Natural food and herbs are proven to be a medium to restore your health and save you from many chronic diseases

Introduction

Nature has always played an important role in helping human in keeping a good health.  Many research organizations are revealing the key role herbs and natural food can play in healing a health condition. The term herbal medicine can be used to refer to the use of a number of botanical products, which are usually extracted from the roots, stems, branches, leaves, fruits, seeds, or other parts of the mother plant. Herbs, fruits, vegetables play a good role in healing body and are effective for life style diseases. Although enough scientific research is not available on the therapeutic use of herbs and natural food, but these are been used since thousands of years successfully in dealing with health conditions. We are regularly using them in our complementary medicine practice and yes getting results, sometimes amazing results.

This is a collection of tips on natural food and herbs which are a good option for therapeutic use. We will share some healthy recipes and diets for high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic pain and other chronic diseases.

These tips are beneficial for getting your health back. This series is for general understanding and education about the role of herbs and natural food with healing properties and is not a substitute for healthcare providers. Do not forget to consult your doctor before starting them.

Antioxidants

Plants are natural source of antioxidants. These natural antioxidants from plant materials are mainly polyphenols (phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, lignans and stilbenes), carotenoids (xanthophylls and carotenes).

Anti-oxidants protect cells from damage that may otherwise lead to disease. In fact, studies demonstrate that people whose diets are rich in polyphenol antioxidants have lower rates of depression, diabetes dementia, and heart disease. Traditional cooking involves Broccoli, spinach, carrots and potatoes, all high in antioxidants, and so are cabbage, asparagus, avocados, beetroot, radish, lettuce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, collard greens and kale.

Fiber

Have you ever heard a doctor saying, use more and more fiber in your diet. You need weight loss, or control diabetes, or even better digestion or for lowering cholesterol, go for more fiber diet. Dietary fiber includes the parts of plant foods your body can’t digest or absorb. Good fiber is available in whole-grain products like fruits, vegetables, beans, peas and other legumes, nuts and seeds. Refined or processed foods like canned fruits, vegetables, and juices, white breads and pastas, and non-whole-grain cereals are lower in fiber. The grain-refining process removes the outer coat (bran) from the grain, which lowers its fiber content. High fiber foods like vegetables, beans, grains, and fruits help protect against disease, decrease inflammation, and boost your immune system.

Fiber has other host of health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, keep gut bacteria intact and keep constipation away. Drink plenty of water to avoid constipation.

Eat food with low Glycemic Index

Eat food with low Glycemic Index and eat lot of fruits and vegetables and maximum food in as raw or natural form as possible.

What is Glycemic Index?

• The glycemic index, simply put, is a measure of how quickly a food causes our blood sugar levels to rise.
• The measure ranks food on a scale of zero to 100. Foods with a high glycemic index, or GI, are quickly digested and absorbed, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar. These foods that rank high on the GI scale are often — but not always — high in processed carbohydrates and sugars.
• Meanwhile, foods with a low GI are digested and absorbed at a slower rate, and subsequently, cause a slower rise in blood sugar levels. These are typically rich in fiber, protein and/or fat. Keep in mind that a low GI doesn’t mean a food is high in nutrients. You still need to choose healthy foods from all five food groups.

Eat Clean

Something amazing happens when you eat healing foods and give your body a break from junk foods, bad fats, refined flour, and sugar which are the leading causes of chronic diseases.

            I was raised on holistic nutrition, which is more or less different ways to “eat clean”. When I give patients general advice from this approach, it involves avoiding processed foods with ingredients only scientists can pronounce and eating balanced meals.

 I give Chinese diet therapy recommendations based on a patient’s symptoms, tongue, and pulse, but there are a few general guidelines that are good for everyone. In TCM the digestive system likes to be warm, so avoid eating cold foods on a regular basis e.g. instead of making salads, cook vegetables and avoid reheating leftovers. Try not to eat in a rush or work while eating, and really chew and savor each bite of food.

Another good rule of thumb is to have a bit of protein, a good carb like brown rice or quinoa and a fruit or vegetable at every meal; funnily enough this actually comes from every branch of nutrition I’ve studied! Remember you are what you eat, so try to make wholesome, healthy, energizing, fulfilling food choices as much as you can.

Eat Anti Inflammatory Food

One of my patients asked me, what should be done for a healthy and long life.  I just told him one basic principle of healthy and long life and that is to keep body inflammation under control.  Inflammation or swelling is part of the body’s natural healing system.

When you eat unhealthy, the body responds by triggering inflammation and when this inflammation becomes chronic, it can have bad effect on your body. One of the major reasons for all chronic diseases is chronic inflammation. So, an anti-inflammatory diet is must if you wish to keep inflammation under control. Chronic inflammation may contribute to autoimmune diseases and other chronic diseases  such as CAD and other heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation of the joints.

How to keep chronic inflammation under check?

You can reduce chronic inflammation and chronic diseases. You can control and even reverse inflammation through a healthy anti-inflammatory diet and life style. Eat more fruits and vegetables and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids like walnuts, flax seeds and soybeans. Other anti-inflammatory foods include grapes, celery, blueberries, garlic, olive oil, tea and some spices (ginger, rosemary and turmeric). In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ginger is one of the best medicines for countering inflammation.

The Mediterranean, Ayurvedic and TCM diets are the best source of anti-inflammatory diet as all of them focus on fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains, and limits on unhealthy fats, such as red meat, butter and egg yolks as well as processed and refined sugars and carbs.

One strict rule to follow is to replace white foods, such as white bread, rice and pasta, as well as foods made with white sugar and refined flour with healthy food like whole foods high in fiber, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains,  brown rice and millets . Check the labels before purchasing packaged food.