Food And Drink As Medicine

Have you ever wondered if you could treat some of your illnesses or their symptoms with a food or drink instead of taking a pill? Scientific evidence does show that some foods can actually relieve pains, coughs, and other ailments. In this post, learn about five items to consider eating or drinking instead of taking a prescription or over-the-counter medicine. As always, talk to your doctor before making any changes to the medications you take.

EASE PAINFUL JOINTS WITH TURMERIC

In an All We Eat post about golden milk from almost exactly a year ago, we learned about the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric. The post cites information from the University of Maryland Medical Center and The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s Medline. It explains that turmeric may help relieve pain you may have from inflammation such as that caused by osteoarthritis. Medline goes so far as to assert that turmeric may be as effective as ibuprofen in treating discomfort from arthritis. So if you’re dealing with arthritis, consider drinking cup of Golden Milk to relieve your pain.

GET RELIEF FROM A COUGH WITH HONEY

The results of a 2013 study in the Journal of Family Practice, reports that giving children who have a cough one and a half teaspoons of honey at bedtime suppresses their cough. A separate study mentioned in a WebMD article similarly found that honey reduced a cough in children participating in the study, but also gave the parents of the children in the study some relief from their cough. This is good news, since in recent years, you have been advised to avoid giving children under six years of age over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. But one caveat! If your child is under the age of one, you should never give him or her honey due to the possibility of them developing botulism. By the way, the type of honey you use doesn’t seem to matter—honey in general does the trick.

LOWER YOUR LDL CHOLESTEROL WITH NUTS

LDL Cholesterol is the “bad” cholesterol. As WebMD explains, it’s the fat in your body that puts your heart health at risk because it can block or reduce blood flow in your vessels by building up. Everyday Health highlights the fact that nuts like almonds, pistachios, and walnuts can lower your LDL cholesterol. So when you need a filling snack, consider grabbing a handful of nuts. Or, for dinner tonight, try making this colorful and delicious Purple Cabbage with Mandarins and Walnuts salad.

FIGHT DEPRESSION WITH FISH

Eating fish that tends to be fairly oily like sardines and salmon may actually help you fight off depression. WebMD said that a study by Chinese researchers found that people who ate more fish had a 17 percent less chance for suffering from depression. While the results were only significant in Europe and not other continents, Mayo Clinic states that fish oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are known to be important for brain function. Fish oil also has other brain chemicals, of which people with depression tend to have lower levels in their blood. It’s not a huge stretch to consider that if you suffer from depression, replenishing your body with these chemicals through oily fish could at least provide some help in warding off depression. A Tasty and Easy Oven Baked Salmon with Tomatoes Recipe is perfect for that.

EASE A COLD WITH CHICKEN BROTH

You’ve probably heard about the reputation that chicken noodle soup or any chicken broth based-soup has as the cure for the common cold. Now while touting it as a cure might be a stretch, certainly chicken broth has long been known to relieve some of the misery associated with a common cold. The Daily Mail cites research by Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of Nebraska Medical Center that indicated that when you drink chicken soup, it slowed the movement of white blood cells. He suspected that this slowing of movement of the cells that fight off infection might be what causes your reduction in cold symptoms.

Given that the cold and flu season are already upon us, if you get a cold, try preparing this recipe for warm, comforting Chicken, Rice and Vegetable Soup. Do you know of or use any foods or beverages that can help you feel better without having to turn to over-the-counter or prescription medicine? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments below.