Food is Our Medicine - Part One

Over a twenty year career of helping thousands lose weight and develop a healthy lifestyle.  The part which has kept me most excited is when the clients body is also healed in the process.  God has equipped our bodies to heal themselves, and strange as it sounds much faster than they get sick.

Plants, like humans, are susceptible to disease and viruses and have developed their own protective substances, called phyto-chemicals.. Mounting research reveals many phyto-chemicals also protect humans from cancers and diseases. The following is a list of foods, which provide protective plant chemicals and the conditions they protect us from, and the research to support its claims.

Whole Grains - The best sources are wheat, rice, barley, oats and rye. Whole grains are the seeds of the plant and consist of an outer shell called the bran, the middle called the endosperm and inner called the germ. Whole grains are excellent sources of folate, B vitamins, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, chromium, phosphorus and Vitamin E. Folate helps decrease levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. High levels of homocysteine in the bloodstream are linked to risk of heart disease.

Whole grains contain phytochemicals called phytosterols, phenolic acid and lignans. Studies have shown that whole grains reduce the risk of several cancers and type II diabetes. They lower cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease and they reduce inflammation, lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. In a recent study at the University of Utah, Dr. Martha Slattery found that high intakes of whole grains, especially high fiber cereals, reduced the risk of rectal cancer by 31%. A high fiber diet (more than 34 grams daily) reduced rectal cancer by 66%. In a recent study at Tufts University, Dr. Nicola McKeown reported participants who consumed at least three servings daily of whole grains are less likely to develop insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome which are precursors of type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Whole grains are an excellent source of fiber, both insoluble and soluble. In a resent study reported by Harvard School of Public Health, Doctor Qi and colleagues found that women with diabetes that consumed more whole grains, bran and cereal fiber had lower blood vessel inflammation that has been linked to heart disease.

The foundation of any healthy lifestyle should be balanced nutrition and whole grains playing a major role.  Whole grains are excellent sources of B vitamins, which provide energy and help convert the foods we eat into energy.