What did we ever do before we had computers? Well, I know what I did -
I spent copious hours in the library looking up pertinent material for my
college work. Thank God for the home computers of today. I only hope
that the computer generation realizes how much easier they have it then did
we.
Today on Care2 I found what I thought were great posts re "Foods With Super-
Healing Powers" and its somewhat counterpoint - the "7 Foods That Keep Us
Fat."
Surprise, surprise - I found no eggs, meat, or dairy on the "super" list. Maybe it
is the work of a vegan. I really don't know, but I do believe the medical community
will probably not find much fault with it because it seems that more and more
of them are slowly but surely hopping onto the largely plant-based bandwagon of
good foods to eat.
I am always so disappointed when I see "celebrities" with a milk mustache. I
always wonder what their stipend is to allow themselves to be pictured with a silly
milk -mustache grin. Maybe I am wrong, and it is more than the stipend. They may
still be influenced by the dairy propaganda which says that milk is a perfect food.
Well, yes, for babies. When it comes to farm animal cruelty, they may not be aware
what someone observed- rightly or wrongly -that a glass of milk is just as cruel as
a hamburger. Visit a mega dairy and you may come out of that experience agreeing.
I don't know whether the listing is according to importance or not - but this is the
order they gave of "their" superfoods. I will only touch on the salient points of the
first 5. As they say - sometimes less is more and if the reader remembers even just the
first 5 superfoods, that would be great. Of course, I hope that you will look up the
reasons for eating the last 7 as well. And would that the material which these healthful
posts contain be taught in our schools, I feel that more young people would leave
school wiser and healthier.
The list of the "super foods":
l. KIWIFRUIT. This tiny dense -packed fruit carries a mighty wallop of Vitamin C -
twice as much as found in oranges. It has more fiber than apples and beats bananas
as a high-potassium food. Wow. I didn't know this. As a source of vitamin C, fiber,
and potassium, I now am convinced re the need to buy more of them. They are great
sliced on a fruit pizza with other fruits. I have not made one in a long time now because
I bought the pizza shells from Giant Eagle. I am boycotting them for buying their veal
from Buckeye Farms which uses those terribly confining crates for the poor male
calves. Of course, they are not the only ones who do so, but they are the only ones
near me who I can boycott.
2. CHERRIES. Who doesn't love these plump drops of pure delight - especially if they
are dark red and sweet? Expensive though, but well worth the price because they
are packed with substances that help fight inflammation and cancer. They also work
like a natural form of ibuprofen to curb inflammation and pain. But a caveat (isn't there
always one?) Even if you buy the normal grocery expensive type, they too are loaded
with pesticides like the rest of our fruits and veggies. Organic, of course, is the way to go.
I had read about the curative powers of cherries many years ago, and when I worked
for the City then, I suggested to the Greek vendor outside of City Hall to take cherries
for his arthritis. I guess he thought I was pretty wacko. He, like so many at the time and
even to the present, want those "powerful" drugs which only address the symptoms.
They rarely cure the ailment, and sometimes they even cause harmful side effects. At this
time, only a relatively few people recognized the wonderful properties of certain foods as
medicine. Even the great Hippocrates' sage sayings fell on deaf ears - "Let food be thy
medicine and medicine be thy food." I hope that we are finally catching on.
3. GUAVAS. I never have tasted these small tropical fruits, but per this article, they
are worth searching for. They contain more of the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene
than any other fruit or vegetable.
4. BEANS. The writer calls beans a miracle food and suggests we try to aim for a
minimum of two servings of beans per week. "They lower cholesterol, regulate blood
sugar and insulin production, promote digestive health, and protect against cancer.
If you think of fiber, protein, and antioxidants and immediately think whole grains,
meat, and fruit, think again -beans offer all these in a SINGLE package." I do like
them but am now convinced that I should try to eat them more often.
5. WATERCRESS. This is a nutritious green which is almost calorie free but provides
four times the calcium of 2 percent milk. And it even offers as much Vitamin C as an
orange and even more than spinach. I don't know if I would recognize it if I saw it
among the greens. I only think of it as the lunch of some fancy, rich women eating
watercress sandwiches and sipping tea for lunch. Well, now this plain "poor" lady
thinks she had better join them and start buying some watercress for all their wonderful
low calorie goodness.
The next 6-12 are also well described as to their medicinal properties, but I think
most of us at least know that they are good for us because they are the ones we
probably eat most often. Who can forget Popeye the Sailor Man and his can of
spinach? Well, maybe some of you who weren't even born when he would sing his
song on the silver screen while cracking open a can of spinach which made him
super strong.
6. Spinach
7. Onions
8. Carrots
9. Cabbage
10. Broccoli
11. Kale
12. Dandelion
I'm surprised that garlic is not included with the onions. And cabbage and broccoli -
without even a mention of cauliflower? The last two- kale and dandelions - I personally
will have to work on buying them because they are not favorites. Kale I sometimes put
in my winter veggie soups.
As for the dandelions, I have pesticide-free ones in my grass. At one time I admired
the beautifully manicured and weed-free lawns. No more - too expensive, and I
don't mean the cost of the pesticides or the lawn service. I mean the costs to
damaging our ground water table. I think we of the 20th and 21st centuries are
destroying our environment with products which are harmful to our once precious
pure air and our clear blue waters. Our land has been decimated in places because
of strip mining and the cutting down of much of our beautiful woods and forests.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
3
3
2
