Good, Wholesome Food Series – Foods That Heal

As we all know, food is essential to our body to work optimally. By providing your body with the right nutrients, you will optimize your health. This goes a long way, as good health improves also your immune system, which in turn keeps diseases away. A lot of people find it hard to make a varied, healthy and delicious diet that will make sure your body gets what it needs. Today we will give you a list with foods that heal; good foods that will make sure your body has the power to function, heal and thrive, while also being delicious! Let’s dive in our Good, Wholesome Food series – Foods that heal.

Humans can get a lot of the nutrients and antioxidants we need from fruits and vegetables. That said, you thus need to ensure that you have a diet that includes as many fruits and vegetables to get the nutrients and antioxidants that will help strengthen your immune system. That would mean a diet that contains high levels of vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium and zinc.

These are rarely found in processed food (unless enriched), and your body has more chances of absorbing what it needs when you eat fresh whole foods. Leafy greens, nuts, citrus fruits are all excellent choices of foods that are high in nutrients and antioxidants that are known to boost your immune system and health in general.

Here’s a list of foods that heal, that you will want to have on your weekly grocery list.

Mushrooms are a type of fungus that can help stimulate the immune system. The Reishi mushroom and the Agarikon mushrooms are two mushrooms that have been studied and show an impact on our immune system.

Reishi Mushrooms

Studies show that the Reishi mushroom can interfere with a virus and reduce its ability to attach to our cells to multiply.

Agarikon Mushrooms

As for the Agarikon mushroom, it has anti-inflammatory quality and can also be an antibacterial agent.

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Recent studies have shown many powerful effects of eating Lion’s Mane mushrooms. Aside from the anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties of this mushroom, there is also a strong correlation between nerve repair and even regrowth for candidates who suffer from some neurological damage and even spinal and brain injuries!

Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts are at the top of our list because it is one of the most reliable sources of selenium. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant and is one of the essential minerals for our health and immunity. Just one nut can provide up to 96 micrograms (mcg), which is already above the daily recommendation. The daily intake recommendation is 55 micrograms of selenium for an adult. Men should take care with consuming Brazil nuts as they are known to have estrogenic effects if taken in excess.

Fish

Fish and, more specifically, tuna is an excellent source of selenium. One ounce of tuna can provide around 30 mcg of selenium. Other fish and seafood are usually between 12 mcg and 20 mcg of selenium per ounce. Salmon is also a good choice to help the immune system. It contains a lot of “healthy fat” (omega-3), which is known to strengthen the immune system and reduce the risks of heart disease.

Free-Range Grass fed Red Meat

Finding good meat these days requires spotting the quality factors that contribute to eating ethically-sourced free range cattle that are not pumped full of antibiotics and fed grain and corn. Fret not, there are many responsible farmers who care about the product they produce and the benefits are evident. Red meat is highly bioavailable. This means that you tend to absorb virtually all of the nutrients contained within the meat. Rich in protein, iron, and vitamin B12, adding top quality red meat to your diet can aid in favourably changing your body composition into a leaner individual.

Lentils

If you eat a vegan or a vegetarian diet, lentils are a great substitute to fish. One cup of lentils can provide around 6 mcg of selenium. They are also a good source of immune-boosting nutrients, fiber, and protein.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are very high in vitamin E. One ounce can provide 76% of your daily intake, which is 15 milligrams. Vitamin E is also a potent antioxidant like selenium, which help fight infection since it enhances the immune system.

Yogurt

Since yogurt contains live culture (or probiotics), it is a great way to help us fight bad bacteria by bringing good bacteria in the body and help improve digestion. Kefir is also another option that brings as many benefits to our gut.

Broccoli

Most cruciferous vegetables have phytonutrients that can help boost the immune system. Broccoli is rich in antioxidant vitamins, and one serving contributes to a third of the daily intake recommended for vitamin A.

Carrots

Not only does carrot contain vitamins A, B, C, and E, it also contains zinc. Zinc is known to be an essential mineral for the health of our immune system. If the body is deficient in nutrients like zinc, it weakens the immune system and makes viruses stronger.

Garlic

Another vegetable that has a similar effect on our immune system as zinc is garlic. Garlic has the ability, according to some research, to keep a cold at bay (and maybe vampires?). Some studies even demonstrate that individuals who were living with cancer were able to boost their immune system by increasing their intake of garlic.

Spinach

Spinach is a significant source of vitamin C but also contains vitamin E. It is essential to keep it raw to ensure that you get all the nutrients from it. You can add it to a salad or a sandwich.

Sweet Potatoes

If you are trying to increase your intake of vitamin A, sweet potato is the one ingredient you need. One serving contains more than three times the daily recommendation of vitamin A and is also full of other good antioxidants.

Parsley

We have done a whole blog on parley because it has so many great health benefits. Read it here in our Top 8 Health Benefits of Parsley. To summarize, parsley is great for your immune system, testosterone levels in men, loaded with vitamins and minerals and it supports our digestive tract. A no brainer to get on your groceries list and surely amongst foods that heal.

Citrus Fruits

Most people are aware that citrus fruits are full of vitamin C. Vitamin C is critical to the immune system. Its mainstream consummation recommendation is 75 mg to 90 mg a day; however in our blog on Optimal Vitamin C Dosage per Day, we discuss way higher levels of up to 18,000 mg per day. If you follow mainstream recommendations, just add sliced lemon to your water, which will provide around 50% of the daily intake. You can also eat grapefruit or orange with your breakfast. This breakfast will be the other half of your consumption for the day. If you want to go with a higher dosage per day, you will need to use supplements.

Blueberries

Berries, in general, are packed with antioxidants. Blueberries are at the top of all the fruits and vegetables for the number of antioxidants it contains. Not only does research show the power of blueberries on our immune system, but it is also linked to a lower risk of stomach fat, cholesterol, heart diseases, and cancer. A great healing food.

Watermelon

The watermelon is also full of immune-boosting nutrients. It’s an excellent source of potassium (which helps regulate the body functions), vitamin A and vitamin C. Additional benefits are that it has a lot of water and just tastes great!

Pomegranates

Since pomegranates contain a great variety of antioxidants, it is a great choice to cover many nutrients that we need. It is known to have anti- inflammatory proprieties and therefore help us with immunity.

Turmeric

Many of you have probably heard of the benefits of turmeric. Recently, turmeric has become a popular supplement, but it is even better if you can add it as an ingredient to your recipes. Turmeric is filled with curcumin, which can reduce inflammation and interact as a poison for cancer cells. Turmeric definitely belongs amongst the foods that heal.

Black Pepper

Black pepper is a powerful and versatile spice that has amazing health benefits. Aside from being a powerful antioxidant, and having strong anti-inflammatory properties, black pepper has been shown to improve brain health by increasing the body’s ability to absorb curcumin and resveratrol. Black pepper also lowers your cholesterol, improves your blood sugar, and helps fight various cancers. Plus, it tastes great!

The foods recommended above are ingredients that you can add to your meals, especially when you approach the flu season. Feel free to make a salad with spinach, add some lentils and sunflower seeds. You could also make a homemade citrus dressing for it (only add orange juice to olive oil).

We hope our Good, Wholesome Food series – Foods that Heal list helps you next time you visit your grocery store. Just remember to buy whole, unprocessed foods. Not only do they taste better – in our opinion – but you will really feel better by eating them.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team members. Remember, we are here to help you change your life to one that in more healthy, happy and sustainable. We, at Parallelo Health, believe that embracing a healthy lifestyle is imperative for a long and productive life. Get off the couch and join us today. Please do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter for new articles and interesting offers.

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