Plant compounds for optimal health -
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Betsy Hale. William Siff is the author of The Plant Medicine Protocol. This book seemed very overwhelming when the author wrote of his daily routine in the introduction of the book as far as the drinks, oils, and food, and how he had traveled all over the world in search of these.
I knew this was not something I would ever do but could he help a person who was basically a homebody and did not have access to all of this?
I knew about folklore basics and that many plants had medicinal value. He said that incorporating various tonics, elixirs, teas, powders, herbs, and spices into the diet would bring on good habits to be maintained for life.
Could he teach me to create a tonic or a powder and what would be beneficial for a specific ailment or symptom? Overall, the author wants the reader to make an improvement to their health and resilience. The book is written in four parts: fundamentals of natural medicine; the protocol of plant medicine; focusing on the plant-powered home; and plant profiles.
The book has an index for easy reference and many wonderful pictures throughout the book as well as a section of FAQs to answer questions about various methods the author talks about.
He has numerous recipes and suggestions for using various plants and their by-products as well as describing many in great detail in the resources section. This is definitely a book for your library if you are a plant enthusiast and are looking for a healthier you.
The body, long used to this relentless attack, makes many molecules that quench free radicals as surely as water douses fire. We also extract free-radical fighters from food. They are also involved in mechanisms that repair DNA and maintain the health of cells.
There are hundreds, probably thousands, of different substances that can act as antioxidants. The most familiar ones are vitamin C , vitamin E , beta-carotene , and other related carotenoids, along with the minerals selenium and manganese.
Most are naturally occurring, and their presence in food is likely to prevent oxidation or to serve as a natural defense against the local environment. It is really a chemical property, namely, the ability to act as an electron donor.
Some substances that act as antioxidants in one situation may be pro-oxidants—electron grabbers—in a different situation. Another big misconception is that antioxidants are interchangeable.
Each one has unique chemical behaviors and biological properties. They almost certainly evolved as parts of elaborate networks, with each different substance or family of substances playing slightly different roles.
This means that no single substance can do the work of the whole crowd. Antioxidants came to public attention in the s, when scientists began to understand that free radical damage was involved in the early stages of artery-clogging atherosclerosis.
It was also linked to cancer , vision loss, and a host of other chronic conditions. Some studies showed that people with low intakes of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables were at greater risk for developing these chronic conditions than were people who ate plenty of those foods.
Clinical trials began testing the impact of single substances in supplement form, especially beta-carotene and vitamin E, as weapons against chronic diseases. Supplement makers touted the disease-fighting properties of all sorts of antioxidants.
The research results were mixed, but most did not find the hoped-for benefits. Antioxidants are still added to breakfast cereals, sports bars, energy drinks, and other processed foods , and they are promoted as additives that can prevent heart disease, cancer, cataracts, memory loss, and other conditions.
Randomized placebo-controlled trials, which can provide the strongest evidence, offer little support that taking vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, or other single antioxidants provides substantial protection against heart disease, cancer, or other chronic conditions.
The results of the largest trials have been mostly negative. A modest effect of vitamin E has been found in some studies but more research is needed. A study from the Journal of Respiratory Research found that different isoforms of vitamin E called tocopherols had opposing effects on lung function.
Lung function was tested using spirometric parameters: higher parameters are indicative of increased lung function, while lower parameters are indicative of decreased lung function. The study found that higher serum levels of alpha-tocopherol were associated with higher spirometric parameters and that high serum levels of gamma-tocopherol were associated with lower spirometric parameters.
Though the study was observational in nature, it confirmed the mechanistic pathway of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol in mice studies.
When it comes to cancer prevention, the picture remains inconclusive for antioxidant supplements. Few trials have gone on long enough to provide an adequate test for cancer. High-dose antioxidant supplements can also interfere with medicines.
Vitamin E supplements can have a blood-thinning effect and increase the risk of bleeding in people who are already taking blood-thinning medicines. Some studies have suggested that taking antioxidant supplements during cancer treatment might interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment.
Inform your doctor if starting supplements of any kind. One possible reason why many studies on antioxidant supplements do not show a health benefit is because antioxidants tend to work best in combination with other nutrients, plant chemicals, and even other antioxidants.
For example, a cup of fresh strawberries contains about 80 mg of vitamin C, a nutrient classified as having high antioxidant activity. Polyphenols also have many other chemical properties besides their ability to serve as antioxidants.
There is a question if a nutrient with antioxidant activity can cause the opposite effect with pro-oxidant activity if too much is taken. This is why using an antioxidant supplement with a single isolated substance may not be an effective strategy for everyone. Differences in the amount and type of antioxidants in foods versus those in supplements might also influence their effects.
For example, there are eight chemical forms of vitamin E present in foods. However, vitamin E supplements typically only include one form, alpha-tocopherol.
Epidemiological prospective studies show that higher intakes of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables, and legumes are associated with a lower risk of chronic oxidative stress-related diseases like cardiovascular diseases , cancer, and deaths from all causes.
The following are nutrients with antioxidant activity and the foods in which they are found:. Excessive free radicals contribute to chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, cognitive decline, and vision loss.
Keep in mind that most of the trials conducted have had fundamental limitations due to their relatively short duration and inclusion of people with existing disease. At the same time, abundant evidence suggests that eating whole in fruits , vegetables , and whole grains —all rich in networks of naturally occurring antioxidants and their helper molecules—provides protection against many scourges of aging.
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In , a rating tool called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity ORAC was created by scientists from the National Institute on Aging and the United States Department of Agriculture USDA.
It was used to measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. The USDA provided an ORAC database on its website highlighting foods with high ORAC scores, including cocoa, berries, spices, and legumes. Blueberries and other foods topping the list were heavily promoted in the popular press as disease-fighters even if the science was weak, from cancer to brain health to heart disease.
However, 20 years later the USDA retracted the information and removed the database after determining that antioxidants have many functions, not all of which are related to free radical activity. Aim to include a variety of plant based foods such as vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes in your meals and snacks every day.
Try these phytonutrient-rich meal and snack ideas Breakfast: Muesli-type oat cereal with dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Lunch: A spinach salad with mandarin oranges and almonds. Dinner: Vegetarian bean chili with a crusty whole grain roll.
Snack: A tall cold glass of orange, berry, banana smoothie. Last Update — January 3, Article All About Dark Leafy Greens. Article What is a Dietitian? Video Video: Make Glazed Trout and Seafood Chowder.
Herbs and spices Performance nutritionist been used compoundz Plant compounds for optimal health around the world since Cellular protection times Cellular protection both culinary optimwl medicinal purposes. In addition to adding flavor and healh to recipes, herbs heaoth spices contain a variety of compounds that may help reduce inflammation, improve symptoms of certain compounxs conditions, and Plnat against the development of chronic diseases. Here are the best herbs and spices for better health and how to use them in your diet. Ginger is the rhizome—a horizontal, underground stem—of the Zingiber officinale plant. It has a warm and spicy flavor and is commonly added to dishes like soups, baked goods, and curries. Ginger has therapeutic properties and has been used in traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM for thousands of years. Ginger contains multiple bioactive compounds, including gingerols, shogaols, and paradols, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in the body. Following this advice and eating nutrition for pool training sessions variety of colorful plant-based Immune system resilience is compoknds great healtu to nutrition for pool training sessions from heealth called phytochemicals, in addition to a variety of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. Phytochemicals are compounds in plants. These substances are found in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. They give plants their color, flavor and aroma. Much of the current evidence on the benefits of phytochemicals has come from observing people who eat mainly plant-based diets.
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