Delicious Food As Medicine

Nature’s Best Medicine: Nutrient-Packed Foods

When people catch a cold, most of them go to the drug store and buy medicine.

They don’t think that eating an orange or other fruits packed with vitamin C will boost their immunity.

A fact that many people overlook is that nutrient-packed foods could be used as medicine to treat or prevent illnesses.

We all have full access to these foods and can start eating well and healing our bodies.

EGGS

Eggs contain high-quality protein with little saturated fat. Nutrients in eggs prevent macular degeneration and support eye health (“10 Amazing Disease Fighting Foods,” 2019).

Egg yolks have immunity-boosting nutrients including high vitamin D levels that strengthen and regulate immunity against illnesses including the common cold and upper respiratory tract infections (“17 Immune-boosting Foods To Get You Through Cold And Flu Season,” 2017).

ORANGES

A medium-sized orange has all the daily vitamin C needed to boost immunity and fight cancer.

Vitamin C benefits are best when it’s consumed in its natural form. Drinking orange juice has tremendously more antioxidant protection than drinking vitamin C fortified water.

An excellent source of nutrients in vitamin C include fiber, calcium, folate, potassium, and other B vitamins (“17 Superfoods That Fight Disease,” 2016).

Vitamin C helps prevent the common cold if exposed to cold weather and other environments that increase the chances of sickness.

You can decrease the severity and duration of a cold by taking vitamin C (“17 Immune-boosting Foods To Get You Through Cold And Flu Season,” 2017).

FISH

Fish is nutritional food used as medicine to heal our body.

Salmon and tuna are abundant in omega-3 fatty acids that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, prevent blood clots from heart disease, and lower blood fats (“10 Amazing Disease Fighting Foods,” 2019).

Consuming fish decreases inflammation, prevents cancer, promotes weight loss, hormone production, cognitive function, and heals our blood cells (“Food is Medicine: The Diet of Medicinal Foods, Science & History,” 2017).

Omega-3 fatty acids in fish also help anxiety and depression by boosting serotonin levels (“16 Foods to Cure Common Illnesses,” 2019).

BERRIES

Berries contain vitamin C, manganese, fiber, beta-carotene, and most importantly disease-fighting antioxidants that neutralize cell-damaging free radicals to prevent chronic illnesses including heart disease and cancer.

Blueberries are the most antioxidant-rich berries.

Next comes cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries (“10 Amazing Disease Fighting Foods,” 2019).

By reducing free radical damage, antioxidants in berries slow the effects of aging (“Food is Medicine: The Diet of Medicinal Foods, Science & History,” 2017).

Berries, especially cranberries, aid in stroke recovery, improve blood cholesterol, and prevent urinary tract infections (“17 Superfoods That Fight Disease,” 2016).

Blueberries aid in the body’s ability to heal by treating and preventing coughs and colds.

Consuming very antioxidant-rich flavonoids, found abundantly in blueberries, tremendously reduces the ability to catch a cold (“17 Immune-boosting Foods To Get You Through Cold And Flu Season,” 2017).

NUTS

Nuts contain healthy fats, mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, that prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol levels.

Nuts also contain protein and vitamins A and E. Nuts are high in calories and in small amounts make you less hungry and increase energy (“10 Amazing Disease Fighting Foods,” 2019).

 Walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids that improve blood pressure and cholesterol (“17 Superfoods That Fight Disease,” 2016).

Nuts are high-fiber foods that aid in digestion and excretion of waste from our body, blood sugar level regulation, cardiovascular health, and strengthening of colon walls.

Fiber in nuts also fights cancer and obesity, decreases cholesterol, prevents insulin resistance, and promotes probiotic bacteria in our gut to increase immunity (“Food is Medicine: The Diet of Medicinal Foods, Science & History,” 2017).

YOGURT

Yogurt contains calcium, protein, and mainly probiotics. Low-fat or nonfat yogurts have less saturated fat (“17 Super-foods That Fight Disease,” 2016).

Greek yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt (“17 Immune-boosting Foods To Get You Through Cold And Flu Season,” 2017).

Live-culture yogurt is higher in good bacteria probiotics that live in our gut.

Move food more efficiently through our gastrointestinal tract and improve our gut’s ability to digest foods like beans and dairy lactose that cause gas (“16 Foods to Cure Common Illnesses,” 2019).

Probiotics are essential for digestion, immunity, and overall health. Our digestive system holds 80% of our immune system.

Many illnesses are a result of poor gut health, including chronic fatigue, psoriasis, joint pain, and thyroid imbalances.

Microbes making up our gut flora help weight control, cognitive health, appetite, and inflammatory processes. 

Probiotics help prevent colds, increase energy levels, and improve our mood.

Good bacteria probiotics and other microbes living in our digestive tract flourish when we consistently consume probiotic-rich foods like yogurt (“Food is Medicine: The Diet of Medicinal Foods, Science & History,” 2017).

Nutrient-packed foods are nature’s original medicine to treat and prevent illnesses.

Eggs contain high-quality protein and support eye health.

Oranges are packed with vitamin C to fight colds. Fish has omega-3 fatty acids that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Berries have disease-fighting anti-oxidants to prevent chronic illness like cancer.

Nuts are high-fiber foods that decrease cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels.

Yogurt has probiotics known as good bacteria that aid in efficient digestion.