30 Days of Self Healing – Day 7
3) Chicory- Toss some chicory in your salads. This cousin of endive and escarole has more vitamin A than any other salad green. Just a quarter cup of raw chicory greens provides all you need daily. Vitamin A is another potent self-healer, vital for a healthy immune system and protecting your vision. Most of the vitamin A in chicory comes from beta- carotene. This is a cancer-fighting carotenoid that your body converts to vitamin A.
4) Coconut Oil- For years, we’ve been cautioned to avoid tropical oils because they’re high in artery-clogging saturated fats. But often yesterday’s nutritional bad guy is today’s nutritional hero, and that’s the case with coconut oil. It has immune-stimulating properties, thanks to lauric acid, a fatty acid in the oil. Lauric acid fights viruses and bacteria in the body. Like most oils, coconut oil is high in calories, so don’t overdo it. A teaspoon or two a day is all you need.
5) Cranberries- This Thanksgiving dinner staple doubles as a natural remedy for many ailments. One of the most common is urinary infections. Cranberries work by keeping harmful bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract. The active ingredient in cranberries is a group of phytochemicals called proanthocyanins. If you suffer from recurrent bladder infections, try drinking about eight ounces of cranberry juice that contains at least 27 percent juice. This recommendation is based on a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The self-healing power of these little gems doesn’t end there. Cranberries contain more “phenols” than red grapes and 18 other fruits, according to a study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in 2001. Phenols are plant chemicals that help prevent the formation of LDL cholesterol in the arteries.
