Healing Foods
by Majid Ali, MD
This article was provided by:
Aging Healthfully Magazine
Note: The information on this website is presented for educational purposes only.
It is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified professional.
Following is a section of foods with special healing value that we recommend you use as frequently as two to four times a week:
Broccoli: restores bowel ecology, strengthens the immune system, contains organic sulfur compounds such as indole carbinol (which breaks down estrogen) and beta carotene, an important antioxidant.
Burdock: has long established empirical values in improving digestive and absorptive functions in the stomach and bowel. It speeds up the bowel transit time and so facilitates restoration of the bowel ecosystem.
Celery: contains muscle-friendly phthalate and is helpful in normalizing fat metabolism. Celery is also beneficial for joint symptoms and for related disorders such as bursitis and fibrositis.
Daikon: has a long-established empirical value in maintaining a healthy bowel ecology.
Flaxseed: contains linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that reduces the formation of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins of PG-2 series. These prostaglandins induce inflammatory responses in the lungs (asthma), the joints (arthritis), the skin (psoriasis), and other body organs. Prostaglandins may also contribute to the development of tumors. Flaxseed is a cereal grain that Europeans and Canadians consume in large quantities in their cereals and breads.
Garlic: contains allicin and some other sulfur compounds that restore bowel ecology, prevent yeast overgrowth, thin blood, and prevent platelet clumping. It appears to act as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent, and reduces the risk of cancer.
Ginger: contains natural alkaloids that precipitate out (and render harmless) most environmental pollutants in drinking water. (See note about ginger root water in the beverage section of this chapter.) It has a long-established empirical value in restoring altered bowel ecology. Ginger also reduces inflammation in arthritis.
Grapefruit: contains pectin, the gelling agent present in the peel and membrane, which lowers cholesterol and facilitates blood flow in arteries. Pectin also appears to prevent blood clotting in arteries.
Klongi: (onion seeds) are well known in Pakistan as immune-enhancing spices.
Soybean: is an excellent source of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, molybdenum and others. It is rich in essential life span oils and high-quality proteins. Predigestion of food is an old discovery of man. Perhaps no food has more intrigued man in his pursuit of predigested food than soybean. Tofu, tofu p’i, tofu kan, tempeh, toya, natto, and kabitofu are some of the soy-derived staple foods in the Far East. I have observed extraordinary benefits of some positively-charged components of soybeans in restoring damaged bowel ecosystems, as I suspect the ancients did when I look at their inventiveness with this grain.
Squashes: have a long-established empirical role in improving digestive and absorptive functions. These vegetables are useful in restoring bowel ecology and decreasing bowel transit time (prevention of constipation and toxic effects of prolonged bowel transit time).
Turmeric: has been used in Pakistan, India, and the Far East since ancient times as a spice that prevents food from spoiling. Curcumin, the major yellow pigment in turmeric and mustard, is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that has recently been shown to have antineoplastic properties.
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