These three foods (counting onions and garlic as one because they are so great together) provide almost too many benefits to mention when it comes to improving your health, with minimal effort! Adding these foods is a perfect example of making SMALL changes that will have profound impacts on your health!!
Sometimes life gets in the way of making profound changes in our lifestyle. We need to remember that we ARE moving forward by just adding a few good things to our diet--the benefits will come!! That is why thinking about adding three simple things is so important....it is SOMETHING to remind you that you are going in the right direction!
1.Button Mushrooms
Anyone who knows me knows that there is noone who is a bigger mushroom fan than I! Mushrooms are the best secret weapon to amazing health! And not just one type! All edible mushrooms offer a vast array of benefits.
Just ONE HALF of a button mushroom a day can lower breast cancer risk by 64%, according to Dr Funk, one of the country's leading breast cancer researchers. One half button mushroom was enough to drop the cancer rates, in a large study of Chinese women, by 64% compared to age-matched non-mushroom eaters. That's shocking--a single 1/2 mushroom!!
Mushrooms contain aromatase inhibitors and other estrogen-blocking compounds. Studies indicate that mushrooms are a potent, anticancer food for both women and men. In men, they keep testosterone and other androgens from being converted to estrogens by aromatase, and thus, improve testosterone levels in older men. Remember to cook your mushrooms, even just heating them in the microwave, in order to kill any toxins present in these fantastic fungi!!
2. Onions and Garlic
Onion and garlic are part of the allium family, with almost too many health benefits to mention! They're anti-diabetic, and they're anti-cancer in a pretty big way. In fact, there's a large European study that found a 56% reduction in colon cancer risks, a 73% reduction in ovarian cancer, an 88% reduction in esophageal cancer, and a 71% reduction in prostate cancer in people who consumed the most onions and garlic. Beneficial organosulfide compounds in onions and garlic have magnificent anticancer effects.
They're rich in quercetin, they promote the growth of favorable bacteria in the digestive tracts, and they lower glycemic effects.
According to nutritionfacts.org, they are #1 against breast cancer, against brain tumors, against kidney, lung and pancreatic cancers. They are effective in treating prostate and stomach cancer. Garlic and onions can stop the growth of cancer cells, but they don't touch normal cells. It is AMAZING that they go after cancer cells, and leave the healthy cells alone. Add onions and garlic into every meal, and your body will thank you.
3. Ginger
Ginger has been used for thousands of years, and has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. Normally, viruses like the common cold, influenza, or even COVID-19 enter the body and attach to cells, causing a systemic infection. But ginger has demonstrated the ability to suppress this attachment from occurring and to prevent viruses from continuing to grow within cells.
According to VegHealth.org, a study published in The International Journal of Engineering and Science examined herbal remedies used against the swine flu (also called the H1N1 virus). Ginger was one of the top medicinal herbs mentioned for treatment against the swine flu because of its antiviral properties.
And in another study, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2013, researchers showed that ginger’s antiviral activities helped fight a common respiratory tract infection called human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV).
Ginger has also been shown to suppress the growth of cancer cells and, in fact, causes them to self-destruct (a process known as apoptosis). Ginger can even enhance the anticancer effects of a chemo drug, 5-fluorouracil, which may encourage further human studies on its use as a cost-effective, complementary cancer treatment.
Ginger has huge anti-inflammatory benefits, and has been used for thousands of years as a pain reliever (including for migraines). It is also protective against harmful gut bacteria, and protects the body against radiation. It may also balance blood sugar, and can have cardioprotective properties.
I cut up ginger in slices every night and steep it in hot water for a comforting tea. Add cinnamon, lemon, and honey to add even more super protective foods to your diet!
Add these three foods to your diet and your body will thank you. It FEELS good to do a few small things to change your health...once you get the ball rolling, you won't want to stop.
What the heck, it can't hurt!!
