I honestly believe that there is a difference between eating healthy and using food as medicine. It’s simple enough to have a healthy diet by eating lots of vegetables, some fruit, whole-grains and protein and eating as little processed foods as possible. But utilizing food as medicine is a different story. Foods are made up of many complex pharmacological compounds beyond vitamins & minerals. Many of these herbs and spices that we often forget about, sitting in the back of our cupboard pack a powerful anti-oxidant and phytochemical punch. Phytochemicals have distinct pharmacological properties that can be used to promote health, alleviate or prevent diseases.
I admit, I’m completely guilty of not using food as medicine. I usually just stick to salt, pepper, garlic, ginger and onion to add flavour to my dishes. Now don’t get me wrong, garlic and onion are two of our greatest superfoods (I have some upcoming posts on both of these) but we most definitely could be including other remarkable herbs such as basil, cinnamon, coriander and turmeric in our diet to help prevent and assist in the treatment of many chronic health conditions. Use your kitchen as a pharmacy!
Cinnamon is highly antibacterial and is a good warming herb. It can be useful for many gastrointestinal complaints. Cinnamomum cassia at 1g per day has been found to reduce glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Coriander seeds are often used in traditional medicine. It is a potent anti-oxidant, inhibits blood clotting and recent studies have shown coriander helps reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Tumeric has been shown to have strong anti-inflammatory properties so it may be helpful for conditions such as arthritis and IBS. It has also been shown to inhibit proliferation of cancer cells and protects against cancers of the skin, stomach and colon by neutralizing certain compounds that disrupt the cells genetic material. Basil contains many nutritional constituents that are anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. Oregano was used by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, as an antiseptic and a cure for stomach and respiratory problems. Constituents of oregano make it a powerful anti-oxidant, preventing tissue damage whilst encouraging healing. One tablespoon of fresh oregano contains the same anti-oxidant activity as one medium sized apple – they don’t say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” for no reason! It is also anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, inhibiting the growth of many organisms including Candida, E. coli and Helicobacter pylori. Rosemary is also another powerful anti-oxidant and can be useful in inflammatory conditions, atherosclerosis and asthma. It increases blood flow to the brain improving concentration and memory and enhances the phases of liver detoxification.
Over the next few weeks I will be doing a few posts on these amazing herbs and also include some recipes and tips on how to get these into your diet to receive all the incredible health benefits!
I admit, I’m completely guilty of not using food as medicine. I usually just stick to salt, pepper, garlic, ginger and onion to add flavour to my dishes. Now don’t get me wrong, garlic and onion are two of our greatest superfoods (I have some upcoming posts on both of these) but we most definitely could be including other remarkable herbs such as basil, cinnamon, coriander and turmeric in our diet to help prevent and assist in the treatment of many chronic health conditions. Use your kitchen as a pharmacy!
Cinnamon is highly antibacterial and is a good warming herb. It can be useful for many gastrointestinal complaints. Cinnamomum cassia at 1g per day has been found to reduce glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Coriander seeds are often used in traditional medicine. It is a potent anti-oxidant, inhibits blood clotting and recent studies have shown coriander helps reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Tumeric has been shown to have strong anti-inflammatory properties so it may be helpful for conditions such as arthritis and IBS. It has also been shown to inhibit proliferation of cancer cells and protects against cancers of the skin, stomach and colon by neutralizing certain compounds that disrupt the cells genetic material. Basil contains many nutritional constituents that are anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. Oregano was used by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, as an antiseptic and a cure for stomach and respiratory problems. Constituents of oregano make it a powerful anti-oxidant, preventing tissue damage whilst encouraging healing. One tablespoon of fresh oregano contains the same anti-oxidant activity as one medium sized apple – they don’t say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” for no reason! It is also anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, inhibiting the growth of many organisms including Candida, E. coli and Helicobacter pylori. Rosemary is also another powerful anti-oxidant and can be useful in inflammatory conditions, atherosclerosis and asthma. It increases blood flow to the brain improving concentration and memory and enhances the phases of liver detoxification.
Over the next few weeks I will be doing a few posts on these amazing herbs and also include some recipes and tips on how to get these into your diet to receive all the incredible health benefits!