Foods That Heal
My belief is that Nature, provides us with the ingredients to give us our nutrition. The food we eat should give us our daily nutritional requirements and keep us healthy.
Changes in our eating habits have lead to major changes in our health. Shaman's kitchen explains why this is, offering advice on the foods in nature as natural remedies, to help particular ailments for example: lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, aide digestion and increase vitality. This section will also look at what foods are good for us and why.
My own health issues lead me to look for alternative approaches to healing; I am convinced diet is one of the most important elements. My diet now contains lots of hemp and green leaves, combined with as large a variety of fresh and wholesome food as possible prepared yourself with a loving intention. This with keeping a positive attitude to life and plenty of exercise are my secrets to continued good health.
Nutritional therapist Helen Cranston opens this section with an article on 'Healthy Food means Healthy People'. We explore food in relation to health in more depth through Foodtalk discussion boards, updated weekly with other leading nutritionists invited to share their knowledge.
Over the next quarter Foodtalk looks at the following:
- Why vegetables are essential for us
- Raw vs. cooked foods
- Fats that make you thin (and healthier!)
- Benefits of 2 litres of water a day
- How to look after your immune system
- We explore the benefits and drawbacks of Garlic, Ginger and salt, and look into which grains are best for us and why.
Healthy Food means Healthy People
by Helen Cranston, Nutritional Therapist
The job of a nutritional therapist is to help people get well and stay well through eating healthy foods. These are not necessarily the same foods or preparation methods for everyone, as there is not one healthy way of eating, but different healthy ways for each of us.
If illness is ever fortunate, I was fortunate to become ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. That experience, lead me to discover the benefits of eating well. Illness is not necessarily a bad thing, if we turn it to our advantage and use it to teach us how to live in a more fulfilling way. If I had not become ill I would not have become a Nutritional Therapist and healer, and my life would probably be very different.
About 15 years ago I started to feel increasingly tired. After many tests the doctor said he could not find anything wrong and supposed it must be ME and that I would have to learn to live with it. At this stage I did not have the energy to look after my two small children and do basic housework. It seemed I was only on 30% capacity. Fortunately a friend had seen a magazine article on ME with a suggested diet. I started following the advice and there was a noticeable improvement after 2 weeks.
The diet was one for anti-candida, a condition of yeast infestation, which is becoming increasingly common, especially if one has been prescribed anti-biotic several times in succession. It took me 10 months to be completely better, by which time I had decided to study to become a Nutritional Therapist. This was the start of a long journey into the principles of homeopathy, naturopathy, Chinese medicine, Iridology, Flower remedies and Reiki healing.
Healthy eating and nutrition can be controversial subjects. Lots of people say they already have a healthy diet, but when I look at what they are eating they include lots of unhealthy foods. This is partly because there are many contradictory articles about food in the press, which make choosing healthy foods confusing.
Sometimes research shows a food in a positive light, only to later show it to now be harmful. This was the case with margarine, recommended by the medical profession for people with heart conditions. It was portrayed as low in cholesterol and high in polyunsaturated fats compared to butter. Further research showed that fragile polyunsaturated oil, turn into damaging hydrogenated oils when processed into margarine. I hope to dispel food myths and controversies in future articles.
What really is healthy to eat? A five-point answer to this is:
First eat foods as close to how nature produced them as possible. We require fresh, unprocessed (or minimally processed) foods, grown naturally.
Second as wide a variety of food as possible. It is very easy to get stuck in the habit of having the same foods all the time. As well as having wheat in bread, pasta and cereals, try to include other grains such as oats, rice, rye, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa. Expand your repertoire of nuts, beans and vegetables using the recipes and ideas contained in this web site.
Third have as colourful a plate of food as possible. This variety helps for your enjoyment of food, but also ensures that we get a wide spectrum of valuable anti-oxidant nutrients (more of these later) these occur in different colours in plants.
Fourth drink at least 2 litres of water a day, preferably filtered or spring water.
Fifth enjoy what you eat, the most important thing as with preparing and cooking our food ourselves with love and respect.
Till then happy healthy eating,
Helen Cranston
BSc DNMed Diridol
Nutritional Therapist
Member of the British Association for Nutritional Therapy (BANT)