Using food to improve and maintain health

Let’s admit it. We live in a world that is increasingly geared toward instant gratification. Yet for all our apps, tweets, tags and posts, some things still require time and attention to detail.

Your health, for example.

In the effort to maintain and restore health, there’s one key area people tend to ignore: what they eat. You wouldn’t fill the tank of your gasoline-powered vehicle with diesel and expect positive results. Yet many people have poor eating habits and then wonder why they have no energy, are frequently sick or struggle with various health conditions.

Food is fuel. It can also be powerful medicine.

Before you run out to the vitamin store and stock up on supplements, you should know that taking supplements is not the same as eating a balanced, nutritious diet. For example, you may take a calcium supplement for bone health, but the ability of your body to use calcium depends not only on the amount (or dose) provided by a supplement but also the level of vitamin D in your body, your age, whether you took calcium with or without food, as well as your intake of sodium, caffeine and alcohol.

Supplements can provide a false sense of what health is, observes Amy Freeman, RDN, LDN, CDE, a nutritionist and certified diabetes educator who works at Ocala Health’s Senior Wellness Community Center.

“Most clients I work with want to practice good health, but there is a lack of knowledge on how to do this. The marketers of supplements have done a complete job at convincing consumers of their message to buy a supplement or ‘anti-oxidant’ tablet to fill that desire to be healthful,” says Freeman.

Freeman explains that it’s much better to get as much of your nutrients as possible from what you eat.

“The beauty of food when compared to a tablet or capsule or gummy is the elegant arrangement of not just one vitamin or mineral, but numerous vitamins, minerals, fiber types and the wide range of phytochemicals working synergistically to support the metabolism and endogenous anti-oxidant systems,” she notes.

Food That Fights

Incorporating the following food can provide essential nutrients for various conditions you may be facing. Always talk with your health care provider before embarking on any radical diet change. If you’re dealing with digestive health issues, it’s especially important to first discuss these with your primary care provider or gastroenterologist.

“I want to encourage folks who are reading the food lists to recognize that the body is one system,” notes Freeman. “If you are choosing food to address inflammation due to arthritis, those choices will also provide support to brain health. As a certified diabetes educator, I work with folks who want assistance in managing their diabetes. When they make lifestyle improvements to address their blood sugar, their blood pressure is typically improved as well. It is all connected.”

Realize that no one food will cure an illness. Use the food lists included here to influence what you eat, and remember: “A person can dramatically improve their health by limiting processed foods and choosing a plant-based meal plan using the listed foods,” says Freeman.

For those who think they don’t have time to shop and cook healthy, Freeman issues the following challenge.

“Take 30 minutes and plan your next seven dinners,” she advises. “Once you have your seven dinners planned, write out a grocery list. I’ve found that when the clients I work with plan their meals and have the ingredients on hand, meal prep is not so demanding, nor intimidating. This is where working with a dietician can assist folks, not only in providing ideas for easy meal prep of healthful food but also encouraging them in taking right-sized steps to overcome a rather daunting task.”

And don’t underestimate the importance of hydration!

“Water should be the primary beverage of choice,” says Freeman. “The Institutes of Medicine recommend 91 ounces of total water per day for women and 125 ounces total water per day for men.”

Arthritis:

Red bell peppers

Carrots

Berries

Oranges

Pumpkin

Turmeric

Sweet potatoes

Squash

Onion

Garlic

Blood sugar (to help stabilize):

Low-fat dairy products

Beans/legumes

Turkey

Brain health:

Ground flaxseed

Walnuts

Fatty fish (wild salmon, tuna, sardines, rainbow trout, char, haddock)

Shrimp

Spinach

Grapes (red and green)

Curry

Bone health:

Low-fat dairy products

Watercress

Spinach

Oregano

Tomatoes

Cholesterol (maintain healthy levels):

Whole grains (whole wheat, barley, rye, millet, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, etc.)

Beans/legumes

Walnuts

Alfalfa sprouts

Apples

Ground flaxseed

Cranberries

Kiwi fruit

Cancer:

Berries

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Beans/legumes

Pumpkin

Alfalfa sprouts

Apples

Beets

Papayas

Oranges

Ground flaxseed

Onions

Mushrooms

Grapes (red and green)

Turmeric

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Garlic

Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines)

Colon/digestive health:

Yogurt without sugar or artificial sweeteners

Curry

Bananas

Legumes

Oats

Brown rice

Quinoa

Flax seed

Nuts

Asparagus

Leeks

Onions

Garlic

Chicory

Honey

Diabetes:

Dark, leafy greens (spinach, kale, bok choy, dark lettuces, etc.)

Swiss chard

Whole grains (whole wheat, barley, rye, millet, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, etc.)

Wild salmon

Turkey breast

Soybeans

Non-fat yogurt

Apples

Onions

Garlic

Eye health/ macular degeneration:

Eggs

Dark leafy greens

Sweet potatoes

Pumpkin

Carrots

Squash

Heart disease:

Fatty fish (wild salmon, tuna, sardines, rainbow trout, char, haddock)

Shrimp

Whole grains (whole wheat, barley, rye, millet, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, etc.)

Oatmeal

Sweet potatoes

Nuts

Sunflower seeds

Berries

Bananas

Papayas

Kiwi fruit

Grapes (red and green)

Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines)

Avocados

Beets

Watercress

Spinach

Dark, leafy greens

Curry

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Onions

Garlic

Immune system (to strengthen):

Yogurt

Turkey

Berries

Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines)

Mushrooms

Sweet potatoes

Pumpkin

Carrots

Squash

Inflammation:

Beets

Ground flaxseed

Avocados

Almonds

Pecans

Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds

Sweet potatoes

Berries

Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines)

Migraines:

Omega 3-fortified eggs

Beans/legumes

Skim milk

Ground flaxseed

Spinach

Urinary tract/bladder health:

Berries

Yogurt

Sauerkraut

Apple cider vinegar

Oysters

Egg yolks

Garlic

Apples

Bananas

Grapes

Peanuts

Almonds

Brazil nuts

Cinnamon

Ground flaxseed

Sunflower seeds

Ginger

Tofu

Sources: Joy Bauer’s Food Cures, webmd.com, healthreviser.com, health.com, foxnews.com, nbcnews.com, fitday.com, lpi.oregonstate.edu