21 October 2005


'Let food be your medicine and medicine your food.' - Hippocrates

This quote from Hippocrates is maybe more relevant today as it was back in his time. We need to take a look at the foods we are eating and take care in our choices. 'You are what you eat' is another quote we hear often and it is true.

The food we eat affects us in so many ways - mentally, emotionally and of course physically.
We all know about eating a good healthy diet, but there are so many dietary temptations out there these days it's easy to get off the track. Just to give us all a reminder of how important what food we eat is, I thought I would list a few common foods and their disease fighting powers.

APPLE: Reduces cholesterol, contains anti-cancer agents.
Has antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, estrogenic activity. High in fibre, helps avoid constipation, suppresses appetite.

AVOCADO: Benefits arteries. Lowers cholesterol, dilates blood vessels. It's main fat, monounsaturated oleic acid, acts as an antioxidant to block artery-destroying toxicity of bad-type LDL cholesterol.

BANANA: Soothes the stomach. Good for dyspepsia (upset
stomachs) Strengthens the stomach lining against acid and ulcers. Has antibiotic activity.

BROCCOLI: Abundant in numerous strong antioxidants.
Extremely high ant-icancer activity, particularly against lung, colon and breast cancer. It speeds up removal of oestrogen from the body, helping suppress breast cancer.
Rich in cholesterol-reducing fibre. Has antiviral, anti- ulcer activity, a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.

CABBAGE and Bok Choy: Contain numerous anticancer and antioxidant compounds. Speeds up oestrogen metabolism, is thought to block breast cancer and suppress growth of polyps, a prelude to colon cancer. In studies, eating cabbage more than once a week cut men's colon cancer odds 66 percent. As little as two daily tablespoons of cooked cabbage protected against stomach cancer, contains anti- ulcer compounds. Cabbage juice can help heal ulcers.
Has anti-bacterial and anti-viral powers.

CARROT: A powerful anti-cancer, artery-protecting, immune- boosting, infection fighting antioxidant with wide protective powers. A carrot a day slashed strokes rates in women by 68%. One medium carrot's worth of beta carotene cuts lung cancer risk in half. Carrots' high soluble fibre depresses cholesterol, promotes regularity.

DATES: High in natural aspirin. Has a laxative effect.
Dried fruits are linked to lower rates of certain cancers, especially pancreatic cancer.

FISH AND FISH OILS: Intervenes in heart disease, preventing heart attack deaths ( 2 servings a week) Oil in fish can relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, asthma, psoriasis, high blood pressure, Raynaud's Disease, migraine headaches, ulcerative colitis. May help ward off strokes. A known anti-inflammatory agent and anti-coagulant.
Raises good type HDL cholesterol. Slashes triglycerides dramatically. May help guard against development of glucose intolerance and Type II diabetes. Some fish are high in antioxidants, such as Selenium and co-enzyme Q10. Exhibits anticancer activity especially in blocking development of colon cancer and spread of breast cancer. Note: Fish highest in Omega-3 fatty acids appear most protective: These include sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon, tuna. (Sardines are high in oxalates, so should be avoided by those susceptible to kidney stones and gout.)

PINEAPPLE: Suppresses inflammation. Both the fruit and a main constituent, an antibacterial enzyme called Bromelain, are anti-inflammatory. Pineapple aids digestion, helps dissolve blood clots and is good for preventing osteoporosis and bone fractures because of its very high manganese content. It is also anti-bacterial and antiviral and mildly oestrogenic.

YOGHURT: An ancient wonder food, strongly antibacterial and anticancer. A cup or two of yoghurt a day boosts immune functioning by stimulating production of gamma interferon. Also spurs activity of natural killer cells that attack viruses and tumours. Helps prevent and cure diarrhoea. A daily cup of yoghurt with acidophilus cultures prevents vaginitis (yeast
infections) in women. Helps fight bone problems, such as osteoporosis, because of high available calcium content.
Acidophilus cultures neutralize cancer-causing agents in the intestinal tract.

Reading this, I hope makes you think a little about your diet. Food can be such an amazing medicine. Getting all the important nutrients makes so much difference. So many times, as a Naturopath, I will see someone and they will need so many nutrients, that to give them supplements that include everything would be over costly and ridiculous. The diet is the answer. If we concentrate on a good healthy diet, as you can see from the above examples, so much illness could be avoided.

(Excerpts from this article come from 'Food - Your Miracle Medicine' by Jean Carper)

Andrea Putting

09 October 2005

Feeding Kids


Feeding kids is a battle most parents know about. How do you get them to eat good healthy food?

The important thing is not to stress when they don’t want to eat. Small children, in particular, follow their instincts when it comes to eating. Sometimes they need a lot; sometimes they just don’t need much. Trying to bribe them with things that aren’t a normal part of their diet, in the long run, will do more harm than good.

Food can soon become a source of power for the young child, a way of getting what they want, a way of manipulating you. Never use food as a bribe.

When offering different foods to a child, just so they will eat something, the idea of not listening to your bodies needs is introduced. We are on our way to developing fussy eaters. A vicious cycle has begun.

I have heard of many different eating patterns of children, and it is obvious where these eating patterns have begun. One family, the children wouldn’t eat vegetables unless they were smothered in honey. You must ask “Where did they get the idea of putting honey on their vegetables in the first place?” Other kids won’t eat anything but junk food; they have to have their daily supply of chips and/or lollies.

Getting your children to eat a good healthy diet very much depends on you. They will learn from you and eat what you eat. The best way to ensure that they are not filling up on unhealthy food is simply, not to have it in the house. If you like to have a little treat, make it that. Have one “treat" once a week. Make it special, not an everyday occurrence.

Kids, who don’t have a regular diet of sweet things, really don’t develop a sweet tooth. This I have also seen many times. We never had sweet biscuits in the house when our kids were young. Now at19 and 17, they just don’t eat sweet biscuits, well except for a very occasional chocolate biscuit. They used to feel insulted as small children when they went out and all that was offered to the children was cordial and biscuits. I couldn’t count the number of times they came to me when we were out and said “Mum, but there’s nothing to eat”

I know kids who don’t like chocolate, as it has never been a part of their diet, or won’t drink frizzy drinks, as they just haven’t had them offered to them at home.

It is important thing to give your child choices, but you can decide what those choices are. Offer them good wholesome food. Have lots of fresh fruit available. Dried fruits are also very popular with kids. Vegetable sticks are great, give them something to dip them in, like peanut butter and it makes them more interesting. Freshly popped popcorn is always fun and popular. There are many snacks available that are healthy and tasty that your kids will enjoy.

Take time to enjoy your eating time with your family. Teach your children the pleasures of good food and the fun you can share together in preparation for a meal. Make it an experience.