Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.
Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
Hippocrates the father of modern medicine said this about
2,500 years ago and it was practiced by our ancestors to stay healthy. However,
in the past 200 years the new modern life style has made it difficult for us to
follow this old adage. With intelligent reasoning and common sense it is possible
to follow Hippocrates’s advice and preserve our health
.
The measures we need to take are simple but its positive
effects on our health can be tremendous.
Whole grains food: Our
ancestors ate whole grains. For longer shelf life of foods our industries are processing
foods, thus removing vital nourishments and fiber from the grain by removal of
bran and endosperm. Remaining processed grain contains very high percentage of
starch. This is claimed to be the higher incidence of diabetes, heart diseases
Alzheimer’s and cancers. Starch turns into glucose that spikes insulin secretion,
which increases triglycerides and plaques in our arteries.
Fresh vegetables: Eat
as fresh vegetables as best as possible. The veggies should be green, leafy and
colorful. More color will usually mean better antioxidants. If you can consume
raw, well washed vegetables, it is better still. To increase the yield the
agriculturists have been using excessive fertilizers and pesticides. Many chemicals
are new, untested and even totally unknown causing diseases.
Meat form grass fed
animals: Grass fed animals provide better omega 3 essential fatty acids. Meat
from animals fed on corn and artificially fattened animals provides fewer omega
3 and also contain inferior quality of micronutrients. Such foods also cause
inflammation in body, which is touted for many modern illnesses.
Poultry products:
These are also different in quality when compared to farm raised versus poultry
raised chickens. Free range raised chicken eggs provide better omega 3 and nutrition
than overcrowded poultry farm raised birds. Poultry farm also has problems of possibilities
of infections. A lot of discussion is also taking place about the unhygienic
and unacceptable conditions of poultry farms.
Fish consumption:
Try and eat fatty fish once or twice a week. This also should be preferably from
wild stock instead of farm raised. Fish is rich in anti-inflammatory essential
fatty acid like Omega 3. Water pollution from industrial wastes contains a lot
of PCB and high levels of mercury, which gets to us through fish and we should
be mindful of this.
Ultra violet rays of
sun for Vitamin D: Almighty has made sun available to the universe. Ultra
violet rays of sun light makes Vitamin D in our skin. Recently we are getting habituated
to live in air conditioned homes and indoor offices all day resulting to our
exposure to sun to minimum. It is estimated that half the population of the USA
is Vitamin D deficient because of this. It is claimed that vitamin D is not
only a vitamin but a hormone because unlike other vitamins it is produced in
our body. It is said to affect every cell of the body
SUMMARY:
In the name of modernization and conveniences we have either
overlooked the importance of quality of our food. . Some experts believe that
high incidence of cancer, ADD, Alzheimer’s, depression, diabetes and heart
diseases is partly attributed to our attitude to the quality of food. We need to learn some simple hints to follow
the healthful advice Hippocrates. These are as follows:
10 simple hints to keep ourselves healthy and avoid diseases:
1
11. Eat fresh vegetables, preferably raw.
22. Consume only whole grains.
33. Stay away from Starch, Salt and Saturated fats.
44. Consume Mono and Polysachurated fats and only
sparingly Saturated fats.
55. Consume a lot of antioxidants from Vit C, fruits
and vegetables.
66. Consume a lot of nuts containing
anti-inflammatory Omega 3.
77. Consume enough micronutrients and vitamins.
88. Put in habit daily exercises, cardio and weight
lifting both.
99. Keep your weight to ideal level.
110. Stay away from radiation, ionizing and electromagnetic
both.
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