Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Yes, you can self medicate with food. Things to throw in your trolley...


What's a legume? Well essentially its a bean - a kidney bean, chick pea, butter bean, runner bean... you name it. Legumes take central stage in a piece of mine in the Irish Times today. It's the start of a series on how what you put in your trolley can improve common illnesses we all suffer from.

Instead of telling people what Not to eat, my approach here is to give them solutions. So if you've high blood pressure, eating legumes helps rid the body of excess water, which if retained can raise blood pressure. Beans such as lentils and white beans also contain high levels of potassium which helps rid the body of excess salt.

There's all sorts of things you can include in your diet to address many different health issues. The series will also cover mental health, fatigue, fertility and lots of other annoying conditions that appear in our lives on an ongoing basis. What I'm saying is - before getting a prescription as long as your arm for simple common conditions, (like migraine, or continual tiredness) try looking at your diet. Though perpetual tiredness... with a toddler and a young baby on the go I'll put my hand up to this. Though 70% cocoa chocolate helps, a lot. x

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0320/1224313565296.html

2 comments:

  1. Ha ha ha - it was such a serious post right up until the end. I would have ended it with the addition of a glass of red wine too ... there is no cure for the tiredness that young kids put on a parent. I am usually so exhausted on a Sunday evening from all the 'going' ours do - that it is hard to stay awake past 9pm. Love the legumes - this series sounds like it is right up my alley. Do you have anything for Carpal tunnel?

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  2. Great idea! Positive and pro-active, thanks!

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