Let Food Be Your Medicine

Emotional stress may be a HUGE problem in the world today, but we should not forget about other stressors that also effect our health, many of which we have some control over, such as the quality of foods we consume! It’s no secret that America has the greatest choice of foods to eat in the world! It’s also no secret (but it’s not that well known) that America has some of the poorest “quality” foods in the world. In an effort to promote shelf life and appeal to the shopper’s eye (e.g. profits), foods today are processed less for health than for corporate interests. Today our foods are laden with synthetic chemicals (e.g., herbicides, fungicides, pesticides and fertilizers, many of which are made from petro-chemicals) that are not only not natural, they are not healthy for human consumption (FYI: there is thought to be a HUGE connection between these chemicals and the increased rates of cancer and other chronic diseases in the past 40 years). Add to the mix the onslaught of hormones and antibiotics that are pumped into our meats and what we have, in a word, is STRESS, to the body. As these chemicals linger in the body (mostly in fat tissue) they tend to cause all kinds of problems with proper cell metabolism. Hippocrates, Greek luminary and the father of modern medicine, is credited as saying: “Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food.” This is a great rule to live by! Organic food is the path of least resistance when it comes to a low stress diet. And… as I always tell my college students, “Eat at least one meal a day for your immune system.” Knowledge is power and its time to become knowledge about the foods you eat!

• Stress Tip for the Day:
The World Health Organization recommends about 40 grams of fiber per day. Estimates suggest that the average American eats about 8 grams per day. AND … there is not a lot of fiber in iceberg lettuce! The summer season is a great time to eat a balance of fruits and veggies that not only contain essential vitamins and minerals but also non-digestible fiber that, in essence, cleans out your GI track reducing the risk of colon cancer. When possible, please consider eating organic foods.

• Links Worth Noting:
There are many websites that address many topics of nutrition. Here are a few of my favorites:

http://www.drweil.com/u/Home/index.html

http://healthletter.tufts.edu/

http://nutrition.about.com/

http://www.organicconnection.net/nutritional.html

http://www.omega-3info.com/faqs.htm#4

• Photo of the Day:
A colorful photo of fresh broccoli. FYI… when cooking vegetables like broccoli, its always best to steam them, as plopping them in water results in the essential water soluble vitamins and minerals being leached into the water, which often get thrown down the drain.

• Quote for the Day:
“Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as the main threat to human health. The diseases we’re beginning to see as the major causes of death as we begin the 21st century are diseases of chemical origin.” —Rick Irvin, Toxicologist, Texas A&M University

Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and stress and human spirituality. He is the author of over 10 books including the bestsellers, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward, The Art of Calm, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart and Managing Stress (6E). He can be reached through his website:www.brianlukeseaward.net

© Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.