TIREDNESS, depression, osteoporosis, PMS, migraine. Yes, these conditions can be improved with medicine – but given the current trend towards a more natural lifestyle, how about eating your way to better health?

This certainly doesn’t mean you should throw away your prescribed osteoporosis pills or antidepressants. But by eating certain foods and avoiding others it may be possible to nip a potential health problem in the bud.

With the correct diet you could slow the progression of your symptoms or maybe even cure your condition – while still taking your prescribed medication. Here’s how:

1. THE PROBLEM
Are you doing enough to prevent osteoporosis?

How to heal yourself

• Drink three to four glasses of milk (fat-free if you want to avoid gaining weight) a day.


• Eat the following at least twice a week: tinned fish with soft bones (such as salmon and sardines), broccoli and almonds. Or take calcium and vitamin D supplements daily.


• It’s also important to walk, jog or exercise with weights for at least two hours a week.


• Spend at least 20 minutes a day outdoors so your body can produce enough vitamin D.

• Limit your daily consumption of coffee and alcohol.

2. THE PROBLEM
Do you start feeling tired halfway through the day?

How to heal yourself

• Eat smaller, regular meals.


• Eat foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) rather than refined carbohydrates. Choose wholewheat and oat bran porridge, other bran-rich cereals, beans, lentils, peas, samp (pounded mealies), sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, brown rice and fruit such as apples, berries, mangos and citrus.

• Avoid sugar, sweets, chocolate and other foods that cause a quick but short-lived rise in insulin levels.

3. THE PROBLEM Do you suffer from depression?

How to heal yourself

• Eat smaller, regular meals.


• Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as sardines, herring, anchovies, snoek, tuna, trout, haddock, mackerel, salmon, crayfish, prawns, walnuts and omega-3 enriched eggs and milk. Omega-3 not only helps prevent heart disease and stroke; within 30 days of regular use you should notice a positive effect on your state of mind.


• Eat regular meals, drink enough water and other fluids and snack on low-fat yoghurt and cottage cheese and fibre-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables. This will break the cycle that suddenly makes you feel like eating everything in sight.


• Eat foods that have a calming effect (see anti-stress foods on page 77) or foods that alleviate insomnia (see below), if necessary.

• Avoid alcohol.

Did you know?
Depression can’t be wished away – many people who really need antidepressants don’t use them.

Tip:
If you eat fruit that’s just ripe instead of overripe you may feel energised for longer.

4. THE PROBLEM
Are you one of eight million South Africans suffering from insomnia?

How to heal yourself

• Eat foods rich in tryptophan because it helps produce the sleep hormone melatonin. Good sources of tryptophan are beef, cheese, fish, milk, eggs and sunflower and sesame seeds.

• Avoid bacon, sugar, ham, tomatoes and any fatty and sweet foods before you go to bed, as well as coffee after 4 pm. Alcohol may also aggravate insomnia and/or interrupt your sleep cycle.

5. THE PROBLEM
Do you suffer from candidiasis? (a general yeast infection in women)

How to heal yourself

• Follow a healthy and balanced eating plan.


• Eat lots of fresh fruit, foods rich in fibre, brown rice, fresh fish, chicken, olive oil and oatmeal and drink lots of water.


• Eat Bulgarian yoghurt or yoghurt with probiotics.

• Some researchers believe it may help to temporarily avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates and foods that undergo fermentation.

6. THE PROBLEM
Do you experience PMS symptoms? An astonishing 80 per cent of all women suffer from PMS and about 10 per cent experience extreme symptoms.

How to heal yourself

• Don’t skip meals or go longer than three hours without eating.


• Include protein in your lunch and supper.


• Drink 10 glasses of fluid every day, of which at least four should be water.


• Make sure you eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, especially green leafy vegetables.


• Make sure you get enough magnesium, iron, zinc, chromium, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, B, C and E. Take a supplement if necessary.


• Eat fish at least twice a week when you’re premenstrual.


• Increase your consumption of complex carbohydrates (low-GI foods).

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine (in coffee, tea or cola drinks) and chocolate.


• Avoid large amounts of refined sugar in sweets, cookies and cake.


• Eat as little fatty food and refined carbohydrates as possible.


• Put as little salt as possible on your food.

7. THE PROBLEM
Do you want to increase your resistance to disease?

How to heal yourself
Boost your immunity by eating the following:

• Foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruit, pawpaw, strawberries, guavas, cabbage, broccoli, bell peppers).


• Foods rich in betacarotene (pumpkin, sweet potatoes, butternut, broccoli, spinach, yellow clingstone peaches).


• Foods rich in omega-3 fats (oily fish and omega-3 enriched foods).


• Foods rich in zinc such as fish, shellfish (especially oysters), meat, chicken, eggs, cheese, milk, peanut butter and unprocessed wheat and cereals.


• Foods that contain probiotics such as yoghurt and other foods that contain Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria cultures.

• Avoid fatty foods and too much alcohol.

Did you know?
Strawberries and other berries are extremely rich in antioxidants and are seen as immune boosters.

Superfood
Tomatoes are among the healthiest foods you can find. Tomato juice, sauce or purée is even healthier than fresh tomatoes. And guys, grab a tomato! Tomatoes in whatever form contain all kinds of wonderful nutrients that help prevent prostate cancer.

8. THE PROBLEM
Do you suffer from stress?

How to heal yourself

• Drink herbal teas and other calming drinks to alleviate stress, such as camomile, lemon, lavender and valerian tea.


• Add a teaspoon of honey if you like.


• Make sure most of your carbohydrates have a low GI for sustained energy. Pasta, brown rice, dry beans and sweet potatoes are good examples. Carrots, celery sticks, popcorn without butter and rice cakes with Marmite make good snacks.


• Eat regular meals and snack on high-fibre foods, fruit, vegetables, low-fat yoghurt and cottage cheese to break the cycle of constantly wanting to raid the fridge.


• Eat calming foods with a pleasant texture or taste or foods that you associate with pleasant memories.


• Eat fish high in omega-3 fatty acids.

• Don’t skip meals.


• Avoid high-GI carbohydrates such as refined starches and white rice, as well as white and brown bread, unless your energy levels are so low you need immediate energy.


• Use alcohol in moderation.


• Don’t smoke.

Did you know?
The more you stress the more of the stress hormone cortisol you produce – a sure way to put on weight.

9. THE PROBLEM
Is menopause getting you down?

How to heal yourself

• Include soybeans in your diet. They contain low-GI carbohydrates and protein and help alleviate hot flushes and other symptoms of menopause. They may also help reduce the risk of heart disease.


• Eat regular meals and concentrate on low-GI foods to control sudden surges in appetite – which may aggravate mood swings.


• If you tend to get upset and confused enjoy calming drinks such as camomile tea and eat calming foods that are rich in tryptophan such as milk, meat, fish and cheese.

• Avoid coffee and alcohol, curry and other strongly flavoured foods that may aggravate your hot flushes.

A bowl of oats for breakfast is good for your heart and weight and sustains energy. And it’s gluten free.

10. THE PROBLEM
Do you suffer from migraines?

How to heal yourself

• Keep a diary of your migraines and the foods eaten beforehand so you can identify any patterns.


• Follow a balanced eating plan that includes five fruits and vegetables a day and eat five to six smaller meals rather than two or three large ones.


• Eat fruit, vegetables, sweet potatoes, oatmeal or any other foods that supply more sustained energy.


• Make sure you sleep at least seven to eight hours every night and exercise for at least two hours a week.


• Drink a lot of water to help you recover from a migraine.


• Avoid very cold foods such as ice cream.

• Avoid chocolate, cheese and dairy products, citrus fruit, alcoholic drinks, fatty and fried foods, vegetables such as onions, tea and coffee, meat (especially pork) and seafood.

Did you know?
Children who suffer from hayfever are more likely to get migraine later in life.

YOU Pulse: Summer 2007/8

Food as medicine