Healing With Whole Food

As I was doing some research this week about healing foods and I came across fiber, and the importance of fiber in our diet.  Many people today are suffering from ailments that can truly be corrected with the proper nutritional balancing.  The term fiber refers to carbohydrates that can not be digested and fiber acts as an intestinal broom in your system. There are two types of fiber, insoluble and soluble. Our body requires 35 grams or more of fiber a day in order to function properly. 

According to the Linus Pauling Institute,  viscous fiber such as those found in oat products and legumes can lower serum LDL levels and and normalize blood glucose and insulin response. The same study reports that numerous people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes that increased their fiber intake improved blood serum lipid profiles.  As we can see, fiber is a very important element that should be included in our diet on a daily basis.  There are numerous studies that show a link between high fiber intake and the reduction of disease.  When we eat high fiber food, the fiber absorbs the toxins in our body and drives them out with it as it is eliminated.  Since fiber is not digested or absorbed it very beneficial for this purpose.  Cancer, diabetes, diverticulitis, breast cancer, IBS, colon cancer, all of these diseases are positively affected by a high intake of fiber.
Food Serving Fiber.  Studies report that African American Women are likely to die from breast cancer and this same study believes that diet and exercise (or lack thereof) is a contributing factor. Read more about the study on the following link.
http://main.uab.edu/Sites/reporter/articles/81083/

It is truly time to heal our self with whole food.  Processed food is destroying our communities at an alarming rate.  We are truly paying the price for it in the form of these lifestyle diseases that even the experts are realizing the truth about what the underlying causes are.  Disease does not just happen by chance, it is a process that happens as we provide the conditions in our body that welcome these offenders.  Healing will begin with going back to the basics of a whole food diet.  That will provide us with the dietary fiber we need for maximum wellness.



Legumes
                                                        Serving  and amount of dietary fiber in grams(g)
Navy beans, cooked from dried      1 cup            19.1

Split peas, cooked from dried          1 cup           16.3

Lentils, cooked from dried               1 cup           15.6



Kidney beans, canned                    1 cup 13.6

Refried beans, canned                    1 cup 12.1

Cereals and grains

100% (wheat) Bran Cereal             1/2 cup 12.5

Bulgur, cooked                              1 cup 8.2

Pearled barley, cooked                 1 cup 6.0

Oat bran, cooked                         1 cup 5.7

Quinoa, cooked                           1 cup 5.2

Instant oatmeal, cooked                1 cup 4.0

Rice, long-grained brown, cooked 1 cup 3.5

Vegetables

Artichoke hearts, cooked          1 cup 14.4

Spinach, frozen, cooked              1 cup 7.0

Brussel sprouts, frozen, cooked    1 cup 6.4

Winter squash, cooked              1 cup 5.7

Mushrooms, cooked from fresh   1 cup 3.4

Fruits

Prunes, uncooked                   1 cup, pitted 12.4

Asian pear                              1 pear 9.9

Guava, fresh                           1 cup 8.9

Raspberries, fresh                  1 cup 8.0

Blackberries, fresh                 1 cup 7.6

Nuts and Seeds

Almonds                             1 ounce (23 kernels) 3.5

Pistachio nuts                     1 ounce (49 kernels) 2.9

Pecans                                1 ounce (19 halves) 2.7

Peanuts                               1 ounce (33 kernels)


Fateria Johnson M.A. Holistic Wellness Educator

http://www.its4yourwellness.com/

Change Your Perspective

We all have a perspective of life.  Sometimes we allow our perspective to lean more towards the negative than we should, when we do this we also affect our mood in a negative way as well.  Speaking positive affirmations to our self is a great way to change your perspective and alter your mood for the positive.  I like to encourage myself daily, because if I wait for someone else to do it...well it my not come.  If I am sitting in a traffic jam(which I hate) I shift my focus on to something positive.

 If I am out around town or at work and I come in contact with someone with a negative attitude, I shift my focus to something more becoming.  What ever thing you meditate on the most, that is the thing that will occupy your mind, seep into your heart and ultimately affect your behaviour.  Choose to meditate on things that are beautiful, encouraging and productive.  I could sit in traffic and scream, get really angry and think about all the reasons why I hate being in that situation, or I could just shift my focus to how I am going to have a relaxing lunch, and about the very productive day that I am going to have.  Our perspective sets the very tone for our day. 

If we allow our perspective to be clouded and negative, then everything we see from that point on will be clouded with negativity. If we choose to change how we see things thus shifting our perspective we will have a positive impact on our mood and everything that follows will be like a cool much needed breeze.

Change your perspective and affect your mood!