Foods That Cure

[TheFoodTutor]

When I was a kid, any time I (or my siblings) had an upset stomach and couldn't keep down any food, my mother made a batch of jello.  Rather than letting it cool and gel, she had us drink a small glass of "jello juice" while it was still warm.  It always made us feel better, and it nearly always stayed down when nothing else would.

I've offered my own kids "jello juice" a few times, when I was feeling desperate in the face of a stomach virus, and it has the same effect on them.  No idea why this works but, for us, it does.

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Wow. I had totally forgotten that my mother did that, too. It was actually recommended to us by our family doctor. The only difference is we called it "jello water." I seem to remember that it worked pretty well, too. If we had bad stomachs to the point of dry heaves, we'd have nothing other than jello water and ginger ale ice cubes for at least 24 hours.

One time, when I had particularly bad dry heaves, I was whining about how hungry I was, but I couldn't eat anything. So my mother asked me, if I could have anything I wanted, what would I eat? I said I wanted ice cream, and she let me have it, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep it down. Not a bad idea either, since ice cream is easier on the throat coming back up than almost anything else you can eat.

[greenwich st]

Maybe this has been overhyped lately, but I have been drinking about 4 - 6 mugs of green tea a day to help regulate my blood sugar for weight loss purposes. I have been losing weight without trying very hard, so I think it's working. It's also known to have anticarcinogenic properties.

[mizducky]

I had several people--including my pharmacist!--highly recommend cherries and/or cherry juice for fighting off an acute gout attack. It isn't a cure, but it really does help.

Whenever I get a miserably sick flu/cold/stomach bug thing, I eat nothing but plain white rice for a day or so. I dunno if it cures anything, but it's a comforting easily-digestible food. Sometimes I will also make some kind of "healing soup" concoction--more like a kind of tea consisting of a ton of garlic and ginger simmered in plain water. Very soothing.

When my sinuses are badly congested, a bowl of really good spicy hot-and-sour soup will give me at least some temporary relief. By the time I reach the bottom of the bowl, I'll have had to blow my nose several times because *everything* has broken loose and started to flow! Alas, shortly after I finish the soup, the sinuss start to fill again and I'm soon as blocked up as I was previously ... but at least I had about an hour of being able to breathe normally.

Oh, and for getting other things flowing, there's no beating good ol' fashioned prunes. (In fact, they work almost too well...)

Meanwhile, for my paying job I am in the process of writing a whole article on the many medical conditions that can be improved by intake of omega-3 fatty acids, long-chain polyunsaturated fat molecules most often found in certain species of deep-sea fish and in certain plant sources such as flaxseed (the omega-3s in fish are more easily processed by the human body than the ones from flaxseed, by the way). At this point, there's research supporting the efficacy of omega-3s not only against heart disease and hypertension, but also against autoimmune/inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, neurological/mental issues such as schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, and dementia/Alzheimer's, and more. Alas, the deep-ocean fatty fish that are richest in omega-3s are often the same species that concentrate mercury and other toxins in their fat, making it hazardous to intake large amounts of omega-3s just through eating fish, so most health pundits recommend fish oil supplements that have been purified to remove any such toxins. But one can still certainly help one's health along with a couple of goodly servings of fish weekly. Oh yeah, and as high heat tends to destroy omega-3s, best to have that fish gently poached rather than deep-fried ... or even better, go for sushi or sashimi.

Edited August 2, 2005 by mizducky (log)

[Chris Amirault]

When I was a kid, any time I (or my siblings) had an upset stomach and couldn't keep down any food, my mother made a batch of jello.  Rather than letting it cool and gel, she had us drink a small glass of "jello juice" while it was still warm.  It always made us feel better, and it nearly always stayed down when nothing else would.

I've offered my own kids "jello juice" a few times, when I was feeling desperate in the face of a stomach virus, and it has the same effect on them.  No idea why this works but, for us, it does.

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Wow. I had totally forgotten that my mother did that, too. It was actually recommended to us by our family doctor. The only difference is we called it "jello water." I seem to remember that it worked pretty well, too. If we had bad stomachs to the point of dry heaves, we'd have nothing other than jello water and ginger ale ice cubes for at least 24 hours.

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Ok, we need a food scientist to weigh in on this one. Can anyone explain the healing properties of jello juice? Ones that avoid images of truly horrible gelatin salads preferred, thanks very much.

[chocomoo]

Rice in its various forms are classic home remedies for the Chinese household.  Plain white congee for indigestion and plain rice for diarrhea.  Works, too.

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When I was very young (2 years old?), I was really sick & couldn't keep anything down (or in ) for days, and my parents nursed me back to health with rice water (skimmed from really thin congee). Recommended by my Grandma and our elderly Caucasian next-door neighbour (who sugggested water from some kind of grain).

[Mnehrling]

Whenever I feel a cold or flu coming on, I make a sandwich loaded with Horseradish (or Wasibi), Onions, and Raw Garlic slices. I usually feel better within an hour. I haven't taken a sick day in 10 years and I never get a flu shot. I attribute it to my 'cure.'

Edited August 3, 2005 by Mnehrling (log)

[tejon]

My guess is that "jello juice" acts by rehydrating, coating the throat and GI system a bit, and adds calories and protein, which helps in healing.

Garlic is a powerful antimicrobial - kills just about anything rather quickly. Can be used topically or taken internally (must be raw, though).

Black tea with honey is wonderful for a sore throat - the tannins from the tea shrink swollen tissues, and the honey soothes (and is a mild antimicrobial as well).

Forgot peppermint tea or peppermint candy- good for soothing queasy stomachs. Not quite as good as ginger, but nice to have alternatives.

Papaya and pineapple do work wonders in preventing inflammation.

Lemon juice acts as a natural diuretic (very mild). Cucumbers do as well.

Edited August 3, 2005 by tejon (log)

[judiu]

Since my grandfather, "Pop", kept bees I learned early on that honey will draw an infection of any type. He cured my grandmother of leg ulcers that way!

[jgm]

For a sore throat (for me, always accompanied by earache), I drink honey and lemon juice in very hot water. The lemon juice must be from a real lemon.

If my nose is running a lot, or if there's lots of "crud" in my chest, I lay off milk and cheese. My mother always told me that dairy products will thicken mucous. I don't know if that's true, but it seems to be. I'm much more comfortable if I don't drink milk at those times.

For nausea, peppermints are good.

For my occasional heart arrhythmia, beer consumed as quickly as possible seems to help, especially when nothing else has. I don't know whether the alcohol relaxes me, or the belching pushes my heart back into a normal rhythm. If nothing else, the alcohol makes me sleepy, and when I wake up, the arrhythmia is always gone.

[racheld]

Cloves of raw garlic tucked up between the gums and inside of your cheeks will cure a cold, prevent a cold, or make you into a great bluegrass musician.

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Oh, gosh, this is hysterical!!!! I've been heehawing in my best yokel fashion and wiping my eyes. My Mammaw played a mean mandolin, but she always SMELLED good.

Where DID you get that one?

[Milagai]

Since my grandfather, "Pop", kept bees I learned early on that honey will draw an infection of any type. He cured my grandmother of leg ulcers that way! 

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Western pediatricians gawsp in horror but honey is GREAT

for curing constipation and coughs in babies.

Indian babies are routinely fed small tspfuls of honey.

Not a one had botulism yet....

Milagai

[Jinmyo]

Congee Saves.

[Metal Spice]

Hot tea w/lemon & honey when I'm getting a sore throat - but I have always taken my tea this way. When DH made tea with milk & sugar 10 years ago I was absolutely horrified.

Ginger Ale for nausea (has to have real ginger in it though)

Coke or flat coke works too, but I find that flat Oke makes it worse for me for some reason.

Peppermints for cramps

Chocolate for....for.... well, nobody needs a reason to eat chocolate

Hot water w/lemon for constipation

Oatmeal for mosquito bites & poison ivy. Don't eat it - cook it & slap it on the bites or ivy.

[potsticker]

Congee Saves.

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hear, hear!

[mamacat]

As for me, I like magic melt-in-your-mouth migraine mints.

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Where does one find these magic "melt-in-your-mouth migraine mints"? Do they work at any time during the migraine cycle or just if you catch it early?

[Jinmyo]

Congee Saves.

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hear, hear!

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Indeed.

Traditionally there are said to be ten beneficial effects of congee (shuku): 1) healthy colour 2) provides physical strength 3) gives longevity 4) comforts bodymind 5) purifies the tongue 6) helps to detoxify the stomach and bowels 7) helps to prevent colds 8) quenches hunger 9) quenches thirst 10) strengthens excretion and urination.

Whatever.

In any case, it's a great delivery system for ginger and whatever vegetables or meats one stews in it as it seems to never upset the stomach.

And the varities and permutations are endless.

And it's incomparably easy to make.

[Jinmyo]

Chocolate for....for.... well, nobody needs a reason to eat chocolate

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I'd need not only a reason but a gun put to my temple.

Chocolate is The Devil's ear wax.

[Ninjai Fanatic]

7up/other soda pops for upset stomachs (usually given with some soda crackers

this ginseng soup (a combination of carrots, ginseng roots, taro roots, sweet potatoes, - sometimes there's corn, spam, green beans, and or even cabbage/wombok) for an overall immune system lift

ice cream for tonsilitis.. this really simple- soup-like rice dish with ginger, carrots, etc.. for upset stomachs.

[stef_foodie]

chicken soup is my cure-all

and then there's

hot tea with honey and lemon for tummyaches and sore throats

flat 7-up and crackers for tummy upsets and diarrhea

LOTS of water for everything

and i have several books on "foods that heal" which i consult every now and then

i'm more interested in "foods that prevent" though. steven pratt's superfoods rx is a great book that covers this.

[Daniel Rogov]

For a vaguely upset stomach - a glass of Coke. It's not the soda that settles the stomach but the coke syrup. Many hospitals in Europe will give patients a spoonful or two of the syrup to settle their stomachs, some will actually give them a glass of Coke.

And that from a man who has a devoted antipathy towards Coke, Pepsi and other cola drinks!!!

[mizducky]

I don't think this website has been brought up yet, has it?

The World's Healthiest Foods

Like I said, I do a lot of paid writing/research on health issues for various websites, and of the innumerable food/health-oriented websites I've seen out there, this is one of the best-organized, best-written, and most sensible-sounding.