Bright green colors so healthy in the spring time. In the winter, we see only gray and browns!
The Top 20 Supplements
According to Deborah Mitchell in her book, The Complete Book of Nutritional Healing, there are 20 top Supplements that are useful in healing one’s body: Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Bioflavonoids, Calcium, Coenzyme Q10, Fiber, Folic Acid, Indole-3-carbinol, Lutein and Zeaxanthin, Lycopene, Magnesium, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Probiotics, Selenium, Vitam A/ Beta-carotene, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Zinc.
Another area of healing nutritionally are the top 80 medicinal foods. We can heal ourselves by putting these foods into our diet.
The Top 80 Medicinal Foods
Apples, almonds, Apricots, Asparagus, Avocado, Bananas, Barley, Beans, Beets. Bell Peppers, Blueberries, Broccoli, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Bulgar, Cabbage, Carrots, Cantaloupe, Cauliflower, Celery, Cinnamon, Cranberry, Dark Chocolate, Eggs, Fat-Free Milk, Figs, Flaxseed,Garlic, Ginger, Grapefruit, Grapes, Green Tea, Guava, Kefir, Lemons and Limes, Lentils, Lettuce, Lima Beans, Mangoes, Mushrooms, Oats, Olive Oil, Onions, Oranges, Papaya, Parsley, Peas, Pears, Pineapples, Pomegranate, Prunes, Pumpkin Seeds, Quinoa, Radishes, Raspberries, Red Wine, Salmon, Sea Vegetables, Soybeans/Tofu, Spinach, Squash, Strawberries. Sweet potatoes, Tempeh, Tomatoes, Tuna, Turkey, Turmeric, Turnips, Vegetable Juice, Walnuts, Watercress, Watermelon, Wheat Germ, Yogurt.
What is in store for us in our older years?
After 50 years old, here are our challenges. To go through the rest of our lives preventing various diseases from happening to us.
Thomas Edison said: The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest the patient in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of diseases.
We definitely are what we eat~
For this second part of your life, you may need to take notice of all the good foods and supplements out there that may be able to help you be successful in your path toward wellness and prevention of diseases.
The 80 plus foods and supplements that were chosen by Deborah Mitchell in her book, were chosen because research suggests that those foods and supplements may help with some of our more serious diseases that have been a medical challenge for many years- they are cancer, diabetes, stroke, obesity.
Most of the chosen foods are nutrient dense. This means the amount of nutrients a food contains is high when compared with the number of calories it provides. And if you want to optimize this nutritional value of foods, buy organic.
Some more information on Supplements:
Alpha-Lipoic Acid- A sulfur-containing fatty acid present in every cell of the body. It is not a vitamin, because our bodies can manufacture it. Its function- to generate energy. It is also a potent antioxidant that has a special ability to function in both water and fat soluble environments, therefore, it can enhance the activities of both water and fat soluble vitamins. ALA can improve symptoms of diabetes such as neuropathy and retinopathy. APA improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in people with type 2 diabetes.
ALA is helpful in the prevention and treatment of age related memory loss and dementia. And some research suggests ALA can help in weight reduction by reducing the desire to eat and slightly increasing metabolism.
Taking ALA supplements may also reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cataracts because this nutrient inhibits lipid peroxidation- a process in which free radicals damage fat cells.
ALA may offer some protection against nerve cell damage associated with stroke.
How much ALA do we need- No daily requirements have been established. Many health care practitioners recommend 25-50 mg per day to maintain health.
Keeping yourself healthy and well: You are going older and you need more nutrients
We need to begin preventive work in order to stay healthy and well in our older years. Begin to take a look what your body needs. Put some nutrient-dense foods into your body.
Taken in part from: Mitchel D. (2008). The Complete Book of Nutritional Healing: The Top Medicinal Foods and Supplements and the Disease They Treat. New York, NY. St. Martin’s.