“Farm”acy RX

The understanding of “Food as Medicine” has always had its passionate advocates, and with the emergence of Epigenetics, cutting edge science is helping to explain the cellular effects food has on our bodies. For instance, we now know that fresh foods that are local, seasonal and organic can help reduce our risk of some forms of cancer. With this knowledge comes the opportunity to make nutritional choices that impact all of your cells and leave you feeling better, as well as choices that positively impact our community and local farmers. Veggie stir-fry anyone?

This is the list that will give you the most bang for your effort from your “farm”acy.

• Water: drink at least 2 litres daily. Add lemon juice to your water first thing in the morning to increase bile excretion (bile is a natural laxative)
• Try to consume 3 cups of green tea daily. In some studies it has shown to prevent breast cancer recurrence by up to 64%.
• Add 2 tbsp of ground flaxseeds to your meals through smoothies, in salad, added to soup, or mixed with veggies.
• Add veggies like spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, parsley or fresh mint to your smoothies.
• Eat at least 1 organic apple a day
• Include at least 1 portion/day of Cruciferous vegetables daily which include watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, arugula, kohlrabi, radish, daikon, and Bok Choy. These assist your liver in detoxification.
• Include 1 serving/day of sulfur rich foods such as cabbage, garlic, onions, and beans which also promote liver detoxification
• Eat 1/2 cup of beans like lentils, chickpeas, black beans, adzuki, mung, pinto or navy every day. This is the food you would most want o be stuck on desert island with for all of its nutritional value.
• Include glutathione-containing food such asparagus, avocados and walnuts. Glutathione is the most important antioxidant for your liver.
• Include high antioxidant foods such as berries, grapes (organic!), beets, cooked tomatoes, pomegranate and organic green tea to prevent free radical damage.
• Include liberal amounts of turmeric, cilantro and walnuts in your diet.
• Eat a total of at least 3 cups of vegetables daily.
• Avoid coffee, alcohol, grapefruit juice, stomach acid blockers and antihistamines.  If you are a regular coffee reduce to 1 cup/day and try to drink only organic coffee.
• Avoid all artificial sweeteners including aspartame, sucralose (Spenda), and acesulfame potassium. These are found in all diet products, many yogurts, gum, mints, Crystal Light water, most flavoured water and many protein bars.
• Avoid “White” food: white bread, white pasta, white rice, white sugar
• Avoid all fried foods including chips, fries, chicken, breaded fish
• Only consume dairy that is organic
• Avoid MSG. It may be listed as:

Autolyzed yeast
Calcium caseinate
Gelatin
Glutamate, Glutamic acid
Hydrolyzed protein
Monopotassium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate
Sodium caseinate
Textured protein
Yeast extract
Yeast food
Yeast Nutrient