Using food as medicine is a powerful way to improve your health. By making small changes to your diet you can prevent or even reverse chronic health conditions so you can live a longer, healthier life. Eating a healthy diet can even help manage a variety of chronic health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. A diet that includes a variety of color and incorporates fiber is important for maintaining blood sugar, improving cellular health, and feeding beneficial gut bacteria, all of which create a healthy gut microbiome. Our gut microbiome is made up of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live inside the digestive system. These microbes are essential for us to live healthy lives. They help us digest food, provide us with nutrients, and help support a healthy immune system. Having a healthy microbiome is associated with improving digestion, reducing inflammation, and enhancing our immune system’s response to illness and disease.
Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are essential for good gut health and maintaining a healthy microbiome. Here are some specific examples of how certain foods (carrot, apple and celery) can be used as medicine. I also provide a simple and easy recipe with all three!
Promotes Gut Health: Carrots have a mix of soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber can slow down how quickly our stomach empties, which increases feelings of fullness after meals. Insoluble fiber is responsible for helping us prevent constipation by adding bulk to our stool. Together, they are a powerful tools for maintaining a healthy digestive system. The carbohydrates found in celery, such as polysaccharides, have been shown to decrease the occurrence of stomach ulcers and improves the lining of the stomach. Pectin from apples, which acts as a prebiotic, is a type of fiber that feeds your friendly gut bacteria. These prebiotics improve the population of microbes in the gut that create a strong intestinal lining (intestinal permeability). Having a strong intestinal lining acts as a barrier, preventing the entry of harmful substances such as foreign toxins and microorganisms.
Promotes Eye Health: Carrots are rich in beta-carotene which gets converted to Vitamin A in our bodies. Vitamin A is probably most well-known for its important role in supporting eye health and good vision. Apples are rich in antioxidants, including flavonoids and polyphenols, which help protect the eyes against oxidative stress and reduce the risk of sight-loss health conditions. Adequate consumption of it is essential in reducing the risk of macular degeneration. Celery is high in essential vitamins and antioxidants which helps prevent blindness and may help slow sight-loss conditions as well.
Heart-Healthy: Apples, carrots, and celery are a rich source of fiber, polyphenols, and other nutrients that support heart health. Apples can combat heart disease, lower the risk of stroke, and reduce cholesterol levels. Celery is high in potassium, which is important for good cardiovascular health. Carrots and celery are rich in phytonutrients with antioxidant properties, like carotenoids and polyphenols. Antioxidants protect cells, blood vessels, and organs from oxidative damage. This is beneficial for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, and risk factors, such as high cholesterol.
Anti inflammatory: Celery is packed with valuable antioxidants and other nutrients that are known to lower inflammation. Both celery and the celery seeds have approximately 25 anti-inflammatory compounds that can offer protection against inflammation in the body. Apples contain fiber, mostly a soluble, fermentable type called pectin. Pectin, which acts as a prebiotic (a type of fiber that feeds your friendly gut bacteria) has been shown to promote the presence of anti-inflammatory beneficial bacteria and prevents inflammatory compounds from crossing into the body via the intestinal lining. Carrots have two potent anti-inflammatory compounds called falcarinol and falcarindiol, which have been shown to reduce inflammation in the colon (inflammation in the colon can be a contributor of colon cancer).
Glucose-Friendly: Carrots have a minimal impact on blood sugar and celery is low on the glycemic index, meaning it has a slow, steady effect on your blood sugar levels. This makes them good for both diabetics and anyone hoping to avoid blood sugar spikes. Celery fiber helps maintain steady blood sugar levels that help you achieve a healthy weight, maintain energy levels, and balance your mood. Most of the sugar that comes from apples is naturally occurring fructose which leads to a lower peak of blood sugar insulin levels. Eating apples has also been linked to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, due to the high polyphenol content.
Using food as medicine empowers us all to take control of our health. Whether we are managing a chronic disease or looking to prevent future illness, it’s easier than you think! There are many ways to eat nutrient-rich foods, even on a tight budget. These include meal planning, doing more cooking at home, and making smart choices at the grocery store.
Here’s a light, yet refreshing recipe that incorporates all three ingredients I discussed above. The health benefits from this simple but nutrient-dense recipe are power packed!
Here is my super easy recipe!