Food Heals

Food.

What’s your relationship with it? How do you see it?

We can view food as a joy,  a pleasure, or even as a comforter. Many of us, after multiple diets and efforts to lose weight may even view food as an enemy.

But have you ever thought of food as a healer of your body?

There’s an emerging science called epigenetics. And what epigenetics says is that our environment, what our body is exposed to, exerts control over our genes, turning them on and off, programming them for health or disease.

And that’s where food comes in, because what we eat is a major part of our body’s environment. Foods can literally reprogram genes and chemical and hormone pathways within our body.

Now, there’s much about the exact what and how about the effect of foods that medical science doesn’t yet know.  But there are some basics that aren’t in debate, especially the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables. Just this week a major study was published showing that making fruits and vegetables the main part of your diet cut heart disease by 28% and the death rate by 31%.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to make some changes— most days I’ve eaten fresh fruit for breakfast and an organic salad for lunch. And although I didn’t expect it, some chronic shoulder pain I’ve had for years has actually gotten better.  I’ve tried to approach my eating as looking on the orange, the the berries, the salad, being truly grateful for them, and looking at them as being agents of healing for my body.

And that’s my challenge of the day for everybody: to take a step towards looking at foods as healers for your body. Pick a food that you enjoy, preferably fresh, organic if you can, and make it a part of your daily diet, and see it as something good that you are doing for your body and yourself.