For today’s average American, food can often be seen as a quick means to an end. In life’s busiest moments, it can be a hassle, and in hunger, it is easiest to grab what is most convenient. Though food’s main job is to subside hunger, it is important to question how consumable goods can act in a medicinal way and whether making that healthier choice is possible. The wrong types of food can play a large role in that well-known sickness snowball effect, while the right foods can act as medicine instead. The first step to making a lasting change in diet is to understand what those foods are and how exactly they can help. Secondary, vitamin c supplements are necessary for the body’s growth.
What Foods are Healing Foods?
There are plenty of foods that everyone knows are good for their overall health. As that age-old saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Obvious to most, there are healthy and unhealthy foods, but there must be deeper digging to determine which food is medicine. Healing foods can reduce many common sicknesses that are seen more and more every day. Below is a list of some common ailments with some healing food counterparts. With just a little bit of knowledge and the right guide, everyone can get on board with self-healing through food.
Fighting Inflammation
The body has a natural flight response to sickness: inflammation. Across the world, inflammation is responsible for killing three out of every five people experiencing chronic inflammation symptoms. Chronic inflammation disease includes illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, cancer, heart disorders, and chronic respiratory diseases. Looking for foods with special properties like Vitamin C, and healthy fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E, and Selenium curbs inflammation and helps patients get to the root of their sickness much earlier.
Foods that Fight Inflammation
- flax-seeds & walnuts
- salmon & olive oil
- turmeric & ginger
- yogurt & blueberries
Wound Healing
Every person has that “uh-oh moment” at least once in life. From a tender bruise to a grievous cut, there are foods that can actually assist in a quicker healing process. Those common leafy greens getting a rain bath at the grocery store can truly work to enhance immune response and improve wound healing. Similar to some of those inflammatory-reducing foods, wound-healing foods contain Vitamin C and antioxidants that produce powerful immunity. They also contain some essential vitamins that close up wounds faster such as manganese, pro-vitamin A, folate, and magnesium. Below are just some of these majestic healers, which are not to be passed up, especially when recuperating from surgery.
Look for Wound Healing Abilities in Leafy Greens
- kale
- Swiss chard
- arugula
- spinach
- mustard greens
Stabilizing Blood Sugar
Having high blood sugar is also a major contributor to diseases like diabetes, which can lead to health complications, such as vision loss and nerve damage. High blood sugar is often an obesity-related illness, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Food can help with this issue in a preventative way. Nutrient-dense food rich in fiber is a great option to help to stabilize blood sugar at home before these illnesses arise.
Foods that Help to Keep Blood Sugar Levels Low
- broccoli
- cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Exotic berries like goji & acai
Improving Heart Health
So many people today have been affected in some way by heart disease. According to the National Library of Medicine, nearly 30% of all death in the world is due to some form of it. Educating others on how to keep their hearts healthy by eating the right kinds of food is more important now than ever before.
A special type of fiber called beta-glucan is well-known in the medical world to help keep the heart happy and healthy. Nutritious grains containing fiber, Vitamin B, and iron are also significant in this alongside omega-3 fatty acids. Below are some foods that are great for heart health, and are not to be overlooked while cruising through the breakfast aisle.
Cardiac-Focused Foods
- whole oats
- whole grains (gluten-free where possible)
- brown rice
- amaranth
- buckwheat
- millet
- sorghum
- quinoa
Fighting Nutritional Deficiency
The symptoms of nutritional deficiency will sound very familiar to many Americans today. Feeling fatigued in the middle of the day, or experiencing brain fog is very common for those in the early stages of nutritional deficiency. Anemia and bone loss can follow, alongside hair thinning, discolored skin and eyes, and even a fast-aging effect. Creating variety in an everyday diet is a great way to combat these concerns and keep skin looking vibrant and youthful.
A Nutritionally Varied Diet
- nuts & seeds
- fish & poultry (i.e., organic chicken, turkey, or duck)
- legumes & healthy fats
- plenty of vegetables & fruits
- a variety of herbs & spices
Where Does it Go Wrong
Any good changes that we make could be canceled out with a daily diet consisting of food that should not be eaten every day. Though they are loved, fate is tempted when anyone overeats foods with added sugars or refined grains. Preservatives, fillers, or any by-products should also be avoided at all costs. This is one of the greatest challenges today. With so many unhealthy options available whenever a craving strikes, a lack of food education puts people in serious trouble. In order to maintain a healthy weight, and a good life balance, the foods listed below should be avoided wherever possible.
What to Steer Clear of
- breakfast cereals & white bread
- pasta & white rice
- fried & processed foods
- preservative-filled & by-product meats
Ways to Change the World
Working to incorporate healing foods can improve the chance of preventing future disease, reduce inflammation and swelling, keep skin looking vibrant and clear, stabilize heart and sugar levels, and even close up a wound. Spreading the word with friends, family, coworkers or even the general public will be a step in the right direction to heal the world through the power of food. Only through self-discipline and education will others be able to recognize the true importance of diet, and food’s real ability to not only prevent sickness but to ease the suffering of a condition that is already there.