Top 10 Foods > Reviews (230)

Over 2000 years ago Hippocrates said ‘Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food’.
Food fascinates me! The healing properties and the detrimental aspects intrigue me.

Which leads me to my Top 10 foods; these are equally due to the preventative and healing properties: as well as the taste!

[10] CHOCLATE;
I like chocolate occasionally. However, for me I find the qualities contained within quite amusing! Thus chocolate making it into my top 10 !!!
~ One of the major ingredients of the cocoa bean is a stimulating chemical; theobromine. This makes chocolate a mild diuretic and a gentle stimulant. The theobromine contained within chocolate is believed to trigger the natural release of ‘feel good’ chemicals in the brain. These endorphins kindle the feelings of romance, love and arousal.

For those on a diet and need a little justification for weakening and indulging in chocolate; I hope the following helps!

Chocolate is known to dilate the blood vessels; therefore it can be useful in the treatment of those suffering from high blood pressure.
Chocolate (particularly dark!) is a good source of iron and magnesium; it supplies protein, some minerals as well as some of the B vitamins (essential nutrients in a good diet).

Time to burst your bubble !!! (Ha Ha Ha)
To burn of the calories contained within a mere 100g of chocolate … you would have to walk briskly for two hours, pedal your bike for an hour and a half or swim continuously for one hour!

[9] SPROUTS;
I think sprouts are the almost the nicest vegetable in the entire world! Cover them with salt and Gravy and they are even nicer!
We all know these are good for us … I think the majority of the population; as a youngster have experienced the lecture ‘eat your vegetables, they are good for you!’ and indeed, I imagine a heck of a lot of you are guilty of performing the said lecture!
Well … here is how sprouts are good for you …
~Brussels sprouts are rich in glucosinolates; this is a powerful anti – cancer chemical and it improves general resistance.
They are high in vitamin C; therefore they improve natural resistance to disease.
Sprouts are good for all skin problems, constipation and are useful in treatment for cholesterol and high blood pressure.
100g of sprouts contains more than half the RDA of folate; this makes sprouts a great food for women planning pregnancy.
oH and yes! They do indeed cause flatulence!!!

[8] STRAWBERRIES;
I pretty much like all fruit but after a tough decision, strawberries win the place as favourite!
As a child, most summers; my sisters, brother and I, would be taken by my parents to a fruit farm. Where you could ‘pick your own’ strawberries … I remember these days fondly! (For why I don’t know … laziness has now stepped in and for the most part; these days; I’d prefer someone else to do the picking and I’m quite content with purchasing them from a Green Grocers!)
On to the healing properties;
~ Strawberries reduce high blood pressure and help to eliminate cholesterol. They are a powerful antioxidant offering protection against heart and circulatory disease.

Strawberries contain iron and extremely high amounts of vitamin C; this makes them useful in preventing and treating of anaemia and fatigue.
Linnaeus (a great Swedish botanist) claims that strawberries are ‘a perfect cure for arthritis, gout and rheumatism’.

[7] HONEY;
I generally don’t have a ‘sweet tooth’, I tend to prefer savoury foods … but honey is an exception.
I think honey is at it optimum when served on toast or in drinks such as ‘hot milk and honey’ and ‘honey, lemon and hot water’.
Yes … this too has healing properties!
~Honey is widely renowned for being soothing for sore throats and chesty coughs.
A desert spoon a night for a month will eliminate all traces of ‘Helicobacter pylori’ which is a major cause of gastric ulcers.

Honey has extra ordinary healing powers; if post operatively you use honey on sterile dressings, it speeds up the healing and reduces scars; if you spread honey on gauze used on ‘varicose leg ulcers’, it will stimulate the healing process in suppurating ulcers that have been present for months.

[6] SWEET POTATOES;
I love these … I like them best; cooked on a barbeque in tin foil, then saturated with butter and salt.
Sweet potatoes are often confused with yam’s … yet they are separate species. Yams are actually nutritionally inferior.
~Sweet potatoes are a source of vast amounts of starch; therefore a great source for energy and they provide vitamins C and E. They are also useful for skin problems, visual problems and night vision
Sweet potatoes contain huge amounts of carotenoids, including beta-carotene; these make sweet potatoes a powerful anti-cancer food. As little as 100g a day can dramatically reduce your risk of lung cancer … some useful information for smokers or ex smokers.

[5] AVOCADO;
I don’t recall having ever tried this until my mum persuaded me to do the ‘Carol Vordamen’s’ detox diet; where Avocado was an ingredient in some bizarre and bland recipe.
Since then, Avocado has remained a favourite food of mine … I love it !!!
I found the healing and preventative properties of avocado astounding.
~Avocado is rich in potassium, lack of which can lead to depression and exhaustion. It also contains B6 which helps to stabilise mood swings in women suffering from PMS.
Avocado also contains vitamin E and B, both aid in the relief of stress, infertility and impotence.
Avocado is one of the more antioxidant foods; this property offers protection against heart disease, strokes and cancer.

[4] BROAD BEANS;
I said sprouts were almost the nicest, well … broad beans are in fact, the nicest ! I like them raw or cooked, within a meal or as a snack!
Broad Beans have very curious properties!
~Broad beans are traditionally known to be an aid to male potency; they contain pantothenic acid, which helps maintain the right level of cholesterol.
Apparently; up to 35% of some Mediterranean populations and 10% of Chinese, Indians and Africans are deficient in a specific enzyme, this means they are susceptible of developing the disease ‘favism’ (a serious form of anaemia) after eating broad beans!

[3] MINT (the herb);
I suffer quite frequently from headaches and an un-easy stomach … yes! I admit … generally due to the consequences of excess alcohol intake!
Mint is outstandingly effective at relieving both of these symptoms.
~Containing the essential oils menthol, menthone, menthyl acetate and flavonoids; Mint is very soothing to the stomach and helpful in irritable bowel syndrome.
Mint tea can be used to relive headaches, particularly those caused by stress.
Peppermint tea made from fresh leaves is an aid to good digestion.
I find that mint, taken in any form is significantly more effective; than relief bought over the counter at a pharmacy !

[2] LIQUORICE;
My favourite sweets are ‘Bertie Bassets, Liquorice Allsorts’ or ‘Pontefract Cakes’ or indeed plain old liquorice!
(Incidentally … did you know liquorice pipes have been banned !!!).
I was actually surprised to learn some of the qualities held within such a sublime treat;
Most people would consider liquorice as ‘a sweet’ but it actually has very powerful, wide ranging medicinal benefits.
It is an extremely effective anti inflammatory, working similarly to hydrocortisone.
Liquorice is good for coughs, digestive problems, liver problems, anaemia, arthritis, nausea and vomiting. On top of all that … It is a very effective laxative !!!
*Taken in large doses for large periods of time; liquorice can cause high blood pressure. For this reason liquorice consumption is not advised to those who suffer from high blood pressure or for those who are pregnant.*

[1] COFFEE;
I drink ridiculous amounts of coffee. I have been advised and lectured to cut down by numerous people (the fools … such a waste of time!). I actually enjoy listing to them the benefits of coffee, justifying myself simultaneously.
~Caffeine is a brain stimulant that can provide temporary improvement in awareness and performance. It is good stimulation when you are tired which is valuable at times of extreme exhaustion or when it is necessary to stay awake beyond normal capacity. Caffeine is beneficial for asthma; it is quite similar to ‘theophylline’ (a chemical that relaxes the muscle around the airways of the lung) although it is not as strong. It also increases the effectiveness of some everyday painkillers.
Caffeine is used medicinally to reduce blood flow to the brain as part of an anti migraine medication.
There is a long history of coffee bean being used as medicine for headaches and diarrhoea.

Unfortunately there are several not so desirable effects caused by coffee; it would be amiss for me not to highlight them. So reluctantly … here goes!
~More than 5/6 cups of coffee a day can lead to caffeinism or coffee addiction (I’ll admit that’s me, loud and proud!!!).
Caffeine affects the blood pressure and avoidance for a few weeks can reduce both the systolic and diastolic pressures. PMS and cyclic breast lumps are proven to improve by avoidance of caffeine.
Consistent and frequent large quantities of coffee increase women’s chances of osteoporosis.

Three cups a day will reduce women’s chances of conception and increase the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight babies and birth defects.
Caffeine can interfere with mineral absorption, it can seriously affect the digestive system and increase the insulin produced by the pancreas which could lead to hypoglycaemia.

Who would have thought that coffee could do so much !!!
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Well I hope you have all enjoyed reading this and sharing a personal indulgence of my ultimate favourite pastime … researching the healing powers of food.
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Sources used to gather information;
‘Foods for mind and body’ (Micheal Van Straten’s)
‘Healing With Whole Foods’ (Paul Pitchford)