food as medicine

From peanuts to cashews, the bar to the baseball stadium, nuts are just delicious! But sadly, nuts have gotten kind of a bad rap. Many people avoid eating too many nuts, believing them high in calories and fats.

But while nuts may contain fats, they're the good kind that your body needs. And nuts offer so much more for your overall health—you really should be including more of them in your diet. Ever wonder why a walnut looks just like your brain? Read on! 

Wheat is a member of the family Poaceae ⁄ Gramineae or Grass family of the genus Triticum L. or wheat containing the species Triticum aestivum L. or common wheat. The plant is native to southwestern Asia and has been eaten for approximately 12,000 years. Wheat arrived in the western hemisphere in the late 15th century with Christopher Columbus and the pilgrims but it was not until the 19th century that the plant was cultivated.

Bell peppers are a member of the family Solanaceae or Potato family of the genus Capsicum L. or pepper P containing four species. The plant is known by its scientific name capsicum and is commonly called sweet pepper. The name bell pepper was derived from the shape of the fruit. Though in the genus Capsicum, bell peppers do not contain capsicum, a substance that produces the heat in peppers.

Recently, Dr. Andrew Weil published an article talking about the effects of spirulina. I’ve talked about it before, and for good reason: spirulina has a wide array of health benefits, containing vitamins A, K, B12, and contains more protein per gram than red meat.

Hot flashes may be a sign of entry into perimenopause, though not every woman will experience them. In fact, here in the West a majority of women will experience them, while in Japan, significantly fewer will.   

Glucose, the main form of sugar circulating in our blood stream, is also the main form of fuel burned by our cells so that we can live and function. For getting into many types of cells, glucose (and certain other nutrients) needs a key to open the “door.” That key is insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas.  Though glucose is necessary for life, sometimes the level in circulation can get too high and cause all sorts of problems. 

Mints are easy-to-grow perennials that are a beautiful and (usually) lovely-smelling addition to your garden—even if your garden is limited to a balcony, like mine is.  They do well at sea level. They do well at mountainous elevations. They can hack cool, damp summers or hot, intense summers. They are fine being buried in snow and will be there waiting for you in the spring.   While mints generally prefer rich and well-drained soil, I’ve grown them in heavy clay soils.

Sapoti is a member of the family Sapotaceae or Sapodilla family of the genus Sapota Mill., also known as sapota P, containing the species Sapota zapotilla (Jacq.) Cov. or manilkara zapota P. The plant is also called pouteria sapota, mamey sapote, marmalade tree, red mamey, and zapote. Sapoti is native to some islands in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.

Acai berries are a member of the family Arecaceae or Palm family of the genus Euterpe Mart., commonly known as palm P, containing the species Euterpe oleracea Mart. or Assai palm P. The plant is native to the Amazon jungle and the people of the area have used the berries for medicinal purposes for millennia.

Carambola is a member of the family Oxalidaceae or Wood-Sorrel family of the genus Averrhoa Adans, also known as averrhoa P, containing the species Averrhoa carambola L. or carambola P. The plant is known in the United States as star fruit. The nomenclature carambola was a Portuguese interpretation of the Sanskrit word for the fruit “karmaranga” which means “food appetizer.”