Eat Your Medicine

Biting into a crusty turkey and Swiss sandwich piled high with lettuce, tomato, peppers and sprouts may not seem like medicine, but for some of us, it is just what the doctor ordered. We all know that food fuels us. Burning it releases energy, much like the gasoline we put in our cars.

But what we may sometimes forget is that food also heals. There are many deficiency related diseases such as osteoporosis, anemia, and some forms of depression. The ancients understood the healing properties of foods and used plants, honey, and even insects and animal parts to heal disease.

Most of us have medicine cabinets filled with vitamin supplements, yet food is where these supplements come from. Supplementation is really as simple as choosing nutrient-rich foods which are the sources of those vitamin supplement bottles on the drugstore shelves. Look no further than a carrot or pumpkin for that beta carotene, or an orange for vitamin C.

Somewhere along the way, many of us have forgotten the connection between food and healing. We have forgotten one of the key roles that the beautiful ingredients available at our farmer’s market and local grocer have to offer. They are a tonic for our bodies.

Walk into the produce section of any supermarket and really pay attention. Look at the leafy greens, the many different root vegetables, the riotous explosion of color in the fruit section, and the pungent smell of the herbs.

In the spring, we are offered a variety of greens like kale, collards, dandelion, spinach and mustard. Some of these greens have a sharp taste like mustard, or a bitter tang like dandelion. These flavors tells us that they are stimulating and working on the liver. It makes sense that coming out of winter when fresh foods were traditionally not as available, that we’d want to do a bit of spring cleaning and stimulate our bodies for the warming seasons.

Speaking of warm, summer brings us wonderful refreshing vegetables and fruits like tomatoes and watermelon. While autumn delivers us meaty, warm fleshed pumpkins and winter squash which will keep nicely through the colder months ahead. Pumpkins are a good source of Vitamin A, C, E and iron. With their richness in both flavor and nutrients, they are excellent sustenance for long winter months.

Wild grains and grasses have also been used for centuries as medicine. For example, Amaranth has a long history as an astringent for the body, often used to heal diarrhea and slow heavy menstrual flow.

Millet, a very nutritious cereal grain, is referenced in the Old Testament. It is used to help strengthen and balance the body and reinforce the kidneys. And Quinoa, known as one of the super foods for its high nutritional value, has been cited by the United Nations World Health Organization as being equal to milk in protein quality. This makes it an important grain to heal malnutrition in developing nations.

Animal products also provide us with nutrients that our bodies sometimes have difficulty making or getting from any other source. A good example of this is Vitamin B-12 which is often used to help treat anemia, depression and fatigue. B-12 is essential for the brain and central nervous system and can only be found naturally in animal products. If you or a loved one is suffering with depression or fatigue, you might consider eating more foods rich in B-12 such as milk, eggs, liver, poultry, clams, and blue cheese.

The food we eat brings our bodies raw materials essential to our good health. When we stop to examine the nutrients and benefits of the fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats we eat, we realize that food not only nourishes us, but heals deficiency related diseases, working synergistically with our bodies.