The old cliché that you are what you eat is quite true. Many people suffer from certain health conditions that even though may not be cured, can be controlled through your diet. All foods have certain qualities that affect the body in different ways. Nutrients are broken down and used in different ways, allowing your body to use them how it desires.
Herbs have been forever rumored to help your body reach its full potential, but they are not the only answer. Your grocery list has foods on them that can help whatever ails you, but you'll want to alter them just a little. Many of the foods we eat are processed, but they are really over processed. Chemical additives are in the foods, but you might not even know it. The Food and Drug Administration's restrictions on food labeling might be a little more lax than you thought.
Ingredients need to be listed on the nutritional facts label on food packaging, but ingredients that make up the ingredients don't necessarily get listed. This can create problems if you are trying to avoid certain substances for health reasons.
How Gout was Controlled Through Healthy Foods
My story has taken place over the last twenty two months. I was faced with gout as a twenty five year old, much younger than the average male dealing with it. Gout is a form of arthritis that affects the joints like the big toe, ankles, and knees. My gout affected both of my big toes. Gouty arthritis is a very painful condition; a bed sheet is too heavy to be placed on the toe. The toe swells and it is nearly impossible to walk, let alone wear shoes. It comes on without warning, lasting up to two weeks.
In the initial trip to the doctor's office, I was diagnosed with gout. All the usual symptoms. I could either wait it out or take a pill everyday to control it. The culprit is purines in foods, and the kidneys' inability to eliminate uric acid which comes from purines in the digestive process. Purines are found in red meat, bacon, beer, red wine, pastas, and everything else I enjoy on a regular basis. The list is quite long.
I refuse to take a prescription drug for the rest of my life. I don't even like to take aspirin. How can I change my diet without eliminating my favorite foods?
Diet Experimentation
Working in restaurants my entire life has given me the ability to cook and lots of food knowledge. I took this info to the grocery store. I discovered an excellent organic food store one city over. What organics offer is purity. The foods are not shelf stable for long as long as those in the conventional grocery stores, but I don't care. I know what is in the food. A red pepper is made from pepper plants grown in organic soil with no preservative chemicals or wax coatings. My grocery bills are a little more expensive, but the health care costs I avoid offset the difference.
Through my experimentation with food, I realized that I really didn't need to change my diet. My gout is caused from nitrates and other chemicals that are used to preserve red meat, bacon, and other foods. All natural bacon that is not preserved with nitrates does not affect the gout. I used to feel it coming on as I ate the old foods.
Reveal Your Food Aids
The body really does have the ability to heal itself; you just have to let it. Capsaicin, which is found in peppers from the bell variety to jalapeño to chilies, is noted to help soothe inflammation from arthritis. They will work from the inside or the outside in paste form. There are foods that will work to help whatever ails you.
Any lesson to be learned is experimentation. Many of us are too quick to accept the prescription drug in our lives, but there are too many side effects. They are hard on the body and the digestive system, which can create more problems. A simple diet is better.
When you are at the store, just think about what they ate one hundred years ago. Did they eat at fast food restaurants and make dinner out of boxes? Processed foods can last literally years and years before getting old. Doesn't that sound unreal? Organic foods without chemicals will not last as long, and you'll have to make more trips to the store or farmer's market. In my case, I think it is worth the extra effort. If I don't need a prescription drug to control the gout, I'll do it.
Robb Ksiazek writes and publishes valuable information at Body-Mass-Index-4U.com. He researches and practices health and wellness, and believes the mind, body, and soul work in unison toward a fulfilled life.
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the... Read More
Toxic metals exist in our environment as pollutants in our... Read More
The Benefits of SnackingYou may feel regretful about snacking, but... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential to the development... Read More
They sit left behind on relish trays. They're often by-passed... Read More
People want to get the very best they can when... Read More
What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain... Read More
Health food or heart attack on a plate? Eggs had... Read More
Our bodies need cholesterol. We use cholesterol to produce vitamin... Read More
Flaxseeds may be the smallest seeds you will find in... Read More
I'm willing to bet you probably haven't heard the word... Read More
Some people say to themselves, junk food is not that... Read More
Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply... Read More
Water is the single most important element for human existence,... Read More
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed.... Read More
PROTEIN DEFICIENT? CHANCES ARE YOU ARE!Did you know that 9... Read More
What is the Atkins diet and how can it help... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
Your magnificent machine is, in fact, a symbiotic collection of... Read More
Although you may have heard about soy and all of... Read More
"It's not what you eat, it's what's eating you that... Read More
Post nasal drip is a sensation of mucous build up... Read More
Picture yourself in one of the following scenarios.You're cruising along... Read More
Beverages - and not just alcohol - are a significant... Read More
Since the 1930's the western diet has dramatically changed. This... Read More
Many low carb dieters fall victim to "carb creep," which... Read More
Summer is the time when we sweat highly and beating... Read More
East Meets WestAsian cultures have realized the medical benefits of... Read More
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or... Read More
We sometimes hear about ways that we can take care... Read More
I am going to share with you possibly the most... Read More
Last year I had a number of clients who started... Read More
Bright white teeth and fresh breath does not necessarily... Read More
One of the biggest mistakes many new bodybuilders make is... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat could be... Read More
It is always amazing to me when I find a... Read More
The most dreaded word in many dieter's vocabulary is 'fat'.... Read More
The Mediterranean Diet is now recognized as one of the... Read More
Flaxseeds may be the smallest seeds you will find in... Read More
Ionized minerals, colloidal minerals, chelated minerals . . . What... Read More
Fruit Advantage Tart Cherry capsules are a nutritious, all-natural alternative... Read More
During the Second World War, the Germans used fluoride as... Read More
Did you know the average American gains 5-7 pounds every... Read More
Strict "no carb" phases of low carb diets have developed... Read More
Food in general has the distinction of being probably the... Read More
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. American's... Read More
With all the news about Splenda of late and the... Read More
Omega-3 appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A... Read More
If you do not take time to stand back at... Read More
You are what you eat is a simple, time tested... Read More
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the... Read More
NutrientsFat, Sugar, Sodium and CarbohydrateThe sections on a food label... Read More
Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant... Read More
You must add some fresh cherries, which are now in... Read More
The debate regarding Fluoride continues to rage, is it good... Read More
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the healthiest of them... Read More
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the... Read More
After we have eaten a meal -- and often we... Read More
In the last twenty years, a huge and growing body... Read More
It slows ageing, promotes healthy vision, has anti-cancer properties, increases... Read More
Dr. Arthur Agatston, the cardiologist who developed South Beach Diet... Read More
Cherries?A Supercharged FruitThe little red fruit that has been enjoyed... Read More
Niacin, also called nicotinic acid, is a member of the... Read More
This is such a busy time of year, isn't it?... Read More
What is the best protein powder to buy? I get... Read More
Nutrition |