Telos Journal Edition Three October 2013 | Page 11

Tracey Neithercott from the American Diabetes Association provides basic yet colorful
data. Dark greens are high in vitamin A and calcium. Unprocessed white foods are high
in vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, potassium, and vitamin B12. Red, purple, and blue foods
are packed with fiber, protein, and iron, plus antioxidants that maintain a healthy heart
and memory function. Orange and yellow foods are known for ample amounts of
vitamins A and C, folic acid, and bromelaine, which “can help indigestion and reduce
swelling and infection.”
If upon traveling to new lands the diversity of the local cuisine is not enough to expand
a narrow palette, try smelling local spices and dishes and exploring goods at the
market so to lure your senses across the chasm of the culinary unknown.
Within each gastronomic style and region lies a host of special nutriments traditionally fit
to nourish and continue the native population. Of course, populations can steadily
grow unhealthier over time due to regressive farming and nutritionally depletive eating
practices; the obesity rate in the USA and alcohol-related deaths in Central America
here posing as two firm upshots. Alternatively, populations reclaim their food rights and
eating autonomy by planting home gardens and buying goods from locally produced
farms, wherein they can engage in direct correspondence with farmers or close
representatives over the gifts that are marketed; likewise, tobacco and alcohol will be
far more appreciated and undamaging if they are naturally and artfully produced by
hands close to home in a slow-food way. In direct opposition to food produced from
mega-farms, these locally produced goods yielded from small to medium-sized farms
will provide your body with a more healthful and potent spread of vitamins and
minerals for which you can tackle your daily tasks, sleep better, and mollify
disagreeable emotions that loiter your day.
Be adventurous: experience new tastes. Bitters, though unpalatable for many eaters,
clean and stabilize the bodily system. Bitter melon, for example, has myriad benefits. It
has been used to medicinally treat intestinal gas, diabetes, measles, and hepatitis; and
topically treats leprosy, eczema, and small and large wounds. It also heals
hypertension, headaches and fevers, promotes menstruation, and for men interested in
the unconstructive effects it has on reproductive activity, bitter melon can produce
sperm infertility.
In particular, know that you should decide the nutritive benefits of foods based upon
your physical performances. Simply let your senses guide you towards ingestive
awareness while you think through your eating choices. In times of dietic planning, one
should ask: What immediately available ingredients and activities will enhance holistic
health and the lifestyle of my movements? What activities will complement my diet and
augment my bodily development?