10 minute read
STOCK THE KITCHEN
Stock the Kitchen with Healthy Essentials by Wendell Fowler
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Abroad spectrum of basic vitamins, minerals and micronutrients are required to fuel the thousands of functions of the human body. Food from the earth is, and has always been, the original source of nutrition for all life forms. Vitaminrich foods can cure diseases related to vitamin deficiency. Oranges and limes were famously shown to prevent scurvy in vitamin-deprived 18th century sailors. And research has long shown that populations that eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, tend to be healthier than others.
Since the miracle of life first appeared here, at least 3.77 billion years ago, Earth has generously provided a boundless cornucopia of nutrient-dense plant foods and clean animal protein for all life forms to subsist. Foods from nature and proteins are information for our DNA and cells.
However, despite Mother Earth’s abundant food supply, research reveals Americans are significantly vitamin deficient. Several factors for the “well fed but undernourished” epidemic sweeping our super-sized nation include: high intakes of dead, processed foods, GMOs, and animal products from factory farms. Also to blame are declining levels of nutrients in our soils due to mono-crop farming and the increasing prevalence of chronic health conditions that influence nutrient needs.
The quantity and quality of vitamins and minerals in fresh, raw plant foods depend on their variety, growing conditions, weather, timing of harvest, genetic modification, and storage conditions. Even dietary supplements may contain slightly more or less than the amount shown on the label, so due diligence is advised. Visit your locally owned vitamin groceries and make friends with their vitamin specialists.
In biological terms, homeostasis refers to the ability of the body to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in external conditions. The stability, or balance, attained is called a dynamic equilibrium; that is, as changes occur, the body works to maintain relatively uniform conditions. This is our birthright of optimum, disease-free holistic health.
Livestrong.com states: “To contribute to the overall physical equilibrium that sustains life, each system must meet its metabolic needs through the nutrition from food. Clean, dietary protein, unrefined carbs, and healthy fats that supply both caloric energy and elements such as amino acids used to form cells. Compounds in dietary minerals and vitamins may act as hormones or catalysts in reactions needed for body functions, such as the regulation of blood pressure.”
The human body requires significant amounts of the macrominerals calcium, potassium, magnesium, chloride and phosphorus, and small amounts of the trace minerals iron, copper, zinc, iodine, inorganic fluoride and selenium to complete its metabolic processes.
MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia says there are thirteen vitamins considered essential because the human body does not produce enough or any, including A, C, D, E, K and the group of B vitamins— thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B-6, folate, B-12, pantothenic acid and biotin. A balanced diet of various fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, meats, fish and dairy products will supply adequate minerals and vitamins. Unquestionably, it’s hard in this modern world to eat enough produce to receive the basics, and supplementation is necessary. Today’s produce contains 50% less nutrition than it did a short 50 years ago.
What should I have in a healthy kitchen?
Foods high in vitamin A (beta carotene) are fresh or frozen, not canned carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, cantaloupe, and apricots. Basically, yellow and orange produce.
Foods high in vitamins B-6, B-12, and B-9 are essential for proper nerve and brain function, the synthesis of DNA, metabolism, and the formation of red blood cells include clean local meat, poultry and fish, including seafood, mussels and oysters, local eggs, and real milk. Many nut milks are fortified with these crucial B vitamins.
Foods high in vitamin D: vitamin D is unique, in that on top of absorbing it from foods we eat, our body can also synthesize it from sunlight. It’s critical for the health of your bones and immune system, as well as calcium absorption. According to the National Cancer Institute, it may also help lower your risk of developing colorectal cancer.
Though just 15 minutes in sunshine is by far the richest source
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of vitamin D, don’t overdo it. More is definitely NOT better. Foods that provide vitamin D include some salmon, herring, catfish, trout, and oysters, real milk, local eggs, shiitake, and fortified nut milks.
Foods high in antioxidant vitamin E and E supplements may prevent coronary heart disease, support immune function, prevent inflammation, promote eye health, and lower the risk of cancer, according to MedicalNewsToday.com. E also helps the body use vitamin K and repair muscle cells. Examples are sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, bell peppers and asparagus.
Foods high in vitamin K, critical for the formation of blood clots. Without it, we could bleed to death from a simple cut. It may also help maintain bone strength in older adults. Foods particularly high in vitamin K include kale, spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, turnip greens, and mustard greens, romaine, parsley, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and asparagus.
For 84 different trace minerals and micro-nutrients, switch to pink Himalayan pink salt rather than grocery iodized salt. Himalayan salt comes from ancient sea salt deposits in the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan. Himalayan doesn’t contain iodine, so seek a third party approved supplement. Sublingual is considered the most efficient delivery system.
As a more natural alternative less processed than regular sea salt, Himalayan pink salt has a constellation of health benefits. Himalayan pink salt contains more than 84 naturallyoccurring minerals and trace elements,
all essential to maintaining good health. Pink Himalayan salt contains twice as much magnesium as sea salt. Magnesium is used by the body to maintain nerve and muscle function, as well as for regulating blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Himalayan pink salt contains over three times more potassium than sea salt. Potassium is one of the most important minerals in the body.
Calcium is another mineral found in Himalayan pink salt. Calcium is essential for healthy bones and teeth, and keeps our heart, muscles and nerves functioning properly. And, some studies show calcium could protect against high blood pressure, diabetes and even cancer. Cleveland Clinic shares that the best sources of calcium are milk, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified beverages such as nut milks. Calcium is also found in dark-green leafy vegetables, dried peas and beans, fish with bones, and calcium-fortified juices and cereals.
Iron is the most common deficiency in the world: Himalayan salt also contains iron, however it’s important to consume a variety of sources of iron. Beans and lentils, organic, non-GMO, tofu, baked potatoes, cashews, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, chard, non-sugared, fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, whole-grain and enriched breads.
Chef Wendell is an inspirational speaker, syndicated writer, and author who shares his science-supported message of the mind-body benefits of a plantbased diet and lifestyle, and that disease is not necessarily your fault. Visit ChefWendell.com for more information.
I find hope in the darkest of days and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. ~Dalai Lama
n Rosemary eases stress and has antiviral, antimicrobial and antidepressant qualities.
Virus Fighters
Essential Oils for Challenging Times In these coronavirus days, an essential oil mixture with legendary origins in the Bubonic Plague offers soothing scents for the homebound and might add some viral protection.
The mixture of five oils: eucalyptus, clove, cinnamon, lemon and rosemary, is known as Thieves. As the story goes, in the 1500s, as the Black Death decimated Europe, when four unemployed spice merchants that turned to robbing the bodies and homes of the dead were captured and threatened with being burned alive, they confessed to the judge their secret to avoiding infection—the spice blend that they rubbed on their hands, ears, feet and temples.
They were all hanged, but their formula survives as Thieves, and is today one of the most popular essential oil blends in the market, sold under that name and also as Five Guards, Health Shield and Fighting Five. Although shown to sharply reduce three kinds of airborne bacteria in 10 minutes, its antiviral properties have not been extensively studied. Its components, however, have proven antimicrobial, antiseptic and antiviral properties:
n Eucalyptus, long used for respiratory infections, has been proven effective against a number of viruses, particularly the swine flu and herpes type 1 viruses.
n Clove has exhibited strong antiviral activity against such viruses as the adenovirus type 3 respiratory virus, poliovirus and coxsackievirus.
n Cinnamon leaf shows antiviral activity and can prevent pneumonia due to influenza.
Thieves can be purchased in natural health stores or online. For a homemade blend, Jennifer Lane, an aromatherapist, registered nurse and founder of LovingEssential Oils. com, recommends combining these essential oils: 4 35 drops lemon 4 20 drops cinnamon leaf 4 15 drops clove bud 4 15 drops eucalyptus
4 10 drops rosemary
Adding five drops of the blend, along with water in a diffuser, can waft the scent throughout a room and diminish airborne odors and germs. For respiratory support, put a few drops into a cup of steaming, but not boiling, water, drape a towel around the cup and face, and breathe in the fumes. Add it to a carrier oil like jojoba oil or coconut oil at a 1:30 ratio (such as one-half ounce Thieves to 15 ounces jojoba) and rub it on pulse points in the wrist and neck. But do not ingest the blend. If a child under 10 is in the house, don’t diffuse it or use it topically on them, because rosemary and eucalyptus can be unsafe for a child, advises Christina Anthis, author of The Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started.
