I know, at first, it is hard to put so much trust into using live plant-based foods as healing tools. It is not at all what we have been taught as a culture, especially with illnesses like cancer and diabetes or even auto-immune diseases. Diseases we have been told for generations that can only be managed with a host of medications. Even if we have transitioned to shopping at Whole Foods we are still led to believe that, for all that ails us, there must be a product for it in the supplement department, not the produce department.
I must admit when I was first introduced to using living foods and juices to heal chronic disease I totally didn’t understand the concept. My first thought was that, if your going to use Food As Medicine to heal chronic disease, don’t you have to at least use secret plants from the Amazonian rain forest? Special foods from deep in the jungle that only gifted Shamans have knowledge of? Coveted plants handed down from generation to generation combined with a mystical ceremony?
Years ago, after reading Rosita Arvigo’s book ‘Sastun’, I paid a visit to her six thousand acre Terra Nova Medicinal Plant Reserve in the Mayan rain forest of Belize. It was impressive but it felt foreign and unapproachable….like I couldn’t get in on the big secret unless I studied for years with an ancient Mayan Healer….
So I was really bowled over when I was first introduced to the works of Dr Ann Wigmore. Her concept of self-healing revolved around removing toxins from the body while at the same time ‘re-loading’ it with super concentrated, nutrient rich live foods and superfoods. Foods that provide an abundance of synergistic elements in their natural state that work together in the human body to bring about healing.
The beauty of Dr Ann was her insistence that reclaiming your health was available to anyone willing to put the time in and learn a new way to live. And so I set to work, successfully healing my body from uterine cancer using her teachings.
SUPERFOODS: NEXT LEVEL HEALING
In 2009, David Wolfe came out with the book ‘Superfoods: The Food As Medicine Of The Future’, taking natural healing to the next level. Superfoods are a unique class of foods that are super-concentrated and nutrient rich, that have the ability to tremendously increase the vital life force of one’s body to heal. David Wolfe explains that “Superfoods are often considered ‘adaptogens’, a term used in the world of medicinal plants to describe a substance with a combination of therapeutic properties that act on the body. An adaptogen invigorates and strengthens the system while helping the body deal more easily with stress by supporting the adrenal glands”.
USING SUPERFOODS TO HEAL OPEN WOUNDS
When talking about the healing potential of Superfoods I’m not suggesting they replace medical care entirely. A few years back I cut open my leg while moving a railroad tie in the garden. It was a freak accident. I pivoted the heavy tie and let it drop into place. But I hadn’t seen it had a giant rusty spike sticking out of the end until it drove through my skin down to the bone. I was in crazy trouble as I held my leg together with both hands. I was able to get a call out to my husband who was an ambulance driver in the military. He tore through traffic to get me and take me to the emergency room. I received 35 stitches from an ex-military nurse practitioner who loved the challenge of trying to pull my leg back together. He was an angel. This was not a job for juicing or a blender drink.
But once I got back home, I put my healing in the hands of God and top-notch Superfoods to provide the power to knit my leg back together. I went to work with my superfood pharmacy knowledge to give my body everything it needed to successfully heal.
I juiced, I blended and I ate live Superfoods and unpasteurized fermented foods to boost my immune system. In time, as the body is Divinely designed to do, my leg healed. (check out the list below for what I used).
AS COACHES, WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF SUPERFOODS FOR WOUND HEALING AND DIABETES
38 million adults aged 18 or older have diabetes. In this population, wounds heal more slowly and progress more quickly. Complications from slow circulation and nerve damage can even prevent wounds from healing.
Under usual conditions, wound healing is considered a normal biological process of the human body. Oxygen-rich red cells arrive at the wound site to help build new tissue. Chemical signals instruct cells to create collagen, which serves as a type of scaffolding to begin the repair process as cells re-seal the injured site.
The miracle of wound healing is a dynamic process consisting of four continuous, overlapping and precisely programmed phases. The events of each phase must happen in a specific and regulated manner. Often diabetes interferes with this process, causing improper or impaired wound healing. Even small cuts on the feet can develop into diabetic foot ulcers, chronic un-healing wounds that are vulnerable to infection.
Although all diabetics with any kind of foot wounds should ultimately be under the care of a doctor, nutrition coaches that have access to Superfood guidance that can support wound healing can be of great help.
Here is a short list of superfoods that support skin repair, strengthen the nervous system, and boost the immune system:
> Gracilaria Sea Moss: Essentially the same nutrients used for bone health are needed for skin repair. Gracilaria Sea Moss contains a wealth of minerals, vitamins and natural iodine to help skin cell regeneration. Made into a gel, and added to vegan cheese, it is an enjoyable way to consume this healing superfood. (Check out my 5 minute Masterclass youtube video on how to make the vegan cheese with Sea Moss here: https://youtu.be/B5gGyE5Suvs)
> Maca: A root grown high in the Andean mountains and used by native Peruvians since before the Inca as a strength and stamina enhancer. Anytime the body is in trouble, the body is stressed. Stress can play havoc on the immune system….Maca powder in smoothies is a great immune support. When purchasing, look for organic wild crafted powder.
> Spirulina: Also called ‘blue-green algae’, can be used to attract immune cells to the site of injuries while calming the inflammatory response. The immune system plays a crucial role in the process of wound healing. Anytime the skin barrier is broken, opening the outside world to the inside of the body, the immune system goes into overdrive, trying to protect it from foreign invaders floating around in the air. Live food spirulina can be taken in capsule form. Not all spirulina is created equal. Avoid spirulina grown in places like China and India where there is no quality control. We suggest “E-3 Live” grown in Klamath Lake, Oregon, virtually untouched by industrial activity and pollution.
THE FOOD AS MEDICINE MOVEMENT
I believe this is the best time in history to be a nutritional educator. As research equipment and the power of microscopes have improved, scientists are now validating the therapeutic power of plant-based superfoods as healing vehicles. Understanding how these plant foods work in tandem with the body is truly fascinating.
If you have ever consumed Chinese herbal concoctions, you know they are often boiled for hours. The result is a bitter potion that tastes like ‘licking earth’, as I call it.
But not Superfoods. You can eat them for both pleasure and health. The real creativity blooms when they are included in recipes to make them more super-concentrated and nutrient-rich, turning them into delicious healing powerhouses.
A 5 MINUTE FOOD AS MEDICINE MASTERCLASS:
Check out my Youtube video on how to use Gracilaria Sea Moss inVegan Cheese here: https://youtu.be/B5gGyE5Suvs
Irish Sea Moss is just one of the exciting Superfoods that we healers have in our tool box. When you take our Food As Medicine training we dive deeper into our favorite cornucopia of Superfoods.
LEARN HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN SUPERFOOD PHARMACY
Many of the students who take our ‘Certified Holistic Nutrition Coach/Cancer Coach’ training look forward to improving their own health while studying to become future educators. This is a great way to approach your training with us. The best place to learn is while you create your own healing journey. Because we are more alike than different your discoveries will deepen your understanding of the wellness process and help you guide others. The opportunity to work as a group provides us with motivation and the support needed to stay on track, an environment in which to share ideas, discoveries and triumphs. A safe place to stretch and grow.
#diabetes #nutrition #woundhealing #adaptogens #superfoods #nutrientrich