What is considered a superfood?
To be considered a superfood, a natural ingredient—spice, herb or other food item—must positively promote good heath by delivering a stronger body, or a more agile mind or the ability to fight illnesses, infections and aggressors that we experience in daily life.
How are natural spices and herbs beneficial for our health compared to medicines?
Over centuries of use, we’ve learned how to treat our bodies using herbs and spices. By contrast, modern medicines have often only been around for a few decades or even a mere couple of years, which means long-term side effects may not be seen until it is too late. Herbs and spices also tend to have many less side effects than aggressive medicines.
See also: The Benefits of Wild Rice
What are the best herbs with anti-inflammatory properties?
Cinnamon has many health-giving properties and is currently being investigated as a powerful treatment for meningitis and even brain tumours, because it has a well-nigh miraculous ability to reduce inflammation. It’s also regularly used in the fight against arthritis as it reduces inflammation and pain. Finally, it contains manganese, iron and calcium, all of which assist women suffering from menstrual cramps and bloating.
See also: Superfood Spices for Your Health
Which supplements and herbs would you recommend for people as they reach their 50s and 60s?
All of them! But more seriously, the investment we make in our health through these decades can deliver a strong and healthy old age. We’d say that the key considerations are reducing stress, improving overall health and protecting our minds and bodies from the effects of ageing. One invaluable treatment in this period of life is bee propolis. Because bees collect the saps and resins that plants use to ensure their own health and store it in the form of propolis, our immune systems can benefit from ingesting propolis to defend against a wide range of threats, from stress-related illnesses to pollution levels.
This is the period of life when many of us experience our first joint pain and cayenne pepper can be a vital supplement. It reduces pain and detoxifies the body to speed up healing and recovery. Protecting ourselves against strokes and heart attacks is also key to wellbeing at this age and cayenne reduces many of the factors that contribute to such problems.
See also: What’s so Super About Superfoods?
What is propolis and how can that be beneficial for someone’s health?
Propolis is a collection of saps and resins that bees harvest and store in beeswax. They do this so that the rich blend of natural products can be used to support the health of the entire beehive. Our human organisms are similarly in need of support and consuming propolis boosts our immune systems by bring us phytonutrients in the form of flavonoids, beneficial fatty acids, essential oils and vitamins. We all know that our immune system is complex and can become impaired by our demanding modern lifestyles. Propolis is both a defence against this and a way of enriching and already depleted immune system so it can restore optimum health to the entire body.
How can someone limit their risk of cancer or tumours through his or her diet?
Spices such as ginger, turmeric and piper nigrum can create a potent defence against cancer and tumours. Ginger is high in antioxidants and particularly recommended as a treatment for, or defence against, colon or ovarian cancers. Turmeric contains cucurmin, an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that combats free radicals to help prevent or reduce the symptoms of many cancers and piper nigrum has a rich collection of B-complex vitamins that rid the body of free radicals to aid in the fight against cancers.
For people suffering with gut related conditions, what herbs and supplements should they include in their diet to help gut health?
We’d advocate three supplements. Garlic is a strong antibacterial that can eliminate unpleasant infections as E-coli and salmonella as well as combatting yeast infections. Garlic helps promote healthy gut mucus that supports the enzymes that digest food, so it reduces bloating and discomfort. Cayenne speeds up the flow of gastric juices so our stomach acids perform properly and gas and other uncomfortable symptoms are massively reduced.
What types of foods would you recommend for reversing or controlling diabetes and why?
Taking turmeric helps improve glucose control while garlic promotes insulin release and levels out blood sugar. Cinnamon is actually able to regulate blood sugar so these three natural ingredients can be well combined to help manage or reverse diabetes.
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Are there any side effects of taking too many supplements and medicinal herbs?
There are side effects to everything! The side effects of working out, for example, are bigger muscles and a leaner body, but also an increased appetite. However, because most natural supplements regulate themselves within the body, and are broken down into useful components or simply excreted, they don’t build up over time to have unwanted side effects.
What are the benefits of turmeric and how can someone incorporate it into their daily diet?
Turmeric is a wonder treatment. A natural anti-inflammatory, it assists in the removal of free radicals so it can prevent or reduce certain cancers. It is beneficial to those with diabetes, and reduces mental sluggishness by improving the oxygen level in the brain—that’s why many Alzheimer’s charities recommend it as a supplement. It’s also known to reduce colitis and cleanse the liver, which can help with weight loss. It helps reduce high cholesterol and contains Lipopolysaccharide, which strengthens the immune system. All in all, it’s no surprise that celebrities take turmeric every day. Most of us would benefit from daily ingestion of this fantastic herbal treatment, and by consuming it in conjunction with other health-boosting substances such as propolis and cayenne pepper; we can give ourselves a 360˚ defense against the ailments of modern life.
Read more on Celebrity Angels about what superfoods can do for your health.
