Healthy food is your best medicine!

23 Apr Healthy food is your best medicine!

The man that many regard as the father of Western medicine, Hippocrates, wisely stated over 2500 years ago, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” 

This Greek physician knew the healing powers of nature and practiced his theories successfully on patients and himself. I find it fascinating in an age where most people never saw the age of 40 (460 BC), that Hippocrates is credited with living a life somewhere in the range of 83 – 90 years old. Hmmm…sounds like the old guy may have been on to something!

The fact is, now that we have a much greater understanding of how the human body works (and how it doesn’t), we can see the foresight in his teachings that what we put into our bodies has everything to do with what we get out of them. Sickness or health, energy or lethargy, joy or sadness…our food choices have the largest impact on every aspect of our natural health.  Healthy food is your best form of medicine! 

A little science…

Humans are a huge conglomeration of living cells, about 90 trillion of them. Though each one has a particular function, they all have remarkably similar components and structures that control the work they do; how they do work, why they do work, and how they get the energy to do their work. Our cells depend on us to feed them the needed nutrients so that their “employment” remains active. These nutrients fit into these seven classes: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and water. Of all these nutrients, water could be considered most vital.  Humans can die after 3-5 days without water, whereas life can be sustained for weeks without food.

Macro-nutrients, in the form of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats help rebuild our cells and provide energy for them to do their jobs. Micro-nutrients, in the form of vitamins and minerals, aid our body’s enzyme activities to help release the energy stored in our food choices, help control chemical processes in our bodies, and keep our immune systems strong to fight off illness and disease. Tied to the micro-nutrients are Phyto-nutrients, mysterious elements present in healthy foods that scientists know cause great things to happen in our bodies; they just haven’t completely discovered how they work yet. These phyto-nutrients can only be obtained through whole, nutritious foods.

So, what does this mean?

We have become a society that, by and large, places the responsibility AND blame for our health on the medical community. We continue to eat and drink substances devoid of the nutrition factors our bodies need to keep our healthy homeostasis intact. Then we look to our physicians to provide a pill for whatever ails us, from heartburn to heart attack. We are nailing our own coffins shut, and it’s time to stop! Let’s shift the perspective, just a small click… are you aware how many people die each year from following a sound nutrition plan, consuming whole organic vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, nut and seeds, and drinking clean mineralized water? ZERO.

Pharmaceutical vs Healthy Eating

Now guess how many of us die each year from pharmaceutical-related issues (wrong meds, deadly interactions, misdiagnosis, etc,)? From the latest year that I could find reliable statistics; in 2009 there were 37,485 deaths related to pharmaceutical use in America. The latest estimates show that number to be skyrocketing upward! In fact, the Center for Disease Control says that more people die in America every year from prescription drug abuse and misuse than die from heroin and cocaine combined. Did you know that the average drug label contains around 70 negative side effects, though many popular brand name drugs have been found to contain 100 to 125? Some drugs even list around 525 negative effects on the label.

These drugs are being prescribed by doctors to ‘treat’ patients, when the drug side effects are routinely worse than the very illness they claim to treat. Have you ever seen side effects stickers stuck on the side of an organically grown cucumber? So, what’s happened to us?  We have stopped eating for our health, and have placed our lives in the hands of companies that make A LOT of money from our poor lifestyle habits. The time to reverse this trend is now…your life depends on it.

How do we do it? It’s really not that hard… like I said earlier, it’s really about a change in perspective. It’s the small shift in your thinking that leads you to consider what the food you’re eating does for you and your health. Do you really think that double cheeseburger, large fries, and the 42 ounce soda is going to help you to become a person that is truly “healthy”… full of energy, firing on all cylinders, able to do whatever task you assign your body? Pull through that same drive-thru if you must, but hear these words come out towards the order board, “I’ll have the grilled chicken sandwich, a side salad with light vinaigrette, and large water please.” You just took a small first step toward saving your own life.

Success at the grocery store…

Avoiding the aisles!

We really need to begin thinking about not only where we shop for food, but where in the store we browse for our food. Retail stores, especially grocery, are set up to get you to buy what they want you to buy. Impulse items at the register, end aisle displays to catch your eye, sample stations to push the latest and greatest…these tactics and more are designed to move you through your shopping experience as the retailer wants, not what you need and desire. Think about where you might find most of the healthiest foods in a grocery store; you certainly won’t find them in the breakfast cereal aisle, the baking aisle, the canned foods aisle, the potato chip or cookie aisle.  The center aisles of a grocery store are, for the most part, the equivalent of a nutritional “no-mans” land; these aisles are where you will find the most nutritionally-devoid, acid-filled foods you can buy.

Finding the good stuff!

Now, take a mental walk with me around the outermost perimeter of the store…what do we find…the produce section, the meat case, the dairy case, the bakery (close your eyes through here…step away from the cakes!), and sometimes the frozen foods cases. Now we’re getting somewhere! Here’s where you want to make your selections. Specifically, spend the most time in the produce section. This section is where most of the vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, antioxidants and immune system boosters will be found. Do you want to really pump up the health factor here?

Stroll into the organic section of the produce department. Select from these items and avoid all of the carcinogenic pesticides that are linked to many diseases, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). After grabbing a bunch of organic kale, spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc., head to the meat case to choose some organic chicken and some lean, grass-fed, hormone-free beef (if you’re into the “meat thing”) to satisfy your protein needs. From here, look to the dairy case for your soy milks, kefir, organic cottage cheeses, or even hormone-free organic cow’s milk if you prefer.

Quick trip for some seasoning!

Now here’s where things get dicey… you will need olive oil, seasonings, and maybe a few things from the “health” aisle that, fortunately, more stores are feeling the pinch to add to their lineup. Here is where you must have resolve…keep a stiff upper lip…and so on. Move quickly to get those necessary items, and exit those center store aisles NOW. Don’t let the little devil on your shoulder tell you that the brownie mix on the cooking aisle sounds really good, and that you needn’t worry about it; that guy will get you into food mischief every time!

Remember: think food as medicine, not food as a sleeping bag next to a cozy campfire eating marshmallows. Quit eating food as a source of comfort! Food is fuel; good fuel, bad fuel, no fuel…its still fuel. Without it, our bodies couldn’t do their work, down to the microscopic level. Put in good fuel, and not only will you have lots of sustainable energy to do work, but the side benefits of that good stuff is a stronger immune system, better weight management, and less disease potential.

Eating dinner out?

Let’s move on to eating food away from our homes. It’s fun to enjoy a nice meal out, but we really need to begin considering our meal’s consequences before we even walk through the restaurant’s door. It’s so easy to sit down at the table, browse through the extensive menu, and only see the foods that are so bad for our health! Many eateries have healthy options on their menu; maybe a grilled salmon, with asparagus and a Mediterranean salad, or marinated chicken with roasted vegetables and caprese salad.

The restaurant business is a very competitive beast; don’t be afraid to ask the chef to prepare something in a way that’s not represented on the menu. I have, on many occasions, substituted items on a plate to make it a healthier option; grilled vegetables instead of mashed potatoes, or a small mixed salad in place of a white rice side dish. Try to be creative in your healthy food selections so boredom doesn’t take over your decision making!

Earlier, I described a fast food scenario where some substitution was all that was required to crank up the “health” volume on that meal. Virtually every fast food restaurant has felt the pressure to add better choices to their menu boards. Salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, veggie plates, personal veggie pizzas, etc. are available at most fast food establishments. But don’t make a good choice with your food and kill it with a soft drink to wash it down! The acids and sugars in sodas are slowly causing weight gain, inflammation, chronic acidosis, and potentially life-threatening diseases to become the norm in our world. Please, please, please… quit drinking soda! Diet soda or regular, it doesn’t matter… this stuff is a one-way ticket to poor health. Our bodies crave one liquid, and only one. WATER!! Start drinking water like you’ll never see it again, and watch what transforms… very quickly. Your health will improve, your skin will be clear, you’ll feel more energetic, you’ll sleep better…I could go on and on!

In a Nutshell:

It really comes down to one simple thought… it’s largely true that we are (or become) what we eat. Do you want to be a grease-filled vat of preservatives, acids, and artificial colors; or does the image of a lean, mean, bucket of energy sound better to you. You have to decide…healthy, not healthy… overweight, or trim and toned… energetic and happy, or lethargic and discontented. Need some assistance with a custom plan, “Get Linked” to a practitioner who best meets your needs.