is a little much, add it to soups and salads once or twice a week.

Walnuts – are full of omega-3 fatty acids, just like salmon.  Walnuts, as well as almonds and pistachios are high in arginine, an amino acid that increases blood flow to the heart.

Blueberries – One servings of wild blueberries are equal to eating two to three servings of other fruits and vegetables, such as apples, broccoli and spinach.  Studies also show that eating plenty of blueberries may help lessen brain damage from strokes and may reduce the effects of AlzheimerÂ’s disease or dementia.  The antioxidants in blueberries protect cells from damage and may also restore cells to be more healthy.  Recommendations are to eat blueberries a couole of times a week.

Beans – Not only are beans a great source of protein and antioxidants but they are full of fiber, which has been shown to help prevent colon cancer.  “To stay healthy  you really need to keep your GI tract moving,” according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.  A diet rich in lean protein, about half from plant sources such as beans, was found to lower blood pressure and ‘badÂ’ LDL cholesterol and to cut the risk of heart disease by 21 percent.  Aim for two to four servings a week.

Tomatoes – Scientists have known for years that regularly eating tomato-based foods can reduce a manÂ’s risk of prostate cancer by up to 35 percent.  More recently, studies have shown that men who already have the cancer may benefit as well.  The likely active ingredient in tomatoes is lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is thought to also be protective against lung and stomach cancer.  In an interesting twist, fresh tomatoes donÂ’t appear to be as protective as cooked tomatoes.  Those trying to prevent prostate cancer should eat tomato-based foods at least twice a week.

Connie Peterson