Food is Medicine
Not sure what all this clean eating and nutrition talk is about? It has taken me quit a few years to truly understand that the food we put into our bodies has an impact on our health. This isn’t something that we are taught in school and many of us aren’t even taught this at home. I really don’t think it’s anyone’s fault either, because our society is set up to focus more on sick care than preventative care. We aren’t always given the information we need to understand how food affects our bodies and we aren’t taught how our bodies work and what nutrients they need.
So, today I want to help you to understand the importance of seeing food as a means to health and healing for yourself and family, instead of just something that tastes good or bad. I also want to share a few ways how the food you consume can be as healing to your body as medicine can.
Why Change Your Mindset Around Food
Oftentimes, our culture leads us to believe that food is a matter of convenience, not necessarily holding any significance to our health or lifestyle. Foods that we have been taught are good for us or even acceptable to eat are not actually foods at all. They are packaged items that are void of any nutritional value and include synthetic ingredients that can cause harm. These foods are not helping us in the way that food is meant to. Food is meant to give our bodies the nutrients it needs to function and survive. Nutrients are needed for our bodies to be healthy and to fight disease and we get these nutrients from our food. On the flip side though, processed foods can rob our bodies of nutrients and this can be when disease starts to creep in.
Real food is meant to fuel our bodies in an effort to sustain life and sustain it to the fullest. We should receive energy and nutrients from our food, it should help us to grow, age, work and enable us to maintain physical and mental health. Understanding that food has a higher purpose than solely satisfying hunger will ultimately result in a joyful, nourishing experience each time you buy, prepare and eat food. It will also help you to stop eating highly processed and packaged foods that don’t give any nutrients to your body. Making this mindset shift has helped me so much on my health journey because it keeps me focused on adding foods to my diet that add nutrients to my body, giving me health and helping me to heal…and just as a side note, these foods are so yummy too. I love vegetables but eating healthy isn’t just about eating veggies, there are so many tasty nutritious foods out there. I share all about different foods and how to prepare them in my Nourished Living course, click here if you’d like to learn more.
Foods that Help Your Body to Heal
Below is a list of foods that have been or can be used for healing different alignments. It’s important to consume a varied diet of whole foods and I eat these foods on a regular basis because I want to prevent disease, not just treat it. Remember though, this is not medical advice, just educational information that I have learned and love to share.
Vitamin A rich foods increase immunity and have been used to treat skin conditions like measles. The World Health Organization actually recommends giving vitamin A as a treatment to children who have measles. Increasing your intake of vitamin A rich foods can also help with night blindness, dry eyes and infertility. My favorite vitamin A rich food is grass-fed beef liver because of it’s high content but vitamin A is also found in pasture-raised egg yolks, raw dairy and cod liver oil.
Vitamin C rich foods also help to increase your immunity and have tons of antioxidants. Antioxidants found in bell peppers, kiwi, and citrus fruits fight cell damage in the body. Cell damage can happen because of environmental factors like cigarette smoke or ingredients in food like nitrites. Cell damage has been linked to cancer and heart disease. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, that is not stored in the body so it is important to eat vitamin C rich foods every day.
Potassium rich foods like bananas, avocados, acorn squash, coconut water and aloe vera juice are great for treating leg cramps. Muscle cramping can be linked to mineral deficiencies and potassium is a major part of keeping muscles healthy and working properly. Consuming these foods on a daily basis, especially if you’re an athlete or pregnant can help to prevent muscle cramps.
Other foods or nutrients used to treat illness include ginger for indigestion, garlic for infections, honey for immune support, magnesium for preeclampsia, tart cherry juice to promote sleep and to clear gout. Find a recipe for a tart cherry juice night cap here.
Where to Start
These examples are just scratching the surface of how food can be used as medicine and disease prevention. If you want to start using food as a way to help your body to have health and healing, start small. Make simple swaps that will eliminate unnecessary chemicals from your diet. Replace processed foods with real, whole foods and choose better quality options for more nutrient intake. For example, swap cereal for yogurt and fruit and swap conventional eggs for pasture-raised. These simple swaps will add more nutrients to your diet, giving your body the fuel it needs to function well and fight disease. I love to share all kinds of clean eating and healthy swaps. so I have created a Clean Eating E-book. It helps you to learn more about swaps you can make and why they are important. Learn more and download your copy here.
*This is not medical advice. This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any changes to your healthcare regimen.