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Food for Better Health

Apple – helps diarrhea and gastric disturbances – it contains malic and tartaric acids, which regulate stomach acidity. Grate up a raw apple, wait for it to turn brown then eat it – it will calm your stomach and restore bowel function to normal.

Banana – skin is a great first-aid dressing (it contains a newly identified substance called Esterified vitamin F which fights infection). Place the inside of a freshly peeled banana skin on to a wound and loosely bind with a bandage. Renew every 3 – 4 hours. If the wound swells, gets hot or tender, draw out the inflammation with a poultice of potato (pile clean, raw, grated potato on to the wound and cover with gauze for 2 – 4 hours; repeat if necessary). If it’s red, swollen or intensely tender for more than 24 hours, or pus starts to for, see your GP.

Cider Vinegar – gets to grips with athlete’s foot – add 2 – 4 tsp of this strong anti fungal remedy to a footbath and soak your feet twice a day.

Cloves – ease toothache. Wrap one or two of these natural antiseptics in cotton wool and tuck into a cavity for almost instant relief. Chewing fresh ginger has the same effect.

Cranberry juice – cures cystitis. It dislodges the E coli bacterium that causes the infection from the wall of the bladder and flushes the germs out of the body, says a report in the journal of Urology. Some nutritionally oriented doctors advise drinking between one glass and one liter of cranberry juice per day during an attack.

Garlic – is good for fighting infection – its antiseptic, cleansing action works throughout the body. Crush it up and rub it on your chest when you have a clod or dab it on ringworm and insect bites.

Honey – helps mild burns – dab some on once the skin has cooled. It’s antiseptic and speeds up the healing of wounds, including mouth and varicose ulcers. It can also draw poisons and pus out of an infected wound or ulcer, or bring boils to a head. Says Anne McIntyre in Simple Home Remedies (Gaia Books, £i.99). (Don’t use greasy ointments, butter or other fats on burns as this will stop the air from reaching the wound.

Lemons – are good for:
curing bad breath that’s due to infection. Drink diluted lemon juice or juices that are high in beta-carotene, such as carrot or tomato.
Calming skin rashes, including shingles – at the first signs of irritation rub the rash with a freshly cut lemon. A Salt bath can also reduce pain and dry up shingle blisters.
Stopping nosebleeds – lemon’s astringent action stems the bleeding. A few drops of lemon juice on a cotton wool swab will encourage clotting.

Oatmeal – is healing and soothing to sore, inflamed skin – rub the area with moistened fine oatmeal. You can also use it to slough of thickened skin caused by psoriasis.

Olive oil – makes a good anti-inflammatory rub for rheumatism and muscle strains and sprains, especially when it’s combined with grated garlic.

Onion can – stop the pain of bee stings. Place a fresh slice of this anti-inflammatory plant over the area before very gently prizing out the sting with a sharp knife.
Make a poultice for chilblains – simmer onion slices, strain excess moisture, apply to toes and cover with a bandage; reapply every 2-4 hours.

Pineapple – works on warts. Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain that can break down a wart, so rub on a slice or apply pineapple juice several times a day until it disappears. Crushed pineapple can also help to heal ulcers and wounds that won’t heal quickly – pile it on the cover with a bandage.

Potato – can treat burns, cracked skin and swollen eyelids – because of its ability to soothe inflammation and aid healing. Grate up a potato, mix with olive oil and apply; secure with a bandage.

Sea salt can cleanse your teeth and make them sparkle. Make up a powder of 2 tbsp fine sea salt and 3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda; store in a dry, airtight container. To use, shake a little of the mixture into your had and pick it up with a damp toothbrush, says Alan Hayes in ‘Its So Natural (Gill & Macmillan, £7.99).

Thyme – clears up dandruff. Boil 4 heaped tbsp in half a litre of water for ten minutes, let it cool, then massage half the liquid into your scalp – don’t rinse, just let its astringent, disinfectant qualities continue working. Use the rest the next day.

Tomatoes – can ease insect bites – simply apply a slice of the raw fruit. The juice also makes an effective lotion for acne, says Penelope Ody in 100 Great Natural Remedies (Kyle Cathie, £10.99).

Walnuts – are wizards for sore gums and preventing tooth decay – chew one or two every day for about three minutes, then swallow, says Xiaoming Tian, of the US academy of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

Yoghurt – clears up thrush by helping to restore the natural acid/alkali balance in the vagina. Apply the plain, live variety 2 –3 times a day to relieve itching and halt infection

Water the Findest Medicine
Water is fundamental to our existence: physiologically we need it to survive – our bodies are made of over 70 percent water and most natural bodily processes need water in order to function. Water possesses healing and soothing qualities. The Ancients from all parts of the world used springs, and lakes for cleansing and healing purposes. Babylonians worshipped Ba, the god of waters beneath the earth; the Romans built Spa’s wherever they went, and Louis Pasteur had bottled water specially shipped to him by the wagon load because he had a strong belief in its medicinal properties.
Drinking

Water is the basis of all your body cells, it is the major component of blood which flows through arteries, carrying essential nutrients and oxygen for repair and growth of all tissues. Water helps you absorb vitamins and minerals from food and speeds up the rate at which your body utilizes glucose as a fuel for energy. Each of us loses at least half a pint of water each day just by breathing and a further five pints through sweating. When the weather gets hotter or when you take part in strenuous exercise water loss multiplies significantly.
So how can you be sure to be getting enough fluid?
Here are a few useful tips that will help you keep your body adequetly supplied with this magical fluid.
• Start your day with a glass of warm water. This helps to flush out toxins that have accumulated in the body during sleep. A slice of lime or lemon can give an extra zing.
• Eat plenty of salads and fruits; these are composed mainly from water and will contribute significantly to daily fluid intake.
• Avoid drinking too much coffee as caffeine increases fluid loss from your body. If you have to drink coffee make sure it is decaffeinated. Drink plenty of fresh filtered water, week teas or unsweetened fruit juices are also beneficial as a good source of useful fluids. It’s a good idea to keep a jug of filtered or bottled mineral water in your fridge to remind you to drink plenty of fluids.
• If your urine is dark and scant this can indicate that you need to increase your fluid intake. Please note that some vitamin supplements and/or medicines can darken the urine artificially.
• If you suffer from frequent headaches, it can be a sign that you are dehydrated. Increasing your daily fluid intake could be the simple solution to this problem. If symptoms don’t improve it might be wise to see your GP for advice.

Water and Exercise
Swimming or just playing and splashing in the water can be a great way to improve muscle tone and strengthen joints without straining. Water provides twelve times the resistance of air and works against your movements in every direction. Playing in water also burns up calories enjoyably. A half hour play session in water will burn up almost three hundred calories.
Water and weight loss
Drinking water about half an hour before you eat a meal will leave you feeling full and therefore less likely to be tempted to overeat. Foods high in water such as vegetables, fruit, and salads are very nutritious. Most contain lots of vitamins and minerals and are easily digested.
In addition they contain very little fat and are mostly low in calories.
Water and emotions
Warm water is very calming and relaxing; tepid water is energizing and cold water will refresh and enliven you. A nice warm sparkling shower cooled down just before you get out can set you up for the day. During a break in work a visit to the bathroom and a splash of cold water on the face can cool and refresh you. After a hard days work a warm bath can be very relaxing and soothing.. When the weather is hot and you feel lethargic a cool footbath and a cold flannel used to wipe your face will soon give you comfort and refreshment.