Well, it’s been quite a month!
Two weeks ago I had my hip replaced, the result of years of wear and tear on a bad joint. So I’ve been spending my time concentrating on healing by making sure I get enough sleep, taking my medication, following my doctor’s guidelines, exercising, …and eating healing foods!
One of the first things I did when I got home (and was up for it), was read through the literature to determine the most healing foods I could be eating. And guess what, many of these foods are highly anti-inflammatory and foods that are regularly on the menu at my house.
So, no matter if you are recovering from an injury or surgery, or just want to improve your overall health and appearance, these foods should be at the top of your list!
What makes foods healing and beneficial for overall longevity?
In a nutshell, they contain:
- Healthy protein
- A variety of cell-protecting phytonutrients
- Different types of fiber
- Minerals that are needed for wound healing
- Vitamins that strengthen the immune system and help in rebuilding tissues of the body
- Healthy fats
These are some of the foods I am adding to my diet, as well as a few recipes to use them!
11 Foods for Healing (and General Health)
Chicken
Have you heard the saying that chicken soup will cure a cold? While that might not be totally true, chicken broth and meat do have healing benefits! Some of these benefits can be attributed to the type of protein found in poultry.
While protein can be an important source of energy, it also serves as a building block for the body, specifically collagen. Collagen is the main structural protein found in the skin and other connective tissues. Collagen not only helps keep our skin elastic and our bones strong, but there is a higher demand for it after surgery to help knit tissues back together and heal. While all protein helps build up body tissues, some amino acids are particularly helpful. Poultry, such as chicken and turkey, are particularly good sources of the amino acids arginine, which aids in wound healing and collagen production, and glutamine, which protects cells. 1
Other sources of healthy proteins include beans, quinoa, eggs, and peas.
Try these chicken dishes for your next meal.
You’ll find other delicious poultry recipes on my website under the poultry recipes tab.
Broccoli and other cruciferous veggies
Cruciferous veggies are so important for our health. For some, these veggies taste bitter which causes them to shy away from eating them. This bitter flavor comes from a compound called sulforaphane. But it is the sulforaphane that gives these veggies their strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant power. They help protect our cells from disease-causing damage and help fight off infection.2 Sulforaphane is particularly good at helping heal the skin and may even help with minimizing scarring.3
In addition to sulforaphane, broccoli is high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These are all good things when it comes to healing. Broccoli is particularly high in Vitamin C and A, both of which are needed for wound repair and reducing inflammation. There is also a good amount of manganese, an essential trace element involved in bone formation and the immune response. It also plays a role in blood clotting in conjunction with another vitamin found in broccoli, namely Vitamin K. Note: Vitamin K causes blood thinners to work less effectively. If you are on blood-thinning medication, you should consult your doctor as to how much you should be consuming.
Other vegetables in the cruciferous family include kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and cabbage. Try mixing in a variety of these foods to increase their healing effects.
Try using broccoli in these delicious recipes:
Tomatoes and Lemons
I include both of these foods in my healing, anti-inflammatory diet because, among other things, they are high in Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and helps support the immune system. It reduces inflammation and is a crucial component in producing collagen to heal the skin and promote healthy bone strength.4
Add lemon to your water or spritz it over your greens. The Vitamin C in lemon helps our body absorb more of the iron locked up in our veggies. Blood loss is common with surgery or injury and iron is essential to improving your red blood cell production.6 So, go ahead, and squeeze a little lemon over your broccoli, spinach, or lentils! Or try this Creamy Broccoli Salad made with a tahini dressing.
I love making a seasonal tomato salad with fresh basil and onions. This is a great recipe that includes goat cheese and avocados along with lentils for additional healing fiber and nutrients!
Garbanzo and Other Beans
Beans (legumes) are filled with protein, fiber, and zinc. As I mentioned before, protein is needed for energy and to help rebuild tissues. Where legumes really shine, however, is in the amount of healthy soluble and insoluble fiber they contain. The insoluble fiber helps combat constipation by maintaining bulk in the stool which keeps “things moving," fills you up faster and for longer, and helps eliminate toxins from the body. This is important especially after surgery, as anesthesia can really mess with the digestive system, slowing things down.
The insoluble fiber plays a different, but equally important role, especially when the body is trying to heal. Antibiotics are frequently administered to fight infection and as a preventative measure before and after surgery. Their job is to kill off bacteria, whether the bacteria are beneficial to our health or not. For that reason, we always want to eat foods that help beneficial bacteria survive.
And that’s where soluble fiber comes in. It serves as a prebiotic, or food for the healthy microbes that live in your gut. It allows the healthy flora to bounce back and multiply again, crowding out any pathogenic bacteria that might still be around. These healthy microbes are responsible for digesting foods we can’t on our own. In turn, they produce beneficial vitamins and enzymes. In addition, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that feed and maintain the cells that line the gut. When these cells are healthy, they form a selective barrier that prevents harmful bacteria and other foreign compounds from entering the body while allowing nutrients to pass through.
Whew! A long explanation for why fiber is good for healing and our health in general.
Other good sources of fiber include black beans, lentils, oatmeal, apples, berries, figs, and pears.7
I also mentioned legumes contain zinc. Zinc is helpful in wound healing, building protein, skin repair, and boosting the immune system. Other foods high in zinc include pumpkin seeds, cashews, grass-fed beef, and cacao powder.8
- Here’s my favorite recipe for making Sweet Potato Hummus.
- And remember that great Tomato Salad above. That includes lentils!
Salmon
Wild-caught cold-water fish like salmon contain a high amount of Omega3 fatty acids. These fats are essential, meaning we can't produce them ourselves, so we need to obtain them from the foods we eat. Omega3s play an important role in keeping infection down and assist in the early stages of wound healing.
Vitamin D is also found in salmon. While the majority of our Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin when we are exposed to the sun, it can also be found in some foods such as salmon. Vitamin D plays a critical role in wound healing by maintaining healthy bone and promoting bone growth. In addition, it helps to reduce inflammation and maintaining a healthy immune system.9
Sauerkraut
Fermented foods are filled with healthy microbes (probiotics) and fiber.
Remember I talked about how fiber helps nourish the healthy microbes that are harmed by antibiotics in our gut? Well, fermented foods like sauerkraut provide fiber AND new healthy microbes called lactobacillus. These microbes multiply during the fermentation process and then briefly repopulate our gut when we eat them. As they pass through the gut, they provide the additional vitamins and minerals we need to keep healthy. If you would like to learn more about lacto-fermentation, you can get more information here.
Fermenting foods also helps increase the Vitamin C content of sauerkraut. In fact, early sailors carried sauerkraut with them to prevent scurvy, a disease that is caused by Vitamin C deficiency.
You can easily make your own sauerkraut. All you need is cabbage, salt, and a jar! Email me for the recipe. If you are buying sauerkraut in the store, make sure it says “live cultures” on the label. You will find these in the refrigerated section of the store. The sauerkraut in the aisles has been heated to kill off the microbes to aid in storage
Blueberries and Blackberries
Berries are in season right now, but if you are reading this during the winter months, you can also buy them frozen. Studies show they retain many of their nutrients in the freezing process. Yay!
Why are berries and other dark-colored fruits good for healing and health? There are so many reasons! They are packed with fiber(!), vitamins, and minerals, and are very low in calories. They are high in Vitamin C, folate, and magnesium which are known to help with inflammation and boost the immune system.
But what makes berries especially remarkable is the phytonutrients they contain. Although phytonutrients (also known as anti-oxidants and polyphenols) contain no calories, they keep us healthy by reducing or eliminating damaged cells called free radicals which are by-products of everyday cellular activity. Not surprisingly, these free radicals are present in higher numbers after injury or surgery, so we want to neutralize them as soon as possible! Eating dark-colored fruits and vegetables will help do this. The dark color indicates a higher concentration of these inflammation-fighting compounds. And variety matters too. Each color indicates a different phytonutrient and each phytonutrient helps a different part of the body.
So remember when looking for the healing power of fruits and vegetables, think of lots of color and variety. Just because blueberries are good for you (and they are), you’ll benefit from adding in strawberries, or raspberries, or blackberries too.
Sweet Potato
I love adding sweet potatoes and other orange-colored produce to my diet because their color indicates the presence of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is the precursor to Vitamin A. This vitamin is responsible for skin cell turn over which aids in wound healing and helps repair and maintain other soft tissues of the body.
Other produce that is high in beta-carotene (remember variety is important) include cantaloupe, apricots, green leafy veggies, and carrots.
Sweet potatoes also are high in complex carbs which include fiber. Magnesium, zinc, and Vitamin K are also present.
- I’ve already included my Sweet Potato Hummus recipe above.
- Here is another recipe that includes healing dark leafy collard greens and adzuki beans: Adzuki Bean & Sweet Potato Hash
Avocado
Just some trivia: Did you know the avocado is actually a fruit?10
This fruit is packed with healing fiber, heart-healthy Omega3 and oleic fatty acids, and more of those powerful antioxidants I was talking about. Not to mention, vitamins and minerals.
Avocados are also a good source of Vitamin E. One avocado provides about 28% of the daily requirement for this fat-soluble vitamin.11 Some research suggests that Vitamin E may influence wound healing, although more study needs to be done on the topic.12
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of zinc which is needed for proper immune system function and wound healing. In general, nuts and seeds are high in healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. I toss some into my daily salads or enjoy as a snack!
Try to avoid buying the roasted and salted varieties and opt for raw instead. If you have time, it is best to soak nuts overnight in water with a bit of salt. Roast them in a 325°F oven for 45 minutes or until they are dry and crunchy. Here is my favorite way to Roast Pumpkin Seeds.
Eggs
Eggs are almost the perfect food. It’s a shame that many people have a sensitivity to them (I am one of them!) However, I wanted to include them here because of all the health benefits they provide.
Eggs provide protein that is easily used by our bodies. The yolk is a source of Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and folate, all healing nutrients as I have mentioned before.
What’s unique about eggs, is that it contains a different form of Vitamin K not found in our green leafy vegetables. This Vitamin K, known as K2, helps bind calcium to our bones to keep them strong. Studies have linked higher K2 intake with better bone density and reduced risk of bone fractures.
It is interesting to note, a hen’s diet will affect how much K2 is present in the egg. Those fed corn or soy-based diets are more at risk of vitamin K deficiencies. Another reason to buy free-range chicken eggs!13
So, there you have my list of foods I am eating for healing. But this is by far not comprehensive. For each food I have mentioned there are other food options, and now that you know the “why” behind eating each food, I hope you investigate more foods just like it. Remember variety is important. Keep looking for new ways to introduce new foods into your diet each week.
Need help with ideas? My website www.EveySchweig.com has tons of ideas and recipes. I am also available to answer any questions you may have. What are your health challenges? Feel free to email me or use my scheduler to reserve a time to chat! As a health coach, I work with individuals trying to improve their health through better eating and lifestyle habits!
Let me know if you make any of the recipes I mentioned. Or if you have some to share!
Yours in health,
Evey
