Quiz #3 Food as Medicine

Let Food be Your Medicine

• Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, emphasized the importance of food as medicine.
• There is no universal agreement on what "let food be your medicine" means, but it involves using food to promote health and well-being.

Inulin and Prebiotics

• Inulin is a type of polysaccharide found in the Aster family of plants, such as dandelion, elecampane, echinacea, and burdock roots.
• Inulin is food for intestinal flora and is sometimes referred to as PRE-biotics.
• Inulin increases the absorption of nutrients like calcium and magnesium.
• Whole foods rich in inulin include fennel seeds, which can be consumed after meals to promote digestion and sweeten the breath.
• Fennel bulbs, stalks, and leaves are also high in inulin, vitamin C, and antioxidants, and have been shown to have anti-cancer properties.

Parsley Benefits

• Parsley is an herb rich in nutrients, particularly vitamin K, vitamin C, and vitamin A.
• It is high in vitamin K, which is essential for heart health and healthy bones.
• Parsley helps promote digestion and relieves stagnant digestion due to its aromatic properties.
• It can modulate inflammation, which is associated with muscle pain, arthritis, and degenerative diseases, including cancer.
• Parsley has a spicy and pungent taste, indicating its potential to promote digestion and reduce inflammation.
• It is best used fresh and can be easily grown in gardens or found in grocery stores throughout the year.

Parsley Consumption

• A small serving size of parsley is not sufficient; it is recommended to consume a large amount, such as a handful or half a salad.
• Parsley pesto is a great way to incorporate the herb into one's diet, combining it with walnuts, garlic, olive oil, paprika, and lemon.

Herbs and Medicine: Blurring the Line

• In other cultures, the line between food and medicine is blurred, and people use herbal medicine to enhance their health by manipulating their food.
• Herbs can be seen as gourmet healing foods, specially selected to bring their healing qualities into food.
• The idea of an overlap between herbs and food challenges the traditional definition of what makes a food.

Onions: Food or Herb?

• Onions can be used as both a food and a medicinal herb, depending on how they are used.
• Onions have medicinal properties and can be used in various ways to promote health.

Herbal Medicines as Gourmet Foods

• Herbal medicines have the same active ingredients as foods, but are more concentrated.
• Thinking of herbs as tasty ways to add nourishment and healing properties to food expands our palate.
• Every other culture, except for North America and England, has used herbs as medicinal foods.

Rosemary: A Tasty Example

• Rosemary is a herb used as a condiment and has healing properties.
• When consuming rosemary in soup, it is unclear whether it is being used as medicine or food.