For thousands of years, humans treated their bodies as personal laboratories for discovering which foods are therapeutic and which are poisonous. Prehistoric humans evaluated healthy and unhealthy foods based on their reactions to what they put in their mouths. Occasionally, eating a certain food, herb, or plant would bring relief from a particular ailment, and that food would be noted as possessing healing qualities. Over time, patterns emerged that evolved into long-standing principles governing healthy diet and nutrition. Based on thousands of years of experimentation and documentation, as well as the consensus of modern scientific research, it’s widely agreed that fresh fruits and vegetables should be humans' primary foods. Fruits and vegetables are low in fat and sodium, high in fiber, and, best of all, packed with powerful antioxidants crucial for maintaining your health. 

All whole, unprocessed foods from the earth—fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and legumes, nuts, seeds—possess abundant healing properties. Take just one example: cranberries. Cranberries are antioxidant-rich and have been traditionally used in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract issues. While perceptive and health-conscious humans have recognized this truth for centuries, studies now show that cranberries contain hippuric acid, which inhibits the growth and attachment of various strains of bacteria, such as E. coli, to the bladder. Studies have also proved that cranberries improve dental health and help heal stomach ulcers by inhibiting the growth of H. pylori. Cranberries are merely one healing food in your arsenal of natural medicines that foster good health and longevity. As Hippocrates says, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

In many studies of centenarians, the same ten foods have emerged again and again as common elements in the diets of long-lived individuals:

1.Sweet potatoes
2. Corn
3. Peanuts
4. Pumpkin
5. Walnuts
6. Black beans
7. Sesame seeds
8. Shiitake mushrooms
9. Green tea
10. Seaweed

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease.