One of my jobs involves spending 20 hours a week at Vitamin Cottage. Yesterday, I had the chance to chat with an ayurvedic practitioner who was doing a product demo. She said something that struck me as interesting, and which I’d heard but completely forgotten: Spicy foods are marvelous immune-system boosters. And here I was marveling at the fact that I haven’t gotten sick all winter (knocking on wood!), when it might just be the fact that my black-bean chili turns red from cayenne pepper.
Turns out that cayenne pepper might also help arthritis pain. So eat up, knitters.
It made me think, though. We rely so much either on conventional medicines or on herbal remedies, which can be pricey, to fight or prevent disease; but we can create the same positive outcomes with some easy, simple (and tasty) dietary tweaks. So if you like it hot, do it till it hurts!
What do you think? Have you tried ginger or hot pepper as an immune booster? Do you eat five oranges at the first sign of a cold? Or do you think it’s all hoodoo?
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5 comments:
Hot foods are supposed to speed up your metabolism, too! What's up with TALKING about your spicy black-bean soup, but not posting a recipe??? LOL. Come on! :-)
I'm a big believer in lifestyle being the predominant indicator of health. Food is naturally a massive part of that.
But as my mom always said, "Everything in moderation." So I'm not generally inclined to drink OJ in massive amounts *after* a cold has arrived. But I am keen on trying to drink it regularly (when I can) in order to help prevent colds.
I have noticed that I've been less prone to sickness since I started eating more curry and Thai foods. It's anecdotal evidence at best, so I don't mistake my experiences for science. But still... Mmm, Thai food.
Yeah, I will post the chili recipe at some point. Don't worry!
I do the vitamin C bombs at the first sign of a cold (the first night of tiredness and post-nasal drip). So far, that's worked. I also find that just being a more laid-back person has made me more illness-resistant.
I have long believed in the disease-fighting powers of hot & sour soup, consumed at the first sign of a cold. Sleeping as much as possible is good too.
Good point: Never discount the value of a good night's sleep. And hot and sour soup works well too (and is yummy). There's sound science behind soup, whether it be h&s or some other -- the fluids help flush out illness.
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