HEALING FOODS: Practical Guide to the Health Benefits and Medicinal Properties of Food (7 page)

He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise. 

—
Henry David Thoreau

Spices can benefit your health as much as do your taste buds. Herbs and spices are teeming with healthy antioxidants and phytonutrients. They have more disease fighting antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables.

Hot Peppers

Chili and other hot peppers contain capsaicin which has a variety of medicinal benefits. Capsaicin is a flavorless, odorless, colorless compound found in varying amounts in peppers. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains and the higher amount of health improving antioxidants.

Heart Disease

Hot peppers are a heart healthy food. The compounds in hot peppers, including capsaicin, have been found to lower blood pressure, decrease cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk for dangerous blood clots.  

Pain

Capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers, has been shown to reduce pain. It acts by acts by binding to receptors in the cell wall of nerve endings and triggering an influx of calcium ions into the neurons. It also interferes with substance P, a chemical involved in transmitting pain impulses to the brain.

Cinnamon

Who doesn’t love to sprinkle a little cinnamon on oatmeal or morning late? Cinnamon is not only tasty, but it is also quite beneficial to our health.

High Blood sugar

Cinnamon has been shown to be of great value in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Cinnamon mimics the effects of insulin and has a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association has found that taking 3 to 6 grams of cinnamon per day can lower glucose levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.

High Cholesterol

Scientists have found evidence that cinnamon helps lower lipid levels. Just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day may help you lower triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels.

Garlic

People have known for centuries that garlic has many healing properties and has been used throughout recorded history for its medicinal (as well culinary) uses. 

Infections

Garlic contains allicin which is a powerful antibiotic and a potent agent that helps the body to inhibit the ability of germs to grow and reproduce. Garlic has been used effectively against a whole host of bacteria, fungus, and viruses. Some studies suggest that garlic is an even more powerful germ-killer than either penicillin or tetracycline.

Liver Ailments

A healthy liver maintains blood flow and circulation, breaking down nutrients from foods and distributing them to other body organs. Garlic contains allicin which is a sulphur-based compound needed by the liver for effective detoxification. The antioxidants in garlic help keep toxic substances filtered by your liver from reaching other organs. Garlic has been shown to help the liver rid the body of mercury, food additives, and the hormone estrogen.

Parsley

Though traditionally overlooked as just a garnish, parsley has various health benefits. Parsley is rich in antioxidants including luteolin, a flavonoid that searches out and eradicates free radicals in the body that cause oxidative stress in cells. Luteolin also promotes carbohydrate metabolism.

Halitosis

Bad breath can be an embarrassing nuisance especially in social situations. Parsley contains chemicals that help to freshen bad breath. Parsley is rich in chlorophyll which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps to neutralize toxins and pollutants and act as a natural deodorizer. Chewing a small handful of parsley allows you to gain the breath-freshening benefits of chlorophyll. This may be reason why parsley makes an appearance as a garnish on so many restaurant dishes.

Thyme

Thyme is credited with many virtues. This fragrant herb has been used since ancient times for medicinal and culinary uses. Thyme contains thymol and the antioxidant flavonoids apigenin, naringenin, luteolin, and thymonin.

Coughs

The next time you have a cold or cough, try a cup of thyme tea. Thyme has shown to have bronchodilating and antispasmodic effects, so it helps relax the bronchial tubes and alleviates coughing fits. Thyme oil is used in many cough syrups because it acts as an expectorant loosening mucous and has antibacterial and antiseptic properties.

Gas and Indigestion

Thyme is often recommended to promote good digestion and relieve gas and bloating. The volatile oils in thyme help reduce gas while its phenols work as an antispasmodic, helping to relieve intestinal cramping.

NUTS AND SEEDS

If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food. 

—Sally Edwards

If nuts are not part of your regular snack choices, then you are missing out on some major disease-fighting nutrients that protect your heart, boost mental power, and more. Just a handful of nuts a day will help you to stay healthy and fit. Nuts are rich in antioxidants, protein, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts are a crunchy and delicious alternative to traditional junk food snacks.

Almond

Almonds are a wonderfully delicious snack. Almonds have long been revered as the promoter of wellness and health. Almonds are high in fiber, vitamin E, powerful antioxidants.

Blood Cholesterol

Almonds are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and are packed with numerous health promoting phytochemicals. Almonds contain unsaturated fatty acids like oleic and palmitoleic acids which have been shown to
lower
blood LDL
(bad cholesterol) and increase HDL (good cholesterol) levels and thus helping to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes.