Foods That Heal
Garlic
Super Immune System Booster - For thousands of years, garlic has been used as both a food, and as a medicinal herb, and with good reason. Garlic contains an amino acid called "alliin". This acts as an antibacterial and antifungal. Eaten regularly, garlic is said to help prevent heart desease, lower blood cholesterol, wash out fats, and increse the protective HDL's (high-densitylipoproteins) while decreasing the heart damaging LDL's (low-density lipoproteins) Garlic is also able to inhibit clot formation, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Garlic has been used for treating high blood pressure, and has been made note of in several studies regarding anticancer activity.
It has also been shown that garlic may slow or stop the growth of various fungi and molds, including: Candida albicans, a yeast that causes vaginitis and a wide variety of health problems.
Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus carried by dust, which causes a disease similar to tuberculosis. One of the most exciting effects of garlic is its ability to detoxify the body, which in turn, further boosts the immune system.
This may be surprising, but another wonderfood which is far too often
overlooked is:
Onion
Immunologists have found that the onion is an anti-thrombotic known to inhibit blood clots and also acts as a serious stimulant for weak heart
muscles in cardiovascular ailments. The onion bulb develops a substance of sulfuric acid known as "alliin". (Sound familiar?) The onion is also a source of "quercetin" which is an anti-cancer substance
that fights bacterial invasion. DID YOU KNOW?
The average person hosts up to FIVE POUNDS of bacteria in the colon! The quercetin in onions and other yellow vegetables helps to regulate and eliminate the danger this poses to your health and immune system. Include several garlic cloves together with several small onions in yourdaily diet. They add flavor to salads, sauces, salsa, and entrees. To combat the effects of odor on your breath, chew raw carrot sticks after your meal,or chew peppermint leaves that you grow in your herb garden, or in a pot on your kitchen window.
Out-of-Shape Immune Systems
We all know the signs that prove that our bodies are "out of shape". Our body fat increases, we tire more easily, walking short distances can tire us or cause us to be short of breath, and we usually find it hard to become motivated to make changes. We get depressed more easily, we don't eat right, and we don't care about exercise. What does this have to do with our immune system? ..just about everything.. When the immune system is "out of shape", we feel fatigued, we lose the
fight against depression, our hearing and eyesight begins to fail, we have
muscle aches, digestion problems, find it hard to get restful sleep, and
have no energy for even the most mundane of things. Just as we have to keep our bodies healthy, we have to do the things that will keep our immunesystems healthy.
* - Improve the diet
* - Get more sleep
* - Get the right kind of exercise in the right amounts
* - Improve the attitudes that dicate how we handle stress
9 Essential Immune Boosting Nutrients
Vitimin A and Beta-Carotene
Found in most fruits and vegetables, especially yellow - carrots, cantaloupe yams (sweet potatoes)
Protects against tumor growth and cancerous disorders
Boosts white blood cells that detoxify your system
Vitimin B6
Whole grains, potatoes, nuts, lean meats, poultry, dark leafy vegetables
Helps to distribute the needed amino acids that build and repair the
cellular walls of your immune system to resist infectious diseases
Folate
Found in legumes, salmon, dark leafy vegetables, eggs and liver (eggs and liver are high in cholesterol - consume in moderation)
Essential in the formation of cells, especially red blood cells
Vitamin C
Citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage, and other raw leafy vegetables,
strawberries, melons, kiwi (excellent source in small package - 2 kiwi
provide a day's RDA of Vitamin C) Essential to the healing of wounds, formation and maintenace of the capillary walls, guards against infection by stimulating white blood cells
Vitamin E
Wheat germ, whole grains, vegetabel oils, cereals
Strengthens the immune system at several levels. Prevents damage to cells, stimulates white blood cells. Effective and lifesaving antioxidant
Selenium
Seafoods, lean meats, poultry, eggs, whole grains, and garlic
Guards clees against damage, builds resistance to tissue breakdown and
counteracts the effects of toxic byproducts
Zinc
Whole grains, oats, seafood, eggs, meat and poultry
Boosts energy levels, is a helper in many immune functions, needed for
insulin to work and for carbohydrates to metabolize
Iron
Liver, green leafy vegetables, raisins, whole grain breads and cereals,
prune juice, wheat bran, and brewer's yeast . Oxygen carrying element of the blood, and an essential part of every cell.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Seafoods, trout, mackerel, and salmon
Valuable in increasing the activity of the white blood cells and are
important in the cleansing and detoxification of your system
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