4 Natural Healing Foods That Should Be in Your Kitchen Right Now!

by Dr. K.J. McLaughlin

The great thing about nutrition is that there are some foods which can offer some amazing health benefits. These foods are diverse as are their effects upon the human body. These natural healing foods provide the internal chemical environment which can allow the body to maintain and flourish, despite the constant challenges we continually face that can compromise our health and well-being.

Here are a few excellent natural healing foods you should eat.

Fish

Fish, especially oily fish, can do some remarkable things inside your body due to the fact that it contains a high concentration of the essential omega-3 fats. This type of essential fat can lower levels of inflammation which can damage blood vessels, encourage pain, damage brain tissue and cause insulin resistance.

The consumption of natural healing foods like oily fish (for example, salmon, mackerel and sardines) can also lower blood pressure, blood sugar and help prevent blood clots.

The omega-3 fats in essential natural healing foods like fish can improve the function of your arteries by preventing the adhesion of damaging molecules to the artery wall including LDL cholesterol and calcium.

I recommend consuming two to three servings of oily fish every week.

Garlic

Another natural healing food is garlic. Garlic is considered an herb and contains chemicals called allicin which have very important properties. Garlic can stimulate the immune system and hence has been used for centuries to fight infections.

It can also lower cholesterol, help prevent excessive blood clotting, and can lower inflammation, which makes garlic a great natural healing food.

Garlic can lower blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, and act as a powerful antioxidant.

This natural healing food can also greatly improve the flavor of various dishes and can be consumed raw or cooked.

Add garlic to your list of natural healing foods. I recommend consuming at least one to two cloves of raw garlic in your cooking every several days.

Green Tea

Green tea is an important drink because it contains special chemicals known as catechins which have some very important health-promoting properties, hence why green tea is one of the natural healing foods you should eat.

Catechins are polyphenol compounds that can reduce blood pressure, lower high levels of inflammation, and prevent the “bad” LDL cholesterol from attaching to the inside of your artery walls.

The catechin epigallocatechin gallate has received a great deal of research interest in the last two decades as the intake of green tea has been associated with lower rates of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

This chemical has been shown to be a potent antioxidant capable of anti-carcinogenic activity. Add green tea to your favorite natural healing foods. I recommend drinking at least two to three cups per day of this nutritional natural healing food.

Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil has some very important medicinal qualities worth examining, which is why it’s considered a natural healing food. This oil is an important part of the Mediterranean diet that millions of people in the Middle East and southern Europe regularly consume.

This diet is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, and diabetes. Extra virgin olive oil is an excellent source of antioxidants which can help protect the cells of the vascular system from damaging free radicals.

This natural healing food also contains the omega-9 fats which are very important for lowering blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation. Extra virgin olive oil has also been known to stabilize blood sugar, reduce blood clotting and improve insulin sensitivity.

The ideal, recommended intake of extra virgin olive oil is two tablespoons per day used as a salad dressing or condiment.

Source(s) for Today’s Article:
Panico, S., etal.,“Mediterranean dietary pattern and chronic diseases,”Cancer Treat Res 2014;159: 69-81. Bonaccio, M., et al.,“The Mediterranean diet: the reasons for a success,” Thromb Res. March 2012;129(3):401-4.

Dr. K.J.McLaughlin is a chiropractor with 27 years of clinical experience. In addition, he has degrees in physical education, nutrition and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with an interest in anti-aging medicine. He has also spent time studying health promotion and the effect that health education has upon health outcomes.  Dr. McLaughlin has a diverse professional background which has involved clinical management, teaching, health promotion and health coaching and brings a unique passion to his work.