Ancient Nutrition Myths and Modern Medicine

Recently, modern medicine had ignored the healing power of everyday foods, considering it a popular belief no proven scientific validity. But mainstream scientists have begun to study the principles of folk medicine and dietary practices of the past, seeking remedies and antidotes for modern diseases. The investigation of natural medicine is advancing at a rapid pace.

Why this sudden interest in the medicinal aspects of food? Why such prestigious institutions as Johns Hopkins and Harvard begin to announce with great fanfare that broccoli or broccoli is full of very powerful agents against cancer and that eating too much carrot seems to reduce drastically the risk of heart disease and stroke?

The reason: for the first time in history, science begins to validate the hard fact ‘that diet in the first instance determines the events that occur in cells where the real tragedies occur and mysteries, which are lost and permanently wins battle to build the health and longevity, or, conversely, to condemn us to disease and death.

That is where life begins and ends: in the seas of liquid cellular and structural genetic material where fate may depend on the presence of a particular enzyme or a fatty acid metabolized from one molecule of food. I recommend reading the article (the great miracle of food)

If you know what is happening in their cells, know what is happening to their health. The body consists of about 60 trillion cells. Each cell is an amazing and complex miniature universe in which occur billions of chemical reactions every second of life. And what those dependent intracellular chemical reactions?.

The only source of energy is in the food you provide them. For the first time, science can now study how foods promote health or disease since the cell itself, validating the assertion of the ancient wisdom that foods have medicinal powers.

Certainly the first physicians to use food as a pillar of the fight against disease. In a medical journal, Dr. John Potter of the University of Minnesota, recently spoke count of the first medical uses of food: “In ancient Egypt, Pliny said the cabbage. Cured to eighty-seven diseases and onion, twenty.

Garlic was considered sacred. Cruciferous (cabbage and broccoli were grown primarily as medicinal plants and used to cure headaches, deafness, diarrhea, gout and stomach problems … The Romans believed that lentils cure diarrhea and balanced temperament . The fresh and dried grapes had many medicinal uses and are used in various oral preparations, enemas, inhalation and topical applications.

Since the dawn of civilization we have sought remedies for diseases in forests, fields and orchards.

About 75% of the world’s population still does. Such a knowledge cluster do not be ignorant, says James Duke, Ph.D., a physician and expert on medicinal plants of the agriculture department of the United States. He said that the popular belief attributed to food is the ability to heal, proof of its validity.

After all, he notes, is precisely the popular usage that has led scientists to discover powerful elements in medicinal plants.

At least 25% of laboratory medicine come from plants, including taxol, a new cancer drug.

Doctors and healers ancient herbal medicine used to treat the diseases were based on their own experience and that of their ancestors and relatives. Obviously, they knew nothing about invisible germs, hormones and cholesterol, or the way they act analgesics and anticoagulants, let alone how to determine the pharmacological properties of food.

How to improve child nutrition

A date almost coincides with the presentation, a few days ago, the draft Law on Food Security and Nutrition, a standard that focuses specifically on issues related to child nutrition. The draft of the new rule on Food Safety and Nutrition has been prepared jointly by the Ministry of Health and Social Policy and the Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine.

This law aims to comprehensively address food security in our country and fight the bad eating habits and obesity, poor increasingly widespread (according to national health survey, one in four Spanish children is overweight) .
Improve the nutrition of schoolchildren

The new draft Law on Food Security and Nutrition emphasis on promoting the adoption of good nutritional habits and infant feeding, especially in schools.

In this line:

* It is intended to restrict the sale of foods high in sugar, saturated fat and salt in vending machines, bars or canteens of schools (in this way is intended to industrial products such as pastries, crisps and soft drinks will disappear from the school environment).
* It is anticipated that there will always be a check on school menus from a professional with adequate training and accredited university in nutrition and dietetics.
* You want to promote nutrition education and nutrition.

With measures like these, the law seeks to address some of the most common problems in infant nutrition, failures and shortcomings that the OCU has complained on several occasions, as the imbalance in school menus.
Less advertising

In addition, the bill also focuses on limiting advertising to children, within hours of 6 to 22 hours. The novelty is that for the first time spoken of minors (under 18): so far only provided PAOS code restrictions on advertising aimed at children under 12 years.

Also want to limit the gift, prizes and giveaways associated with food, a practice which has denounced the OCU abuse in an article on marketing in fast food. Our studies have helped us to check out are precisely those foods high in fats and sugars more newsworthy by the big brands targeting children and adolescents.
Better nourished, healthier

Since the OCU welcome this new standard. It is a comprehensive blueprint that is certainly regulate some of the gaps that we have reported our articles: from the deficiencies in vegetables, fish, eggs and dairy products from school menus, abuse of foods high in fat or low quality excesses of advertising directed at children. We hope that you approve the draft and put into practice.