Archive for the ‘PowerFoods’ Category

Yellow Powerfood!

If I had to chose just one herb spice to increase my well being and live a long healthy life it would be turmeric. It helps you when young, when middle aged, and in in old age. It helps both men and women for different reasons.

If a drug company could patent turmeric, it would be more popular and lucrative than Viagra and aspirin combined.

The short list of benefits shown in controlled scientific studies and long term population analysis includes prevention and treatment in:
•    Inflammation
•    Arthritis
•    Cystic fibrocis
•    Cancer
•    Cardiovascular problems
•    Cholesterol
•    Alzimers desease
•    Childhood Leukemia
•    Liver function
•    Skin conditions

Luckily, you don’t have to eat turmeric in a concentrated or medicinal form. You can buy it in any grocery store and it is very inexpensive.  To take the traditional recommended amount which is about 1 teaspoon per day would cost you less than $10.00 for a whole year!  That one teaspoon per day could change your life. It has been harvested and used for over 5000 years.

The thing you  notice right away about turmeric is its bright yellow colour. This is what gives the traditional curry spice it’s colour but also is the colouring of mustard and many other prepared and preserved foods like pickes, salad dressing, cheeses and even textiles.  Most curry blends and prepared foods have minimal amounts of turmeric in them though so if you want the health benefits you should go for the straight powder.

Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic systems of medicine have used turmeric as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.

Curcumin, thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric, has been shown to be a more potent anti-inflammatory than prescription drugs like hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin but WITHOUT TOXIC SIDE EFFECTS.

Curcumin may provide an inexpensive, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.

Turmeric's combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects explains why many people with joint disease find relief from arthritis when they use the spice regularly.

Curcumin's powerful antioxidant actions plus its ability to alter the genetic expression of certain proteins are possible factors in its demonstrated ability to prevent and even treat cancer in as shown in controlled experiments on mice and large populations.  Many more clinical studies are underway but traditional health systems have already been using turmeric for thousands of years.

Turmeric supports the liver in naturalizing toxins in the body. This is why it is known in traditional health systems as a purifier. It helps the liver clear away the LDL (bad) cholesterol and also prevents the oxidation of cholesterol in the system.

Research has shown that curcumin is able to cross the  blood-brain barrier to reduce inflammation and specific damaging chemical aging processes.  This is why it  may prevent Alzheimer's Disease.

Specially processed turmeric is used in India topically to produce healthy glowing skin and prevent facial hair growth in women.  A different processed turmeric is also available which is rubbed into the skin so that it is absorbed directly into the blood stream and bypasses the digestions and liver functions which can slow it’s effects down.

The ONLY CAUTION with turmeric is that if you spill it on even a slightly porous surface it can stain.  Wash immediately.

We will be posting several recipes with this spice it is so important.

Tumeric has also been known to have spiritual and ritualistic value in Eastern and near eastern cutures. (perhaps because of its obvious practical effects)
It is widely used in all parts of India during wedding ceremony.

I have always loved eating apples; and I just found out that I am eating a lot of air…25 % of their volume is air! 

• Has 5 grams of fiber.
• Is a great source of potassium which may promote heart health, help maintain healthy blood pressure. 
• Contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, and Vitamin C and A.
• Is composed of 80-85 percent water.
• Contains 5 percent protein.
• Is 10-15 percent carbohydrates.
• Has only 80 calories. 

One of the Top Five Healthiest Foods

The lentil was selected by Health Magazine as one of the top 5 healthiest foods on the planet! They are good in sooo many ways! 

Beans are generally considered a low cost, healthy alternative to most other protein sources like meat, dairy and most grains.  If  beans are good for you, then lentils, the smallest of the beans, are great! In general the smaller the bean the more nutrition is packed into each seed. Smaller beans are also often easier to digest and cook and have been a mainstay of many cultures for centuries.

Lentils are low in fat and sodium and are one of most alkaline protein sources. You can sprout them if you want more raw food.

Growing lentils is even healthy for the soil, as they increase nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil, take very little moisture,  and stop erosion.  By eating lentils you are helping the earth and the environment!

 
Benefits

A single cup of cooked lentils provides well over one third the protein daily requirement for a 150 lb adult while adding practically NO FAT! They have a third highest level of protein by weight of any plant based food.  Cost for that cup is just 20 – 40  cents!

Some lentils like brown lentils grown in N. America are so tasty that all you have to do to boil and add a bit of salt. Other lentils are more bland so a bit a spice is needed. This is the ‘dal’ of many eastern countries.  Either way if you are interested in healthy cooking and ever considered reducing meat consumption, it definitely worth it to find a few good lentil dishes you like.

 
Another big benefit of lentils is the high levels of cholesterol lowering fiber (both soluble and insoluble). Numerous studies have shown high levels of fiber associated with decreased degenerative diseases.   In one study that examined food intake patterns of 16,000 middle-aged men – in relation  to the risk of death from coronary heart disease, researchers found that legumes were associated with a whopping 82% reduction in risk!!

 
History

 The lentil plant (Lens Culinaris) belongs to the family Leguminosae (legume)  and is a cousin to peas. The lentil is one of the oldest cultivated legume, dating back at least 8000 years. Although the scientific name relates to the lens of the eye it is interesting that it is one of the foods used in the Christian Lent period, a time when one level of fasting is to abstain from any kind of meat. 

Nutrients

Power Nutrients in Lentils: iron, protein, phosphorus, copper, Vitamin B1, potassium
Power Plus Nutrients: Fiber, tryptophan, manganese,
Extreme Power Nutrients:  Folate, Molybdenum

Caution:  Because lentils are high in so many nutrients, they are high in natural substances called purines. If you have a physical condition which requires you to be on a low purine diet this is to be considered. Recent research though, indicates that the purines from vegetable sources does not have the same negative effect as the purines from meat and fish.

Recipes:

Lentils are SO good for you so we will be adding many different recipes, but here is a link for one very simple use:  Lentil Soup   http://realfoodforlife.com/lentil-soup/

Enjoy 

Powerfoods are foods are jam packed with nutrition; the body loves them.

Watch this space for information about PowerFoods; discover over a hundred foods and how they work their magic in your body.

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Copyright © Diana Herrington  You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com  or the direct link to this post.