Food is medicine

Food is medicine
Eating well can improve your health and ensure your family’s nutrition and wellbeing are not undone by toxins  Guest Column  LEONIE SHANAHAN

If we learn to eat the correct food, we will live a long and healthy life; this is especially important for our children, who these days are exposed to so many unnatural foods and such of cocktail of chemicals.  The more variety of fresh foods yo0u introduce to your child’s diet, the better their health, and that’s what the garden is all about – ensuring we have the most nutritious food for ourselves, and especially our children.  Herbs have many positive effects on our health, such as invigorating the body and enhancing the immune system.  For an extensive list of benefits, reference Coast herb expert Isabell Shipard’s website, herbsarespecial.com.au.  In the meantime here are some ideas for herbs and more that you can grow in your own home garden or just add to meal times for better health.

BRAHMI
Used to improve mental clarity, confidence, intelligence, recall, concentration and memory.

PLAINTAIN broad leaf
For bleeding (crush leaves and place on cut), abrasions and bites.
As a Tea: coughs, asthma, hay fever, sore throat (gargle), toothache, bed-wetting, diarrhoea and stomach upsets.

CHIA
The seed has Essential Fatty Acids EFA. Our body needs EFA to function well. EFA attracts oxygen and oxygen is carried with the blood to the cells, it is vital for vitality, pain relief and healing. EFA fights infection and builds resistance to disease and allergies.

COMFREY also known as Knit Bone
As a poultice, it has been used to assist the mending of broken bones, heals wounds, sprains and insect bites.

FENNEL
Reputation for promoting courage, energy, physical endurance, vitality and longevity. Chew seeds to suppress hunger pangs and desire for sweets. Used for slimming. Indigestion, gas, hiccups, sweetening the breath, fatigue, headache, lethargy and depression.
Used for intestinal worms.

GOTA KOLA
Increase brain capacity, longevity, digestion, revitalising of nerve and brain cells. Relieve ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and hyperactive conditions.

GINGER
For nausea, asthma, cough, cold hands and feet. Fevers, cleanse the body and strengthen immune system. Boost the metabolism and to increase the function of the circulatory, respiratory and immune systems.

HERB ROBERT
Enhancer of the immune system. Ability to make more oxygen available to our cells, meaning the body has the opportunity to fight disease by its own power, and healing can take place.

LEBANESE CRESS
Respiratory aliments, bladder and kidney infections, virus, fatigue, blood builder and valued for clearing the complexion.

LEMON BALM
Happiness, anti-depressant, vomiting, digestion, mood swings, diabetes and colds.

LICORCE
Rejuvenating and nutritive properties. Coughs and chest complaints. Calms the mind and nourishes the brain and increases cranial and cerebrospinal fluid, to benefit vision, voice, hair, complexion and stamina.

MUKUNU-WENNA
Used for cooling the body, promote energy, and strengthening the eyes.

NASTURTIUM
Prevention and relief of coughs, flu and lung infections. Also used for intestinal worms, stomach ache, nervous exhaustion, constipation, clearing eyes and skin.

PURSLANE
Rich source of vitamins and minerals and omega 3, high in ascorbic acid. Highly alkaline. Lowering cholesterol and regulate blood pressure. Bone development and healthy heart development.

SAGE
Relieve indigestion, restore energy, revive a failing memory and retard the aging process, anti oxidants. Use for excessive perspiration, bad breath, diabetes to stimulate circulation and to ward off winter ills and viruses.

SALAD MALLOW also called Egyptian Spinach
Strengthening and invigorating the body, removes mucus and toxins from the body, alleviate respiratory conditions, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhoea and urinary problems.

SHEEP SORREL
Strong antioxidant to benefit health. Antioxidants have the ability to zap out free radicals caused by foods, pollutants and stress, and provide a strong line of defence for the immune system. Diuretic to remove excess fluid from the body for urinary and kidney complaints and to strengthen the heart.

SWEET LEAF BUSH
Dark green leaves are high in protein, and provide a rich source of chlorophyll which is a valuable blood building element, cell rejuvenator and beneficial to the circulation, intestinal flora and for regular bowel elimination. Helps detox the body.

SWEET TARRAGON
Benefits the liver, head and heart. Toothache, stimulates digestive juices and aids digestion. Heartburn, stress, insomnia, headache, colds and intestinal worms.

TOOTHACHE PLANT
Toothache, rub leaf on the gum of your aching tooth, repeat as required. Sore gums, teething babies, mouth ulcers.

TURMERIC
Antioxidant, digestive, anti-inflammatory, blood detoxifier and potential anti-cancer effects, helps lower cholesterol, stimulates adrenal glands and is supportive of liver function, helps regulate PMS symptoms.

WATERCRESS
Helps to purifying the blood and tone the whole system. Watercress has antioxidants that help to neutralize free radicals from chemicals, pesticides, cigarette smoke, diesel emission and many other toxins. Helps provide relief from colds, flu and  lung infections.

SUPER FOODS
As well as herbs, there are plenty of other foods we need to be familiar with for our health.  They include almonds, beans, a variety of berries – blueberries, goji, raspberries and strawberries – broccoli, cacao (organic dark chocolate) organic garlic, orange, pumpkin, sardines, wild salmon, spinach, sweet potato, tomatoes, walnuts and yoghurt (but not the low-fat kind).

NATURAL LOLLY GARDEN
You can introduce herbs to your garden as lolly substitutes for the sweet tooth in your family.  For example, introduce the taste of herbs such as chocolate mine, fennel (as licorice), nasturtium flowers, pineapple sage flowers, and leaves, and even cherry tomatoes.  You can make your own lolly shop in the garden and kids love  these herbs.

EDIBLE FLOWERS
Flowers make a great addition to your vegetable garden and many can be eaten, but while some flowers are edible, it doesn’t meant all flowers in the same family are edible.  Choose from this list (I have included the botanical name for flowers where only one or two types are edible) but please check before picking and, if unsure, then pop them in a vase on the table instead  - basil,; borage; brassica family such as bok choy, broccoli etc; calendula (Calendula officinalis); citurs, coriander; daylilies; dill; fennel; garlic chives; heartsease; hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinenses); Aibika (Abelmoschus manihot) with the lovely lemon-coloured flowers; Marigolds (Calendula officinalis); nasturtiums; native violets; pineapple sage; rocket; rosemary; roses; sage; society garlic; sunflower; and zucchini.

This extract is from Eat Your Garden, Organic Gardening for Home & Schools.   At the Real Food Festival (September 10-11) which the weekender sponsors, Leonie will talk on Edible School Gardens (edibleschoolgardens.com.au) in the Food for Thought shed.  Visit realfoodfestival.com.au