The Wonders of Food

I bought this book a few months ago at Kinokuniya because it looks awesome. And in fact, it is! I have always been interested about food and nutrition and this book offers a great insight into many foods that you commonly see or eat but have no idea about, whether is it their nutritional content or their healing properties.

The author is a registered dietitian and he talked about how he was interested in nutrition since he was young and how the little changes he made in his diet helped him achieved better health. Using food as medication could really save your life.

There are 2 paragraphs that I like in the introduction of this book.

"Seeking out simple interventions and using food as medication has long been the approach of many cultures throughout the world. Before the advent of modern medicine, the family was dependent on a mother's intuition accompanied by her time-honored remedies as the first line of defense in preserving the family's health and well-being. Going to see the doctor at the first sniffle, cough, or other sign of distress used to be "Plan B" not "Plan A". But as utilization of modern medicine increased, the focus of using food as medicine declined. We have embraced the convenience of statin drugs for reducing cholesterol, when the inclusion of foods with innate heart-properties-such as fatty fish, oats, almonds, and beans-might be just as effective. And many of the shortcuts of modern medicine are not without their costs. In fact, Americans who visit physicians following adverse reactions to medications account for well over two million physician visits each year!"

"Your body needs it all-carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and plant chemicals. You could buy bottles of dietary supplements and try to do your best to replicate what a healthy diet contains, but isn't eating food that contains all of the building blocks of health naturally a lot simpler and better tasting? Bottom line-no dietary supplement on the market today comes close to providing the life-saving properties of the 101 foods. Proper supplementation can play an important role in maintaining or improving health but it doesn't compare to the healing-power capacity of food! Each food group serves an important function in the body, keeping you healthy and strong."

It is important to really know what you are eating and what you can eat for what purpose. Relying on medication will never help solve your problem and in some cases it may make things worse. Remember to eat real food. Nothing in this world can compare to the healing properties of real food. Keep your fridge full of fresh vegetable and fruits instead of all types of medications. Make sure you are also eating food for their nutrients, not just for their taste. For instance, note how certain cooking methods may destroy the nutrients in certain foods. Always think before you eat. Ensure that you are eating something your body needs and not just something you want or like. Learn to eat. You may not like eating raw vegetables just like I do, but you may want to learn to eat them and overcome your dislikes. Enjoy eating healthy. It's one of the greatest joy in my life. (:

Here are some facts that you may or may not know about these fruits that we see day in and out!