We all know there are things we should eat and things we should not. I have often wondered why the things we should not eat taste so good.
I remember when our grandson, Andrew, who was 6 years old at the time, came to visit us in Kentucky with his mom and dad. Andrew and his dad went into the village about 10 am to run some errands and returned home about 1 pm. Upon their arrival, Andrew proudly announced, "Don't get us any lunch Oma Granny, we ate in town, but we could not find any good restaurants so we ate junk!" Which meant they ate at one of the many fast food chains near out interstate junction?
I love good food and especially vegetables when they are cooked correctly. Over my many working years I have eaten in more good and bad eateries in many parts of the world and when my busy schedule was overloaded I too ate "junk".
However, in 1992, when I was diagnosed with cancer I had time to reflect on the statement, "you are what you eat". After really radical surgery and given a possible death sentence of 6 months or so, I spent a great deal of my time thinking, researching and getting ready to go to the "big garden" in the sky!
Over that time and now way past that time I have learned a few things that I think have helped me by radically changing my diet. I took a lot of stuff out and added a lot of stuff back. Most of the stuff I took out was meat. Many of the things I put back were tons of fruits and vegetables since diets rich in fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic disease. Now this was sort of closing the barn door after the horse had run off, but what the heck did I have to lose since all the medical field was talking about chemotherapy, drugs and that kind of stuff and I was bound and determined these last 6 months they were talking about was not going to be under those conditions.
Besides going on a regime of vitamins and herbs, tomatoes were one of them as they are a natural source of Antioxidants that promote good health. What are Antioxidants? Antioxidants are nutrients that protect the body cells and tissues from damage. They also provide a good source of vitamins A and C which play an important role in vision and skin health, and support one's healthy immune system. Lycopene is a powerful, natural Antioxidant that gives tomatoes their bright red color.
I learned that cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and kale contain compounds that might prevent cancer or stop enzymes from the activation of cancer-causing agents in our bodies, plus these compounds increase the activity of enzymes that disable and eliminate carcinogens.
Also these vegetables help with liver detoxification because cruciferous vegetables contain both thiocyanates, glucosinolates, sulforaphane and isothiocyanate. It has been scientifically proven that these compounds increase the liver's ability to neutralize potentially toxic substances and it has been proven that potentially toxic molecules must be properly and rapidly detoxified in the liver or they will damage cell membranes and molecules such as DNA within the cell nucleus. Once these cells and molecules are damaged it can start a chain reaction that may eventually lead to carcinogenesis-cell deregulation and uncontrolled growth.
Many studies and information come from outside the United States where it is not controlled by the big pharmaceutical companies and that is where we should be looking for the latest news that states that studies include 29% less risk of lung, colon, ovarian, breast and even bladder cancer in controlled groups that eat only fruit and vegetables.
Remember the old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Cardiovascular health is improved by apples in any from whether it be an apple eaten raw or drinking pure apple juice. Apples act as antioxidants against the damaging portion of cholesterol in one's blood stream. In Japan it has been proven that apple pectin can decrease colon cancer and we know that apple fiber helps us clean out the intestinal tract in our bodies. At the University Of Florida College Of Medicine it was discovered that pectin apple fiber will increase the acidity in our large intestines. Again it has been proven that the pectin in apples in any form is good for diabetics and for regulating blood pressure, plus it aids those suffering from ulcers and colitis.
Bananas are a great form of fiber and potassium. Oranges and grapefruit and most citrus are also a great form of fiber and are good sources of vitamin C, A, magnesium, copper and niacin. Grapefruits offer lots of calcium, potassium, and magnesium as well as trace amounts of iron and zinc plus a full range of B vitamins with the exception of vitamin B12 and contain about 28 mcg of folic acid all things our bodies constantly need.
Asparagus are not only the most nutritionally balanced vegetable it is the leading supplier of folic acid. We in the United States cook the heck out of most vegetables including asparagus. When we are done cooking we generally throw the water it is cooked in away. What I have done over the years is to drain the water into a jar and freeze it, then add the next batch of cooled down veggie water and add that and freeze, continually adding until I get to the top of this jar of multicolored multi-vitamin packed jar of goodies which is then used as soup stock.
To make a long story short here, we can maintain a good healthy body system or make an un-well body healthier by adding at least 5 to 8 fruits and vegetables a day to our food intake. Raw veggies, well washed if you cannot find, afford or grow organic ones are the best, al-dente cooked ones are better than cooking them to death.
Instead of trying to cure old un-well bodies start by teaching one's children the benefits of eating these types of foods. It will be hard to compete with happy toy meals etc, but remember you control the purse strings.
Organic gardening is one of the many ways to help yourself and your family on the road to better health.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with
Peace, Light and Love,
Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com
