Picture courtesy of www.pachd.com

In keeping with yesterday’s theme of getting more quality, and not just quantity, out of life, I present this article from the good folks at Experience Life Magazine. http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/november-2008/health-wellness/fix-it-foods.html?ht=

What I enjoy about articles like this is that they provide you with the tools for healthy prevention. This is not about consuming chemicals in order to cure a symptom; instead it is about eating the right foods to prevent disease and illness whose symptoms you treat. The idea of prevention parallels some of the discussion concerning the differences between Eastern and Western medicine. 

The article has some length to it, but I encourage you to read it in it entirety. Below are the highlights of those hazards our body faces daily and which foods can help your body stay healthy. Please click the link above for the details.

Toxins
The body’s detox MVP is the liver, because it filters and processes chemicals from food. To keep the liver happy, chow down on plenty of dark green vegetables. Foods like kale, seaweed and broccoli sprouts can flip on genes that detox the liver.

The gut ranks second in detox importance. To clean it out, fill it with fiber, the rough stuff in fruits, veggies, grains and legumes. Aim for a daily total of 20 to 35 grams of fiber to keep the gut squeaky clean.

Inflammation
Over time, such stealth inflammation (Unseen within the body) can snowball into a life-threatening condition, like diabetes, heart disease or even Alzheimer’s.

The most powerful inflammation-fighting foods are those high in omega-3 fatty acids, which the body needs to make hormones called prostaglandins that soothe inflammation. The richest sources of omega-3 fats are coldwater fish, such as wild salmon, sardines, trout and mackerel. Plant-based sources include walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil.

Damaged Tissue
Aging tissue is less elastic, meaning it won’t bounce back from damage like it did when it was young. While most of the body’s tissue is hidden from view, the skin is a window into how it’s holding up.

To patch up tissue, reach for protein. The body uses 20 different amino acids to make protein, and two in particular — arginine and glutamine — are lead players in tissue repair.

For more targeted tissue repair, like relieving soreness after a workout or healing a ligament tear, Shawn Talbott, PhD, a nutritional biochemist and author of The Metabolic Method suggests snacking on pineapple and papaya. Both contain proteolytic enzymes.

Suppressed Immunity
Circle back to the gut — the immune system’s mission control. The gut needs daily infusions of good bacteria to balance out the bad guys that swim in with food and multiply like gangbusters on a junk-food diet. So stock your fridge with fermented foods, like yogurt with lactobacillus acidophilus. Other foods teeming with good bacteria include kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi (a Korean dish of fermented cabbage).

Crank immunity up another notch with mushrooms. “Mushrooms are some of the most powerful immune stimulants on the planet,” says Woodson Merrell, MD, an integrative physician and the director of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City.

Acid-Alkaline Imbalance
One of the lesser-known facts about the body is that it will function better long-term if its pH level is neutral or slightly alkaline. When we tip toward increased acidity, say many experts, we force our bodies to work harder than they have to. While the body can and does automatically draw on its own alkaline reserves to correct any acid-alkaline imbalance, some experts say that the grueling process of balancing our bodily chemistry robs us of key nutrients, downgrades our cellular vitality and leaves us susceptible to a range of chronic diseases.

Balance your body’s acid-alkaline load by getting one-third of your daily calories (the equivalent of about two thirds of your total food volume) from vegetables and fruits.

Most fruits, vegetables and legumes are alkalinizing, but lemons, sweet potato, watermelon and pineapple are highly alkalinizing. Get bonus points for noshing on acid-balancing dried fruits, like raisins and dates. Meanwhile, cut down on sugar-loaded soft drinks and sweets, as well as alcohol, caffeine and processed grains.