Foods That Heal: #2: SWEET POTATOES!!!! (and RECIPES!)! Does Your Body Hurt? Do You Feel Sick? Want To Prevent Disease? Start Eating These Foods!!

Well folks its time for spotlighting another awesome anti-inflammatory, antioxidant food!  This time I thought I'd pick a starch that may surprise you!  SWEET POTATOES!!  

Yes, thats right folks, I'm talking about potatoes!  But sweet potatoes aren't really "potatoes" as we think of them!  While doing research for this post, I was surprised to discover that sweet potatoes themselves are actually not part of the "potato family"--they are a root vegetable in their own family completely separate from white potatoes & even yams!  So bring on these "potatoes!"   As I shared last week with KALE, in each post I'll share why each food rocks nutritionally and give you some recipe options to try to prepare it!  Once again, I'd love to hear any recipe ideas that you have to cook/prepare yummy meals with the featured "Food That Heals!"  Please share your ideas in the comments below!

And now:  back to the sweet potatoes!

You'll note that sweet potatoes showed up on all three of the anti-inflammatory/antioxidant lists I've shared on the blog.  Thats because they are full of powerful micronutrients that pack a major punch to fight & prevent pain, cancer & even stabilize blood glucose in diabetics!  Extra bonus--they taste delicious & have a relatively low glycemic index which makes them a perfect food to satisfy a sweet tooth!

I really love sweet potatoes--I have since I was young but when I became vegan and sugar-free I got a bit stumped on how to cook them!  I was so used to having them baked with butter and brown sugar or in a casserole with marshmellows!!  Luckily, the vegan blogger world stood ready to provide me with many tasty recipes to enjoy this nutritious & delicious treat!  I'll share some yummy recipes later in the post but first, why do sweet potatoes rock?  Remember, I'm a doctor but still engaged in my own nutrition education so I'll do the best I can explaining these nutrients!

Antioxidant Value

• Vitamin A (1 cup provides 438% of the RDA!)--as I shared in Kale last week, Vitamin A is one impressive vitamin.  
• It protects cells against cancer and other diseases and is necessary for new cell growth
• It contains Carotenoids: lutein and beta-carotene--studies have demonstrated a cancer-preventive function for prostate cancer and colorectal cancer in particular! 
• The beta-carotene & anthocyanin in the sweet potatoes is what gives them their rich orange color--beta-carotene is a precursor for Vitamin A (which means it is a substance that helps make Vitamin A)!
• Vitamin C--like Kale, according to "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" this vitamin is an "antioxidant that is required for at least three hundred metabolic functions in the body including tissue growth and repair..."
• THE POWER OF PURPLE: 
• In one study, the antioxidant activity in purple sweet potatoes was 3.2 times higher than that of a type of blueberry! This is due to the anthocyanin (discussed in anti-inflammatory value below) which was  found in one study to have the strongest antioxidizing power out of 150 flavonoids
• I haven't been able to find any purple sweet potatoes at my local Whole Foods but I'm going to see if my little organic shop up the street will order me some from these folks that I found via Google!:-)

Anti-Inflammatory Value (some overlap with antioxidant)

• Anthocyanin:  the pigment that makes sweet potatoes orange and sometimes, even purple!
• a class of flavonoids.  As I mentioned last week, flavonoids are extremely beneficial, check out this paper by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.
• Shown in studies to reduce the inflammatory agent  cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) {small informational note: COX-2 inhibitors--things that reduce COX-2--include the drug Celebrex!}

Other fantastic nutritional benefits include:

• Potassium; manganese; Vitamins B6, B3 & B5; copper; tryptophan
• FIBER:  nearly 4 grams per cup!
• and MORE! 

What diseases are Sweet Potatoes thought to influence, prevent, reduce or improve:

• Reduces Pain
• "In animal studies, reduced inflammation following sweet potato consumption has been shown in brain tissue and nerve tissue throughout the body.
• Once again, check out Dr. Neal Barnard's book: "Foods That Fight Pain"
• Helps improve blood glucose control in diabetic patients
• Recent research has shown that extracts from sweet potatoes can help improve the control of blood glucose levels by improving insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients.  
• "It also has been shown to significantly increase blood levels of adiponectin in persons with type 2 diabetes. Adiponectin is a protein hormone produced by our fat cells, and it serves as an important modifier of insulin metabolism." 
• Helps prevent cancer (like all antioxidant dense foods!) 
• May reduce damage to the aging brain, including reducing cognitive deficits
• May help reduce obesity
• studies have shown that the purple sweet potato's anti-inflammatory effects includes suppressing leptin (the molecule that generates fat tissue in the body)
• Helps fight arthrosclerosis & stabilizes the walls of small  blood vessels which can improve blood flow throughout the body
• Improves cholesterol
• A study shared in Dr. Fuhrman's Disease Proof blog indicated that anthocyanin dense foods reduced LDL cholesterol & increased HDL cholesterol

***Caveat:  If you have kidney or gallbladder problems, check with your doctor before you eat a lot of sweet potatoes--they have oxalates in them which can crystallize.***

Recipes:  SO many great recipes!!  What are YOUR favs?

• Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges and Zippy Yams & Bok Choy from p.9 of Dr. Neal Barnard's "Diabetes Recipes" pdf
• Susan Voisin of Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's Millet Sweet Potato Flat Bread sounds AMAZING!  She uses it to make a "cheese" sandwich!  Going on my list for next week!
• Probably my FAVORITE soup: The Healthy Librarian's version of Robin Robertson's Sweet Potato, Spinach, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, and a Bit of Peanut Butter Soup
• Ok this looks amazing and I'm so sad that with my soy-free life I can't have it but for the rest of you:  The Vegan Epicurean's Sweet Potato Torta with Dijon Cream
• My New Roots Sweet Potato Hummus:  OK YUMMY!!!
• Sweet potatoes for breakfast?  Oh yes!  Check this out from "Oh She Glows":  Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole and this other Sweet Potato Breakfast Salad recipe from "Choosing Raw"
• Healthy Girl's Kitchen shared this great looking Sweet Potato Stew recipe from another blog The Jana/Dr. Joel Project 
• When Lindsay Nixon's new book the "Everyday Happy Herbivore" came out, she was kind enough to send me one of the recipes as a preview--yummy Sweet Potato Dal!

Ok thats all folks!  Enjoy!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

Does Your Body Hurt? Do You Feel Sick? Want To Prevent Disease? Start Eating Foods That Heal: #1: KALE!!!! (and RECIPES!)

As you know I'm a huge fan of the concept of addressing chronic pain issues and other inflammatory diseases (Arthritis, Acute Muscle Strains, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Heart Disease, Diabetes and Cancer) with dietary change to improve healing and reduce pain!  I've written on my own journey with anti-inflammatory foods here and here, as well as shared with you some anti-inflammatory foods for kids AND a list of anti-oxidant foods to promote healthy skin!  


But lets face it, those lists can be really confusing!  Its just too much information sometimes.  So I've decided to start a post series focussing weekly on ONE powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory food that HEALS!  I'll share why each food rocks and give you some recipe options to try to prepare it!  Even better, I'll get feedback (hopefully) in the comments from all of you with other tasty ideas for preparing the "Food That Heals!"


This week the magic food is:  KALE!!!


Its one of my favorites--pretty much since I went to the farmers market last summer and kale was on sale for 1 pound for $1.  I had no idea how much kale weighed, so I told the man:  "I'll have 5 lbs!"  Oh boy, thats a lot of kale!!! Wowsers.  So I started cooking it. And liking it!  Then in Dr. Esselstyn's book Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease, Ann Esselstyn also extolled the virtues of kale.  And so on and so forth.  Dr. Joel Fuhrman's nutrition density scale ranks it #1 out of 20,000 foods according to PeerTrainer.


Kale makes it on every anti-inflammatory, antioxidant list because it is chock full of nutrients.  Lets review what those are!  Remember, I'm not a nutritionist.  I'm a doctor learning how food interacts with the body systems I've studied in minute detail! 


A great article in the Huffington post on kale is here.


Kale's Antioxidant value centers on:

• Vitamin C--according to "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" this vitamin is an "antioxidant that is required for at least three hundred metabolic functions in the body including tissue growth and repair..."
• Vitamin A--protects cells against cancer and other diseases and is necessary for new cell growth
• Carotenoids: lutein and beta-carotene--studies have demonstrated a cancer-preventive function for prostate cancer and colorectal cancer in particular! 
• Flavonoids: the big ones in kale are kaempferol & quercitin but there are 45 different flavonoids in kale!  Flavonoids are extremely beneficial, check out this paper by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

Anti-inflammatory power (many antioxidants also double as anti-inflammatory agents):

• Vitamin K: interesting study demonstrated that high Vitamin K status is associated with lower inflammatory markers (the agents of inflammation).  KEY CAUTION:  if you are on coumadin (warfarin) and eat kale or other leafy greens make SURE to talk to your doctor about this to adjust your dose as it can have a dangerous effect on your blood thinners.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (ALA) (yes!  Kale has Omega-3's!)
• " It only takes 100 calories of kale to provide us with 25-35% of the National Academy of Sciences' public health recommendation for the most basic omega-3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA)."

Other fantastic nutritional benefits include:

• Magnesium, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), Calcium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus
• FIBER:  5 grams per cup!
• and MORE!  Check out this link for more details!

What diseases is Kale thought to prevent, reduce or improve:

• Reduces Pain significantly if eaten on a regular basis like all cruciferous vegetables.  Check out Dr. Neal Barnard's book: "Foods That Fight Pain"
• Helps lower cholesterol (due to the fiber's effect on bile acids--this effect is maximized when kale is cooked!)
• Helps reduce heart disease (by absorbing fat through the bile acid binding mechanism derived from fiber)
• Helps prevent osteoporosis (through Vitamin K's role in creating osteocalcin, the protein in bone tissue on which calcium crystalizes"
• Helps prevent cancer (excellent source of glucosinlate phytonutrients)
• Studies that show kale & other cruciferous vegetable's role in preventing colon cancer
• Literature supports reductions in prostate cancer & ovarian cancer with kale as well.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT:  Buy Organic Kale whenever possible!!  It is part of the "Dirty Dozen" list of high pesticide foods!!

Here is a sampling of recipes from some of my favorite bloggers and authors:

• Healthy Girl's Kitchen's Sri Lankan Kale (I loved this, you can read about it in my post here)
• My New Roots Blog's Winter Slaw (probably my favorite salad of all time, I talked about it here)
• The Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's "Cosmic Cashew Kale and Chickpeas with Confetti Quinoa"
• The Healthy Librarian's Potato & Kale Enchiladas (YUM!)
• Dr. Fuhrman's California Creamed Kale & Kale Fennel Soup
• Ann Esselstyn's Kale & Lemon Sandwiches (from The Healthy Librarian blog)
• Dr. Andrew Weil's Tuscan Kale Salad
• A few recipes for Kale Chips: 
• "Sour Cream" & Onion Kale Chips from "Oh She Glow's" blog (OMG this sounds SO good!)
• The Happy Herbivore's Oil-Free Kale Chips
• Mrs. McDougall's Baked Kale Chips

Ok!  What is YOUR favorite Kale recipe??!!

Any requests for foods for next time?:-)

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

Build a Healthy Immune System with FOOD! ~Part 2~ SuperImmunity for KIDS!!

Yup that's me as a little girl!:-)

What a perfect time of year to make a change in the way your family eats!  Remember that YOU have the power to influence your kids' health destinies by changing what they eat!  So, if you have any children in your life--this second post in my kids series is for you!!!   And before you stop reading my non-parent readers, children in many ways are biochemically little adults so pretty much everything in this post is relevant to all of us adults as well! So you might find some good information here after all!  


I have been featuring Dr. Leo Galland's outstanding book: "SuperImmunity for Kids" and last time I talked about nutritional assessment when treating common childhood ailments.  Now lets continue with Part 2--my best effort at a condensed summary of some key points in the book.


After reading Dr. Galland's book "SuperImmunity for Kids" from cover to cover multiple times I have gleaned the following random pearls of Dr. Galland's wisdom to make kids as healthy as possible:


1) Chronic yeast or mold in children's bodies can weaken their immune system significantly and cause recurrent infections that never completely resolve.  If your kids go on antibiotics or if they have had recurrent infections after going on antibiotics in the past, ask your pediatrician about whether treating them with a prolonged course of Nystatin (yeast eliminator) is appropriate.  Dr. Galland appears to recommend a yeast-elimination diet + anti-yeast medication after all antibiotic use in kids.


2) As much as possible, kids should not eat sugar.  It causes significant behavior & medical problems and sets kids up for a lifetime of health issues.  Toxicity from sugar can mimic ADHD, can prolong bacterial infections, and cause kids not to absorb other nutrients in their diet.  Dr. Galland suggests that kids who crave sweets are nutrient-poor and need a more nutrient-dense diet with antioxidants and EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids).  This is not to mention the other effects of sugar on kids' immune systems and inflammatory states--childhood obesity is massively on the rise and I've seen way too many kids under the age of 12 with Type 2 Diabetes!!!  Now I know all you parents out there are rolling your eyes right now saying "Yeah, right, how am I ever going to get my kid to not eat sugar!" Well next time I'll post Dr. Galland's advice on how to encourage nutrient-dense eating in kids along with a few suggestions of my own & other blogs to reference that may be helpful! 


3) Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are the magic missing ingredient in diagnosing a LARGE variety of illnesses in toddlerhood and childhood.  Dr. Galland recommends the following daily flaxseed oil dose regimen for kids to boost their immune system's ability to function: 

1 to 2 years old	1 teaspoon daily
2 to 3 years old	2 teaspoons daily
3 and up	1 Tablespoon daily

Instead of flaxseed oil he notes that you can use walnut oil as well.  Per Dr. Galland, whole food plant-based EFA sources include walnuts, beans (especially soy, kidney and navy), tofu and freshly ground flaxseed meal.

4) Providing kids with a nutrient-rich diverse diet with a focus on anti-oxidant foods is the KEY to improving their immune system!  Now you know I am a fan of anti-inflammatory eating and using anti-oxidant foods to your best advantage as adults.  Well the same applies to kids.  Here is a list of whole food plant-based sources for the anti-oxidant building block vitamins and minerals kids desperately need!  (Of note, Dr. Galland's list in his book SuperImmunity does include animal sources of these vitamins/minerals.  I have chosen to exclude those since I only eat a plant-based diet and supplement his list with other plant-based sources, but if you do have your children eating meat,etc, then you can get this information in his book!)

Vitamin A	carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, red peppers, pumpkins, broccoli
Vitamin C	citrus fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, red peppers and broccoli
Vitamin E	oatmeal, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, almonds and unrefined EFA-rich oils
Vitamin B-3 (Niacin)	whole grains (except corn), beets, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds, cayenne peppers, peanuts
Copper	sesame seeds, tofu and kidney beans
Manganese	brown rice, oatmeal, split peas, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts and blackberries
Selenium	oatmeal
Sulfur	high-protein foods like legumes
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin)	mushrooms, soybeans, almonds
Zinc	avocados, raspberries, apricots, blackberries, dates, longan berries, and pomegranates, asparagus, brussels sprouts, peas, pumpkin, and chard

Ok, so thats all for now!  Next week I'll share Dr. Galland's advice on HOW to actually get your kids to eat healthy!  He talks in his book "SuperImmunity for Kids" about how to protect your kids and fight the "junk-food junkies" in our world of processed food so I'll share that with you along with a few Mom & Dad written blogs to help support you parents along the way!

Coming Up:

• How I Deal With Temptation!
• The Clear Skin Diet and My New Soy-Free Life!
• Treating Pain with Food--more thoughts
• Foods That Make You Feel Good (A New Series Featuring Individual Foods & Their Nutrient Power)

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.