PEOPLE who digest and act on the advice concerning health issues are likely to improve their enjoyment of life into middle and old age.
Think of yourself not just as an individual, but as a member of a family and community whose choices and actions affect others.
In general, people live longer and also suffer from diseases for much of their lives, than ever before in history.
In rich countries such as North America and Western Europe, people on average suffer some serious disability for around a quarter of their lives and often die from diseases likely to cause intense suffering in the last years of their lives.
It should be remembered that disease is not an inevitable function of ageing.
If you want to change the world, begin with yourself and within your community. Food and nutrition are crucial to health and health is not only physical but also mental, emotional and spiritual.
It might be better to say that the nature and quality of what we eat and drink are the most important determinants of our state of being.
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The incidence of tooth decay, constipation, gut diseases, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, heart disease and most cancers in all populations and communities is mostly determined by food and nutrition together with tobacco habits and level of physical activity.
A vital message for parents is that a diet exclusively of breast milk is crucial for a child from birth up to six months old, followed by weaning onto nutrient-dense plant-based foods.
This gives babies and children the best protection against infectious diseases from that tender age and also throughout their lives.
During pregnancy and while breast feeding, eating a varied diet rich in fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, grains and vegetables is beneficial for both the mother and baby.
Over the last 30 years, systematic scientific studies have confirmed that poor nutrition impairs the immune response and that a diet based primarily on minimally processed and chemically unadulterated plant food is the most effective way of enhancing immunity.
A recent global survey conducted by the World Cancer Research Fund together with the American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that plant-based diets protect against cancer.
Hundreds of reliable studies show that fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and pulses are packed with immune-boosting phytochemicals.
Since the early 1960s, research has repeatedly confirmed that a high diet in natural fibre from vegetables, fruits and unrefined grains protects from a wide range of serious diseases.
Nutrition experts and scientists worldwide agree that high intakes of saturated fats from meat, dairy products and convenience foods are linked with coronary heart diseases and that the activity of the immune system is improved by decreased total fat intake.
Large numbers of fish caught for human consumption have been shown to contain toxic heavy metals, hydrocarbons and radioactive contaminants and those reared in fish farms are commonly dosed with antibiotics and treated with dyes.
However, only fish contain unsaturated fatty acids that may protect against coronary thrombosis, but increasing fish oil intake without reducing saturated fat intake is unlikely to have any significant effect on the development of coronary heart diseases.
Taking fish oils in a concentrated form may cause excessive production of free radicals which can interfere with immunity.
Unlike fish oils, plant sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids are high in natural antioxidants, which combat the effects of free radicals.
Despite its reputation as a natural staple food, cow’s milk may compromise immunity. Some people, particulary children, are allergic to milk protein and may develop eczema, hay fever or asthma as a result of consuming it.
People with catarrhal problems and allergies often experience substantial relief when they exclude milk products from their diet. Milk is also high in cholesterol and thus associated with an increased risk of heart problems.
Milk sugar (lactose) is digested in the stomach by an enzyme (lactase) that most humans stop producing around the age of five, making it difficult to digest milk products efficiently.
Contamination of milk products with hormones, antibiotics and other agricultural chemical residues may also produce unpredictable and unexpected adverse reactions.
To boost your immunity, eat plant-based foods which enhance your health and cut on those that increase immune system workload.
Of all the medicines created out of the earth, food is the chief. So discard all harmful foods mentioned above and consume the food which will boost your immune system. Remember you are what you are because of what you eat.
TRUST GUMISAI MARANDURE Marandure is a Bulawayo-based naturopathic practitioner and he can be contacted on 0772 482 382
