Food as Medicine

The word to describe food used for medicinal purposes is a rather catchy one: neutraceuticals. Although all the foods listed below are available in your supermarkets or health food store, without even stepping foot into them, you are already partaking in the food’s benefits. That’s because being mindful is the first stage of evolving to the best that you can be.

• Allicin: Found in garlic, leeks and onions, this may lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, and has been associated with prolongation of bleeding and clotting time. A natural way to rid ourselves of a vaginal yeast infection is to place a garlic clove (cut off the sharp ends, fluff it up some) into the vagina. The book Garlic by Henrich Hawk and Larry Dawson is excellent.

• Capsaicin: Found in chili peppers, this may block pain signals. When made into a topical cream, it has helped to alleviate the devastating pain known as herpes zoster, better known as shingles. Just be sure to apply it with rubber gloves, because if you touch your eyes or genitals, you will burn. Red pepper capsules can also be used as an aid, along with goldenseal and Echinacea, for upper respiratory infections.

• Genistein: Found in soybeans, this important substance may protect against osteoporosis and other menopausal symptoms. It may reduce the risk of breast cancer. Remember that the lowest incidence of breast cancer in the world is in Japan, where women consume large amounts of soy projects. Once they assimilate into our American culture and partake in the SAD (Standard American diet), Japanese women become at risk just as our American women. You may be interested to know that many of our estrogen products are synthesized from soybeans.

• Indoles: Found in cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale and broccoli, they may boost immune function and protect us against breast, ovarian, and other forms of cancer.

• Lycopene-For all you lovers of Italian food, take joy that this can be found in tomatoes, as well as watermelon and red grapefruit. Tomatoes, however, are a member of the nightshade family, along with potatoes, peppers and eggplant, a category of food best avoided by folks with arthritis. Foods with lycopene may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, as well as colon cancer and cardiovascular disease.

• Saponins: Found in soybeans, lentils and chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), they may lower blood cholesterol and may slow the replication of cancer cells.