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Your food as medicine.
Spring Report 2001
Merrilee Baker
Clinical Nutritionist/Life Coach
Have you ever thought of choosing your daily food so that it heals your body? Thinking about eating and choosing food for its medicinal properties is rarely considered.
Researchers have identified the most common reasons for the food we chose.
Broad categories are:-
social/entertainment;
hunger - need for fuel;
habit (It's lunch time);
emotional comfort (including alcohol or chocolate at times of stress or depression.).
However, since recorded history man has used specific foods for healing. Usually in the form of boiled concentrates or dried and powdered these foods have been referred to as medicine. Over the last hundred years scientists have processed, refined and synthetically produced potent drugs very specific in their function. Unfortunately many of these have unwanted side effects. In a search to find ways to heal the body without harm, scientist and clinicians are researching herbs and whole foods, specifically their effects on the body's biochemistry and hormonal systems.
If your body isn't functioning optimally:- pain free, energetic, lean and mentally alert, then you have a choice - live with it and suffer, take synthetic drugs and be prepared for side effects, take nutrients and herbs and/or alter your diet to promote the best environment for healing to take place.
Many conditions will need more than dietary manipulation. Exercise, stress reduction and positive mental attitude are important components. For some people concentrated nutrient supplements or synthetic drugs will be necessary. These will work more effectively with the appropriate diet. In fact, expecting results from any single modality - medication, exercise, or positive mental attitude without use of appropriate diet is unrealistic.
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