Using Food as Medicine

We live in a world that is chronically sick. Most of us depend on surgeries and pills to “fix” the issues with our body. We have come to trust our doctors and health practicioners over our own intuitions. 

In the world of Western medicine, not much emphasis is put on food and its healing powers. However, most of our healthcare system is funded by pharmaceutical companies and mostly promote drugs over a diet change. When we are sick and go to the doctor’s office, we leave with a prescription that needs to be filled and no knowledge of how our diet is affecting the way our body is functioning. I’m here to tell you that this way of depending on the healthcare system to know how to fix us is like putting your life in someone else’s hands.  You know your body better than anyone. Using chemicals and drugs as a crutch will lead us to rely on them.

I help my clients learn how to listen to their bodies for this exact reason. Constantly checking in after a meal, exercise or stressful event, can give us a better idea of the root cause of our health concerns. I believe that one of the quickest ways to improve your health is altering what you put in your mouth. Food makes up the cells in our bodies and if we are eating things that our bodies do not recognize, our cells cannot regenerate or heal properly.

Nutritarian Diet

This way of eating was discovered by Dr. Fuhrman as a method for disease reversal. He believes that most Western diets put too much emphasis on Macronutrients (proteins, carbs, fats), which in turn equates to too many calories. The Nutritarian diet focuses more on eating Micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals), which naturally have less calories. The diet is high in nutrient-dense plant foods that improve overall health.

Dr. Fuhrman came up with a neat acronym for the foods he recommends that have the most anti-cancerous and health-promoting properties on the planet: G-BOMBS, Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds. All of these should be consumed everyday to improve the quality of your health as much as possible.

G-BOMBS

I am not a Doctor, Dietician, or Nutritionist and try not to promote individual diets to my clients. Everyone’s body is different and requires different foods. I do; however, appreciate the overall concept behind the Nutritarian Diet because it pushes us to be consuming more nutrient-dense foods, which have incredible healing abilities. 

Healing Foods

Using food as medicine has been an ancient practice for thousands of years. Chinese and Ayurvedic holisitic teachings have become all the rage lately because our culture is now trying to take their health into their own hands. Using specific herbs, spices, and foods can greatly eliminate inflammation in the body without using any drugs.

Lemons have been known to purify and detoxify the body. They aid in digestion and provide plenty of Vitamin C for keeping the immune system strong. Try have lemon water, sprinkling the juice over seafood or concocting a dressing with it.

Garlic has very powerful antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. They help to boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, and protect the body from cell damage and aging. Ever tried garlic raw? Apparently it’s the best thing when you’re sick. I won’t do it until I have to, but I do love wrapping an entire head in foil with olive oil and roasting it in the oven. YUM. I try to start most recipes with garlic and oil in a pan.  

Ginger is another one of those all around powerfully healing foods. It helps prevent nausea, improves digestion, and reduces muscle pain. Ginger is anti-inflammatory which can help to reduce toxins in the body and reverse disease. I love using ginger in teas, smoothies, and Indian meals such as curries. 

Turmeric is another one of my favorites for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. This bright orange spice can help to prevent heart disease, Alzheimers, and cancer. It has also been known to have gut healing properties and to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety. I love drinking a turmeric latte, sprinkling it into curries or roasted veggies, or mixing it into my oatmeal. 

Mushrooms have been known for thousands of years to be the ultimate healing food. Species such as Lions Mane and Reishi are incredible for improving cognitive function, increasing brain/nerve cells, and preventing Alzhiemers/Dementia. Cordyceps are amazing for diminishing tumor growth, which helps prevent cancer. Chaga is also great for cancer patients, but can help with arthritis, gastrointestinal issues, and can regulate blood sugars in diabetics as well. These powerhouse fungi can be sautéed in any meal, made into a soup, ground up into a powder for beverages or tonics (Four Sigmatic) or thrown into a pasta dish. 

Bone Broth is a great food for anyone struggling with their digestive system. The broth literally heals and seals the connective tissue in the gut with gelatin and collagen. This is a perfect beverage or soup starter for anyone whos immune system is compromised or struggles with IBS or Leaky Gut. I love drinking a chicken or beef bone broth on its own when I want to soothe my throat or made into a beautiful brothy vegetable soup. 

Man-Made “Foods”

Have you ever heard, “stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store.”? The outside contains things like fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats, dairy, bakeries and so on. The inside is full of packaged foods, which most of the time do not have any nutritional value. These “foods” are man-made and full of chemicals, dyes, and sugars that can really hurt our bodies. We are meant to be consuming foods that come from the earth. Our body recognizes them. What it doesn’t know how to digest are those Doritos, Lucky Charms, or Ramen noodles you ate when you wanted to treat yourself or couldn’t afford something better. The body cannot function the way it was meant to if it’s fed things that aren’t real food. 

Becoming a Health Coach helped me to discover the importance of eating as close to nature as possible. The founder of my school would always say, “the body can heal itself, by itself, if given half the chance.” (IIN). Most of the time we are eating things that come from boxes, bins, cans, that are filled with highly processed sugars, oils, salts, dyes, additives, and hormones. So, of course the body is not going to have a chance if we are consuming things that don’t heal us. 

The plants listed above are examples of foods that can start to be incorporated into the diet to improve overall health. All we have is our health in the end. We don’t want to get to the end of our lives wondering why we didn’t just eat foods that made us healthy. Being well is more important than ever right now. There is most definitely a place for modern medicine in the health care system. However, why not start with foods from our own kitchens to lessen the chance of depending on drugs & chemicals. We can take back control of our life, our health, and our future by using food as medicine. 

What are some foods you always keep in your kitchen to help improve your health? Is there a special tonic you make when you’re sick? I wanna hear about it! Comment below.

Interested in learning more about how to listen to your body? Sign up for a FREE 30 minute strategy call with me to come up with a game-plan.