I want to thank each of you for such kind words of condolences about the loss of my father in law. He was a wonderful man and we will miss him so much. The last few weeks of his life were very hard for us because the effects of the cancer were rapidly taking over. It was very difficult to see this healthy vigorous man in his 80's change so quickly, but that is the reality of cancer. Cancer is a thief and can steal everything!
Today is Wellness Wednesday here at The Decorative Dreamer but I don't want to make this post about Cancer. I do not want to honor or glorify or pay any tribute to Cancer whatsoever quite frankly! I want to talk about good health. My FIL was always doing things to keep him in good health, like eating healthy and exercising regularly. It was a part of his daily routine. Sadly, they are not mine yet, but I really want to work on that more.
I woke up early again, unable to sleep through the night and began watching TV. Those late night infommercials were calling my name. I saw one that really was very convincing. If I were a wealthy woman I would most likely try this product. It was for Nopalea by Trivita. It's basically a juice drink made from the Nopal Cactus fruit.
photo courtesy of the Daily Talk Forum
The juice is supposed to be a super drink to help heal the body of quite a bit of toxins. They talked about how these toxins build up in the body and over time can cause all sorts of problems.
According to this infommercial , one of the main problems that these bad toxins are creating is chronic inflammation problems throughout the body. This is when I really started to tune in.
photo courtesy of inflamation-information.com
At 45, I already wake up everyday with soreness and pain from what I presume to be arthritis. I take Tylenol everyday, sometimes even twice a day. Even still, I have a lot of muscle stiffness that is even worse after I do anything strenuous. Sore in much of these areas shown here.
photo courtesy of chronic inflammation.com
Anyway, back to the infommercial, when they started talking about chronic inflammatory issues really wreaking havoc on people I decided I just might have some of this so what could I do about it? Well I could order up this product and raise our debt levels even higher then they already are or I could google "chronic inflammation" which I did. I saw there was tons of info regarding this health problem and from there began to google anti-inflammatory diets.
I found a great site that listed 11 super foods to include in your diet to help fight chronic inflammation. So, I will be off the grocery store today to pick up some of these foods. I found the following list with additional info on each food at www.dlife.com. It is a diabetes website, my mother would be so proud of me! LOL!
1. Salmon
2. Grass fed Beef or other animal foods
3. Olive Oil
4. Salads
5. Cruciferous Vegetables
6. Cherries
7. Blueberries
8. Turmeric
9. Ginger
10. Garlic
11. Green Tea
All of these sound easily doable to me except the grass fed beef might be a little tricky to find. I have long ago decided that trying to use natural products to help heal and protect the body is a great approach to start off with. These everyday foods certainly fit in great with my outlook. I still may look for some type of cactus additives too, IDK. I read online that someone living in Mexico said they use those quite regularly in their foods and and have always heard them to be healthy but they are not these super expensive products we are being sold. So, hmmm???
Before I leave, I also want to share one other anti inflammatory recipe I found here at;
Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
(serves 2-4)
1 cup of frozen blueberries or mixed berries
1 banana
2 diced kiwi
8 oz. of plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt with live cultures
1 cup of ice
2 TBS wheat germ or flax seed
¾ cup Pomegranate juice or 100% fruit juice of choice
1 banana
2 diced kiwi
8 oz. of plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt with live cultures
1 cup of ice
2 TBS wheat germ or flax seed
¾ cup Pomegranate juice or 100% fruit juice of choice
Blend until smooth (kids love smoothies and they are a convenient way to get lots of super healthy fruits in them).
This sounds delicious doesn't it? I think so!
What about you? What do you think about chronic inflammation or are you already tackling this? Do you regulary eat any of these foods above? I would love to hear any of your thoughts and for you to share what you are doing to combat this health issue.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I hope you have a very Happy and Healthy Day!
Mary
So sorry to hear about your dear Father-in-law!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right about inflamation being the root of major diseases.
Hubby & I have tried to protect our health by Shaklee nutritional products, exercise and good eating habits.
It's a challenge as we get older to stay fit.
I'm older than you and it's good to hear that you want to protect your health now.
Your post was very informative and helpful.
You listed a lot of good foods that we need to be eating everday.
Our foods today are mass produced with hormones and chemicals.
I just saw a picture of a normal trout and one that was genetically modified. Who knows what all that stuff is doing to us.
Take care!
Try looking in your local health food store for the cactus additive.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will let us know if you see a difference in how you are feeling.
This is a huge topic! So many people have an ailment and go to the doctor who only gives them a prescription, which only masks the problem. I always try to deal with ailments naturally before going to the doctor. "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" is a great reference book for understanding this topic. I've always taken supplements, but my husband always "poo poo'd" taking them and preferred to go to the doctor. Several years ago he started getting pain in one of his fingers and it was so stiff that he couldn't bend it. The doctor told him the only option was surgery. I told my husband to take glucosamine for 6 weeks to see if it helped. It helped within a couple weeks and my husband couldn't believe it. There are many supplements I keep in my "medicine" cabinet instead of pharmaceuticals. Melatonin is good when you can't sleep: Papaya cures heartburn instantly, to name a few. Doctors are finally getting wise about vitamin d3 and cancer and also immunity. I've had 2 of my doctors recommend that we take it. I take 2000 iu a day...and vitamin C?...helps with a lot of things.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the nopales...we always had them growing in our yard when I grew up. They have the most beautiful flowers. My dad eats both the cactus and the fruit all the time. My dad has always been into nutrition. At 70 he was riding 200 miles a week on his bike. He is 85 now.
Sorry for going on so long!
Mary I found your post and the comments very informative! I am 60 and very lucky to be fairly healthy but yes I have some joint pains. I have been looking into some natural cures and will add some of these foods to my diet for sure. Hope you feel better and will let us know how you are doing. hugs, Linda
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mary!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a great believer in using food for health. With the fibro that I have, I try really hard to eat food like blueberries and especially cherries for inflammation.
The only one I didn't know was turmeric. I don't know that I even know what that is. So... agoogling I will go.
I really, really like the idea of Wellness Wednesday. It's a topic missing in my particular blog community so I'm looking forward to your posts.
Excellent post Mary. We take turmeric everyday..also green tea. My personal trainer said exactly what you did about the inflammation in our system and guts. I took gluten out for two weeks to see how I would feel...I dropped weight and felt like a million bucks. Although, not totally out now, I have cut back a lot. Thanks for sharing all this valuable info with us.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! Yes, I eat all of those foods except the beef, I am a no red meat girl and have been for close to thirty years now.
ReplyDeleteI don't take supplements, but attempt to get what I need in the food I eat. I'm lucky with the turmeric, because I love curry and other Indian and vegetarian dishes that call for this spice. I also add it to stewed tomatoes and simple serve it over rice.
As for the salmon, my favorite fish, I only buy that which is sustainable. Go here: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx and put the fish you're looking for in the search box and they will tell you what are the best choices, alternatives and which one to avoid all together. When we talk about our health, we should talk about the health of our oceans (and land) also. Buying from sustainable fisheries ensures that healthy choices will be there for future generations also.
Oh, and try ibuprofen instead of Tylenol (acetaminophen), it is an anti-inflammatory (NSAIDS) and Tylenol isn't. I buy them at the Dollar Store and they are the same exact pill used in store brands AND you get twice as many.
Hugs