EATING RIGHT FOR EVERY BODY PART!

Remember the saying “you are what you eat?” By now we know just how true this statement is, but it’s often difficult for most of us to figure out exactly WHAT good food is and what we should avoid.  I’m often asked about particular diseases and what foods can help, so here’s a quick rundown of foods for (almost) every body part.

 

From breakfast through dinner, your daily food intake is all the medicine you need!

 

BRAIN:

 

Brain food is all about the good fats – they increase blood flow to brain and decrease inflammation – a big cause of dementia

 

Blueberries & Avocadoes are great antioxidants for brain health!

Wild salmon – chock full of omega3 fats

Nuts and Seeds – VITAMIN E – single most important vitamin for brain

Wheat germ – high fiber and vitamin E – sprinkle on that cereal or yogurt!

 

EYES:

 

Omega 3’s again!

Salmon, walnuts – usual suspects

Dark green leafy veggies like kale and spinach – they contain lutein and other naturally occurring compounds to protect against macular degeneration (the leading cause of worldwide blindness)

Egg yolks!

 

 

MOUTH:

 

Poor oral health and hygiene can be linked to heart disease and pregnancy complications.

 

Yogurts/yogurt drinks (kefir too) – for the calcium they provide but also for probiotics!

Raisins – believe it or not they are strongly linked to healthy gums!

 

 

HEART:

 

High fiber diet is consistently linked to lower coronary disease.

 

Whole grains! – oatmeal, barley, Cheerios

Soluble fiber lowers cholesterol(Beans, okra, eggplant)

Soluble fiber makes our body convert cholesterol into bile acids, helping to lower our cholesterol

 

 

GUT/STOMACH/COLON:

 

Bulk fiber foods – move things along, less chance of infections, inflammations (IBS), constipation and even colon cancer

 

AIM for 25 grams of fiber a day:

Leafy greens and colorful veggies, beans!

 

Focus on:

Prebiotics (almonds, bananas, leeks, garlic, onions)

AND Probiotics (fermented veggies, fermented soybeans, fermented drinks like kombucha)

Red wine’s compound resveratrol – this gets a lot of attention for heart health but it ALSO FIGHTS bad gut bacteria and PROMOTES good gut bacteria

 

SKIN (BIGGEST ORGAN OF THEM ALL!):

 

We all want to keep healthy, supple looking skin, including diminishing aging signs:

 

Strawberries – more vitamin C than the citrus fruits!!!

Olive oil – eat it and apply it! – smooth skin, including nails and hair

Green Tea – lowers skin cancer risk

(green tea with a squeeze of lemon actually helps antioxidants of green tea work longer!)

 

And WATER – the big ingredient that helps EVERY ORGAN work better – WATER water and more water!!!