We’ve all heard the quote attributed to Hippocrates around 400 BC – “Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be food”. Although there is no hard evidence that Hippocrates actually said it, the significance of it cannot be ignored.
Chronic disease and disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension, and others are increasingly linked to the unhealthy lifestyles that so many of us are living. The COVID pandemic has only worsened the situation, as we increasingly became even more sedentary and tried to drown our fears in junk food.
Is this situation concerning to you? It concerns me, and I, like many others, have not been eating healthy foods or engaging in what I would define as a healthy lifestyle. I’ve spent far too much time sitting and working on my laptop, and too little time moving my body. I’ve eaten far too much junk food because I’ve been too “busy” or mentally apathetic to prepare the foods I should be eating.
What are we doing about it? At the very least, it becomes crucial that we recognize the preventive role that nutrition can and does play in improving our lifestyles and lengthening our lives.
As we are cautiously and hopefully coming through the worst of the pandemic, it is time to be more cognizant and proactive about improving our diets and ultimately our health.
I have created a free cheat sheet of some of the best foods to eat to help prevent and/or improve specific diseases or disorders. The recommended lists of foods are not by any means exhaustive. But even if a reference article listed the top 25 foods you should eat for healthier results, I only listed the first 5 or 6.
The recommended food lists are in a checklist format so you can check the ones you like and want to try. There is also a note box beside each list of foods to encourage you to think about how to incorporate each of your checked foods into your diet or how you can prepare them in ways that fit into your lifestyle.
At the end of the document, there is a list of references/resources if you are interested in finding out more about how food can help you with a specific disease or disorder. Click on the links to the resource articles to read more. The URLs are clickable even though they don’t look like it.
Please note:
The information provided in the “Food As Medicine Cheat Sheets” is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You are urged to seek help from a medical professional or healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.
Below is a sample page from the free “Food as Medicine Cheat Sheets”.
There are 9 cheat sheet pages and 2 pages of resources/references in the document. You may download your free copy HERE!
Are you eating specific foods to help with any condition you may have? How can you use this freebie to make improvements that positively impact your health?
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I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our March – June foods extravaganza!!