"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."
- Hippocrates (400 BC)
Today, there is a lot of attention paid to "bad" foods and foods that are detrimental
to our health and perhaps not enough said about the healthful ones. It is very easy
to focus on our worst nutritional habits and forget that some of the most delicious
and healthy foods are ones we eat on a weekly basis and don't even realize their
benefits.
Foods like garlic, tomatoes, almonds, walnuts, yogurt and oatmeal, as well as many
others, are known as
functional foods, or foods that provide health benefits and/or reduce the
risk of disease in addition to basic nutrition.
Take tomatoes. Tomatoes are high in Vitamin C, an important nutrient for health,
and researchers have also found that eating tomatoes and tomato products may decrease
the risk for developing cancers due to the functional component lycopene. Many fruits
and vegetables are considered nutritional powerhouses and this is attributed to
components of their pigment (which gives them their color) called antioxidants.
That is why eating a "colorful" diet is a simple way to consume a variety of functional
foods.
A clove of garlic a day may help reduce blood pressure and decrease cholesterol
levels. Garlic may also boost your immune system, increasing your resistance to
infection and stress. To get the immune power from garlic, crush the cloves with
the flat side of a knife before adding them to your food. This releases the garlic
juice, which has great immune properties.
Dairy products like yogurt and acidophilus milk contain probiotics. Foods that contain
probiotics - live cultures of various strains of beneficial bacteria- are showing
great promise in a variety of clinical and laboratory studies for their ability
to boost the immune system, ease gastrointestinal problems, protect against different
types of cancer and battle other ills to help us achieve optimal health. While the
facts are still coming in, so far the news is good about these friendly, health-enhancing
bacterial cultures added to certain foods.
Oatmeal makes a great whole-grain, high-fiber, low-fat breakfast. It is quick to
prepare and is a good source of iron. And, when served with milk, it is a great
source of calcium too. A big bowl of oatmeal every day has been proven to lower
cholesterol. In fact, high-fiber diets in general have been shown to slash the risk
of heart disease and to aid in weight management.
Tips for adding functional foods to your meals:
-
Try grilled salmon, which is rich is omega-3 fatty acids, and serve fresh greens
with a yogurt-based garlic salad dressing
-
Stir fry vegetables with extra garlic
-
Add extra tomato sauce and spinach when ordering pizza
-
Choose a fresh apple or juicy orange for dessert
-
Mix canned tuna with grated carrots, red peppers, onions and garlic
-
Be adventurous!
Snack for Health
Healthy snacking is also a great way to consume more functional foods. And, healthy
snacking keeps blood-sugar levels stable and helps prevent overeating at meals.