M. T. Murray - The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

MICHAEL MURRAY, N.D.

JOSEPH PIZZORNO, N.D.

LARA PIZZORNO, M.A., L.M.T.

ATRIA BOOKS
NEW YORK LONDON TORONTO SYDNEY

SELECTED TITLES ALSO BY MICHAEL T. MURRAY

The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine
The Healing Power of Herbs: The Enlightened Persons Guide to the Wonders of Medicinal Plants
How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine
How to Prevent and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine
Dr. Murrays Total Body Tune-Up
The Pill Book Guide to Natural Medicine

Atria Books has designed this book to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and the author are not liable for the misconception or misuse of information provided. Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible. The purpose of this book is to educate. The author and Atria Books shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, damage or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. The information presented herein is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling.

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Copyright 2005 by Michael Murray, N.D., Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., and Lara Pizzorno
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Murray, Michael T.

The encyclopedia of healing foods / Michael T. Murray and Joseph E. Pizzorno with Lara Pizzorno.

p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. NutritionEncyclopedias. 2. Functional foodsEncyclopedias. 3. Diet therapyEncyclopedias. I. Pizzorno, Joseph E. II. Pizzorno, Lara. III. Title.

RA784.M85 2005
613.203dc22 2005048107

ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-7402-3
ISBN-10: 0-7434-7402-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-8052-9 (pbk)
ISBN-10: 0-7434-8052-X (pbk)
eISBN-13: 978-1-4391-0344-9

First Atria Books hardcover and trade paperback editions September 2005
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food.

Hippocrates

First of all, it is important for us to acknowledge all the researchers, physicians, and scientists who over the years have sought to better understand the role of diet and natural medicines in the prevention and treatment of disease. Without their work, this book would certainly not exist. Next, we must acknowledge the important role that our agent, Bonnie Solow, played in linking us up with Tracy Behar and Atria Books. We are indebted to everyone on the team for having the perseverance to make our book as reader-friendly and practical as possible.

Michael T. Murray, N.D.: Most of all, I would like to acknowledge my wife, Gina. Her love, support, and patience are the major blessings in my life, along with our wonderful children, Alexa, Zachary, and Addison.

Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.: In appreciation of my wonderful family, who blesses my life: Lara, my beloved spouse; Raven, my dear daughter; and Galen, my brilliant son. Thank you to Dr. Michael Murray, whose keen intelligence and remarkable ability to communicate have dramatically increased the public understanding of natural medicine.

Lara Pizzorno, M.A. (Divinity), M.A. (Lit.), LMT: Its lovely to be able to publicly acknowledge my sweet soul mate and husband, Joe; Galen, our most dear son; Raven, the daughter of my heart; and our two faithful felines, Catnip, who will always live in our hearts, and Smidge, who worked late with me many nights. A special thanks to Juan San Mames for sharing his expertise on saffron, and to Dr. Jeff Dahlberg, Dr. Lloyd Rooney, and Dr. Ronald Prior for sharing their research on sorghum. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Michael Murray; without his vision, encyclopedic knowledge, and hard work, this book would not exist.

There is an ever-growing appreciation of the role of diet in determining our level of health. It is now well established that certain dietary practices cause, as well as prevent, a wide range of diseases. In addition, more and more research is accumulating that indicates certain diets and foods offer immediate therapeutic benefit.

However, as people learn more about the value of proper nutrition, they often become confused by the conflicting opinions they encounter. The purpose of this book is to provide the most up-to-date answers to some important basic questions about nutrition:

What is a healthy diet?

How do I know what to eat and in what quantities?

How much protein, fat, fiber, and other food factors do I need in my diet?

What properties do individual foods possess?

If foods are medicines, which ones offer the greatest benefit for specific health problems?

More important, we hope that this information will inspire you to make healthier food choices. Our belief is that healthier food choices will result in a healthier and happier existence.

The human body is remarkable and truly wondrous, but most Americans are not feeding the body the high-quality fuel it deserves and needs. When a dynamic living organism does not receive the proper building blocks it needs for energy, maintenance, or repair, it is only a matter of time before it fails to run in an efficient manner. Stated another way, if the body is not fed the full range of nutrients it needs, how can it be expected to stay in a state of good health?

The human body, the vessel of your soul, is something to be cherished. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, The first wealth is health. We agree with this sentiment and urge you to make eating a healthy diet a lifetime habit. With that goal in mind, we offer you The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods: A Comprehensive Guide to the Healing Power of Natures Best Medicine.

May you live in good health, with passion and joy!

Michael T. Murray, N.D.
Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
Lara Pizzorno, M.A., L.M.T.

Basic Principles of a Good Diet

In order to answer the question What is a healthy diet?, it is important to first take a look at what our body is designed for. Is the human body designed to eat plant foods, animal foods, or both? Respectively, are we herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores?

While the human gastrointestinal tract is capable of digesting both plant and animal foods, there are indications that we evolved to digest primarily plant foods. Specifically, our teeth are composed of twenty molars, which are perfect for crushing and grinding plant foods, along with eight front incisors, which are well suited for biting into fruits and vegetables. Only our front four canine teeth are designed for meat eating, and our jaws swing both vertically to tear and laterally to crush, while carnivores jaws swing only vertically. Additional evidence that supports the human bodys preference for plant foods is the long length of the human intestinal tract. Carnivores typically have a short bowel, while herbivores have a bowel length proportionally comparable to humans.