Is food medicine?
Hippocrates was to thank for the famous quote, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” — which we translated to “food is medicine” and use as our motto.
Food is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of medicine and healing, Hippocrates was ahead of his time when, around the year 400 B.C, he advised people to prevent and treat diseases first and foremost by eating a nutrient-dense diet. Why is a calorie not just a calorie when it comes to your health, and how come it matters so much which types of foods you get your calories from? Foods provide us with energy (calories), but they definitely do much more than that! Did you know that certain anti-inflammatory food seven contain powerful active ingredients that help control how your genes are expressed? Hippocrates and the Ancient Greeks weren’t the only ones onto something when they studied the many medicinal properties of foods. Many traditional systems of healing which have been practiced throughout history — including Ayurvedic Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Below you’ll learn which medicinal foods we now know make the biggest impact in someone’s health overall and how to get started today eating a healing diet.
Food does works like medicine! Some of the ways that medicinal foods specifically act like natural protectors against disease and help to slow the effects of aging, include: Decreasing & Controlling Inflammation, balancing hormones, alkalizing the body, balancing blood sugar, detoxifying and eliminating toxins and improving absorption of nutrients. Nutrient deficiencies and toxicity from a poor diet are linked to nearly all modern health conditions. John Hopkins University reports that some 80 percent of cancer patients are believed to be malnourished. You probably already know that diabetes and heart disease are also illnesses that are highly influenced by one’s diet — and the same can be said for allergies, autoimmune disorders like arthritis, thyroid disorders and many more.
To help prevent deficiencies and lower your risk for illness, it’s crucial to make every calorie count. Here are six food groups that help protect you most:
Fresh/Raw Vegetables,
Organ meats and bone broth (eg-beef or chicken liver),
Probiotic foods (eg-yoghurt, kombucha, kefir etc),
Omega-3 foods (eg- salmons, walnuts, chia seeds etc),
Healthy fats (eg- avocado, ghee, extra virgin olive oil etc),
High anti-oxidant foods (eg-berries, red wine, raw cocoa etc) and
High fibre foods (eg- leafy greens, sprouted legumes, seeds etc)
Always remember, each individual is different in terms of how their genes react to certain foods, so for some people even if they eat a perfect diet they might still develop an illness. While nutritional foods certainly help to promote overall health, it’s still best to seek medical care from a professional and not to discontinue any medications without being monitored or told to do so. Regardless of whether or not someone’s disease or illness could have been prevented through a healthier lifestyle, eating a nutrient-dense diet is still one of the best ways to help manage symptoms and increase odds of recovery.
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I still have vivid childhood memories of the delicious lunch I relished in the restaurant car of the iconic Taj Express via Agra while travelling from Delhi to Gwalior. In those glorious days of yesteryear — most prestigious trains — especially in the central, western, and northern parts of India — had restaurant and dining cars — run with pride and flair — each proudly serving its own distinctive cuisine and signature dishes. There were a variety of items on the menu — Regional Indian and Continental fare. The year was 1979— and may be longest and the most epic journey of our lives from Trivandrum in Kerala to Dharamsala in Himachal— as the train chugged its way from Coimbatore to Chennai and Delhi through to our final rail head Pathankot. 5 days 4 nights traversing the sandy seashores, back waters, river valleys, hills of the Deccan plateau and the Indo Gangetic plains mountains with dense jungles of the Bhil Nagpur & Gondwana forests. We ate roast chicken — my father had Chicken Cutlets and chips — omelettes toast and tea and my mum the Vegetarian Thali Meal. — we ate leisurely — savouring every bite — while enjoying the picturesque verdant scenery through the large open windows of the old-style luxurious restaurant car. unhurriedly in relaxed ambiance. I eagerly looked forward to enjoying inimitable railway food — and for me this was the most exhilarating part of a train journey. This menu reflects my memories made on many a journey across a nation defined by its trains and the people who served and savoured it. Asheesh Dewan