Prevent illnesses with foods

Prevent illnesses with foods

Globally, the medical world is tending towards preventive medicine. Essentially, preventive medicine (also called preventive cure) consists of measures taken to prevent diseases or injuries, rather than curing them or treating their symptoms.

Indeed, decisive publications such as Elsevier, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and Science Direct have so much to say in this area.

One of the most respected voices in human history, Hippocrates, was quoted to have told his compatriots, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” This is a piece of advice to his listeners to not only eat for eating sake. The food must consist of elements that are not only capable of temporarily quashing hunger, but they must also be so nourishing to the body as to deny diseases any foothold.

It is odd that despite the abundance of fruits and vegetables all over the country, many families still do without fresh fruits and vegetables all the year round. If this sounds unbelievable to you, it’s probably because you are a health freak who takes nutritional values derivable from food seriously.

For instance, researchers are of the view that a lifestyle that protects heart may also reduce cancer risk; while they express certainty that a healthy lifestyle leads to healthier hormones. Again, they say, consumption of colourful fruits and vegetables may prevent or delay Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis — a debilitating disease characterised by rapidly progressive weakness, muscle atrophy, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing.

While you are not expected to ditch your doctor, it is an open secret that whenever you visit the hospital, the first question after your complaint is, ‘what medications have you taken?’ This being the case, you may treat the following tips as ‘preventive drugs’ for common ailments that don’t really require hospital visit — except, of course, if they become complicated!

Stop PMS with pork and beans

Premenstrual syndrome is one aspect of monthly period that the average woman detests. This is because it is sometimes more uncomfortable than the menstrual flow itself, what with breast tenderness, abdominal aches and general feelings of ‘unwellness’ that come with it.

To stop PMS in its stride, researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA, recommend eating pork meat and beans. According to the findings, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the two foods contain B vitamins — thiamine and riboflavin, necessary for normal functioning of the body.

The researchers say the combination of these foods could prevent you from developing PMS. The study found that women who consumed 1.9 milligrams of thiamine per day and 2.5 milligrams of riboflavin per day had a 25 to 35 per cent lower risk of developing PMS than women who consumed less, but they didn’t see those same benefits when they took supplements. Pork and beans happen to be the best sources of both vitamins, and eating them on a regular basis will provide you with the amount you need to keep the cramps away.

Hang hangover with asparagus

Asparagus are available in leading supermarkets across the country. According to a 2009 study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, the amino acids and minerals found in asparagus extract may alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells against toxins.

Again, researchers at the Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in Korea say eating young asparagus shoots and leaves before or while drinking will not only provide the beneficial enzymes, but your stomach will be full of food, and thus slow down your body’s absorption of alcohol.

Lead researcher, B.Y. Kim, notes that chronic alcohol use causes oxidative stress on the liver as well as unpleasant physical effects associated with a hangover. These toxicities were significantly alleviated in response to treatment with the extracts of asparagus leaves and shoots.

“These results provide evidence of how the biological functions of asparagus can help alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells,” Kim says.

Asparagus officinalis is a common vegetable that is widely consumed worldwide and has long been used as herbal medicine due to its anti-cancer effects. It also has anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties. While this is not an invitation to indulge, it is heart-warming to know that there’s a home-made ‘brew’ that can relieve you of your indulgence the day after!

Shield your lungs with lemonade

The duo of tele-doctors, Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, advise that citrus-rich fruits are never to be shunned in daily diet intakes. They contend that lemonade does more than relax and cool you on a hot day. “It may protect your lungs against adult asthma,” they say.

The doctors note that people who eat little or no fruit and shun citrus are more likely to develop asthma or fall victim to its wheezing, gasping symptoms than people who eat them. “Vitamin C in these fruits probably facilitates the breathe-easier effects,” they conclude.

Physicians say adult asthma can start at any time and could be caused by a number of factors, including the environment, where you live and genetics. They advocate regular consumption of citrus fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, lemons and limes.

As additional precautions, they advise you to quit smoking, and to also control exposure to dust-mite waste in your pillows by covering them with neat casings regularly.

Physicians also note that since lemon juice has the highest levels of citrate of any citrus juice, it is good to take lemonade to prevent kidney stones. This is because the citrate in lemon juice helps dissolve calcium deposits that eventually turn into kidney stones. The benefits are present whether you suck on lemon or juice it.

Coffee for depression

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, in a study published last year, found that women who drank an average of four cups of coffee per day were 20 per cent less likely to develop depression than people who didn’t drink coffee, or any other caffeinated drinks, for that matter.

They aver that caffeine may protect the brain against certain neurotoxins that can cause depression. So, if you are not allergic to coffee like some of us are, drink on and rid yourself of depression!

Beef up with liver

Scientists say liver deficiency may sometimes contribute to incidence of migraine. This is another reason to eat beef liver — one of the best dietary sources of the B vitamin riboflavin, which researchers say has shown some promise in reducing the frequency of migraine headaches. So, eat your riboflavin-rich beef with other foods high in the vitamin, including dairy products and vegetables.