Weird Things to Eat That Are Good For You and May Prevent Diseases
Eating Healthy
If you have read my hub, Why Eating Healthy is so Hard, then you already know about my quest for eating healthy foods. This new way of life began when my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer over a year ago. Feeling the effects of a cancer diagnosis so close to home, hit me like a brick. To read about my mother's ordeal, visit my hub, Surviving Colon Cancer. I am an avid reader and the experience with my mother triggered a need to get my hands on as much current literature about cancer as I could. I am not quick to trust opinions or "facts" without checking multiple sources, so quite a bit of reading began to take place from the web, literature, and current magazines.
On my journey to eating healthy foods, in order to prevent long-term illnesses, I have come across some really weird nutritious foods. To my surprise, I had never heard of eating any of these, much less that they were very beneficial to my health and might even prevent cancer.
Apple Seeds and Apricot Seeds
Apple seeds and apricot seeds, along with many other common fruit seeds, contain an ingredient that many say is an effective treatment for serious life-threatening illnesses. While several sites claim that eating apple seeds or apricot seeds can cause poisoning, hundreds of bloggers are stating that they have been eating them for years with no ill-effects. It seems that there is a consensus that for any ill effects to occur, one would have to consume a very large amount of seeds to cause harm.
For me, ingesting anything in large quantities is just not a good idea. Things that are good for people in small quantities are rarely ever good for people in large quantities. The hundreds of comments I read on this site: ScienceNotes.org, were very helpful in my decision to incorporate apple seeds into my new healthy diet plan. Now, when I make my smoothies, I throw in the apple core with seeds!
According to NaturalNews.com, "Amagdylin is found with the highest concentration and necessary enzymes in apricot seed kernels. A primitive tribe, the Hunzas, were known to consume large amounts of apricot seed kernels. The hard pit had to be broken to get into the soft kernels. There was no incidence of cancer with them at all, ever. And they had long, healthy life spans. Laetrile was created by simply extracting amagdylin from the soft apricot kernels, purifying it and putting it into a concentrated form."
Iodine
Iodized salt is a common household ingredient. What you might not know is that even though our food is often saturated in salt, most people are iodine deficient. Our table salt is stripped of its iodine apparently. According to an article by Life Extension Magazine, the trend of eating less salt is partially to blame. According to this article, written in 2011, "Rates of iodine deficiency have reached epidemic levels, increasing fourfold over the past 40 years. Recent scientific analysis reveals that many commercial table salt brands now contain inadequate amounts of iodine. Inadequate iodine intake causes weight gain, low energy, depression, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and a variety of cancers."
Some Symptoms of iodine deficiency are listed here including depression, fatigue, weight gain(indirectly), dry skin, weak digestion. Iodine can be ingested by eating foods high in iodine, however, these are not common foods that we eat often. A liquid form of iodine can be purchased and added to water.
According to Healthwyze.org, "The more common "refined" table salts have been stripped of their minerals during processing, which manufacturers then sell to supplement companies. It makes the unmistakable point that the producers of table salts are intentionally stripping what they know to be the most nutritious part of the salt, and actually increasing profits by malnourishing their own customers. Table salt has all of its minerals removed, which would otherwise help to balance the blood pressure. Consequently, table salt causes gross blood pressure fluctuations, instead of stabilizing it. This well-known danger has created an entire industry of "low sodium" foods."
Iodine Supplement
Do you eat banana peels?
Banana Peels
According to some sources, over ripened bananas with brown spots, produce TNF( Tumor Necrosis Factor). HealthyFoodStyle.com states that, "According to a Japanese scientific research, banana contains TNF which has anti-cancer properties. This substance, according to their study, helps to increase the immune system capacity. The conclusion of the study was that eating those ripe bananas may just prevent certain lifestyle-related diseases and carcinogenesis."
In addition, LiveScience.com states that a banana peel is packed with nutrients, "It contains high amounts of vitamin B6 and B12, as well as magnesium and potassium. It also contains some fiber and protein."
I was surprised by all of the creative ways you can find to eat banana peels. None of them would appeal to me. The thought of cooking a banana peel is just not a good one. Luckily, I have already discovered a way to eat banana peels that is painless and actually very good. I frequently place fruit in the refrigerator so that I can use it in smoothies. This does several things: preserves the fruit for a longer period of time, makes it ice-like which creates the cold smoothies I like and makes it easy for me to package my smoothies in bags ready to be used (mixed with other fruits). A whole banana can be cut into quarters and then used in smoothies easily.
It is very important to wash vegetables and fruits to be sure all contaminants are removed before eating them. I try to do this now always, even with organically grown fruits and vegetables.
Dates
I had never eaten a date before in my life. I didn't even know where to buy them. Turns out they are easy to find in the grocery story, usually in the fresh food section on a shelf with other prepackaged fruit. After purchasing them for the first time, I was very surprised by how good they tasted. From the articles I have read, a person only needs to eat about 3 a day to reap their nutritional benefits. This helps to put their cost into perspective. A five dollar bag will last 3 to 4 weeks and I look forward to eating a few each day. They can also easily be added to a smoothie as well.
What are the nutritional benefits? They are numerous. According to OrganicFacts.net, "The benefits of dates include relief from constipation, intestinal disorders, heart problems, anemia, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea, abdominal cancer, and many other conditions. Dates are good for gaining weight also. Dates are rich in several vitamins, minerals and fiber too. These delicious fruits contain oil, calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are all beneficial for health."
Livestrong.com states that dates are abundant in fiber and for this reason are extremely beneficial to our health, "According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, just one pitted date contains 1.6 g of fiber or 6 percent of the recommended daily intake. Fiber is known for its ability to help lower cholesterol and fight and prevent obesity, heart disease and colorectal cancer.
This hub is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.