Healthy Foods Enhance Life for Those with Chronic Illness
We are pleased to have a guest post for this blog from Melanie Bowen.
“Melanie Bowen is an awareness advocate for natural health and holistic therapies for cancer patients. You will often find her highlighting the great benefits of different nutritional, emotional, and physical treatments on those with illness in her efforts to increase attentiveness and responsiveness on like topics”
Healthy Foods Enhance Life for Those with Chronic Illnesss
When someone has a chronic or terminal illness, proper nutrition is essential for regaining energy, stamina and even physical and emotional healing. For instance, if a patient with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, makes nutrition a priority, they are much more likely to live a life with more energy and clarity. Some experts agree that eating foods rich in antioxidants can actually lengthen the life expectancy of some patients with terminal illnesses and the quality of life of those with chronic illnesses.
Antioxidants protect and even repair cells from damage done by free radicals. Antioxidants help boost your immune system, which makes your body more likely to be able to fight off infections. Beans, plum, beets, broccoli, nuts and sunflower seeds are just a few of the foods that are rich in antioxidants.
Whole wheat, grains–such as brown rice, and oatmeal are all excellent, nutritional choices to enhance your life, even when you are dealing with a chronic illness. These foods specifically help protect your heart from disease and allow your body to function at its most optimal level.
Fiber is another important building block to proper nutrition. Raspberries, pears and apples (with the skin on them), are all excellent sources of fiber that should be added to your daily diet. When you have a chronic illness, it is especially important to maintain a healthy digestive tract and keep digestion flowing as naturally as possible. Eating foods rich in fiber will help ensure a healthy digestive tract as well as keep you comfortable and free from bloating or feeling “backed up”, if you will.
There are nutritious foods that also help to give you boosts of natural energy. Foods such as mixed nuts, chicken, sunflower seeds, cheese, milk and yogurt are all excellent sources of protein that will give you sustained energy and healthy nutrition as well.
According to the Foods that Heal blog lemons and limes not only heal simple things like cuts and bruises but lemons and limes could actually aid in preventing cancer and heart disease. It has been found that even the zest (peeling) of lemons and limes contain many beneficial health benefits from aiding in healing infections to fighting various types of cancers.
Overall, there are many varieties of food that contain many different health benefits. By choosing a lifestyle of healthy eating, you can live a more productive, full life with more energy and help protect your body from various illnesses and infections.