Healthy Food Allergies – What Are They?

Food is any substance eaten to supply nutrition to an organism for life. Food is generally of animal, plant or fungi origin, and consists of necessary nutrients, including vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals. All living organisms require food to live and prosper. Without food humans and most other animals would soon die from starvation.

The first step to obtaining a healthy diet is to understand the relationship between nutrition and the immune system. Nutrient deficiencies in the immune system can lead to illness and disease and, fortunately, there are a variety of foods that provide the nutrients necessary to support optimal health. Plants, animals and fungi all contain nutrients that are important for nutrition. Animals can be fed meat or other animal-based foods, while fungi are nourished by using self-applied remedies, like tea, vinegar and natural yogurt. Fungi also need certain vitamins and minerals that are not found in plants or in animals.

The most important nutrients for nutrition are iron, calcium, vitamin B12, riboflavin, thiamin, magnesium, potassium and selenium. Vitamin A, food enzymes, probiotics and local foods are all important nutrients as well. Fungi need yeast and micro-organisms to grow, so foods like garlic, yogurt, beer and wine are also important for their nutritional value.

Some foods are excellent sources of several micronutrients, including copper, manganese, zinc, selenium, phosphorus and iodine. Copper is an important trace mineral that enhances the function of red blood cells and contributes to healthy circulatory systems. Selenium is an important factor in brain development and in thyroid function, but the body needs it to make iodine, which is responsible for b-group vitamins. Phosphorus is an excellent source of the anion that promotes nerve and muscle function. Zinc plays an important role in red cell production and helps in the repair of tissue damage. As for iodine, it is an important element for brain development and thyroid gland function.

Local foods such as garlic and onions contain a sulfur-containing sulfur compound called Allicin which protects against bacterial infections, yeasts, parasites and pathogenic bacteria. Studies have shown that women who took a garlic supplement had significantly lower risk of preeclampsia and breast cancer. In addition, it was found that pregnant women who took a daily garlic supplement had children who were taller and had higher IQ’s than women who did not take any garlic supplements. It also was found that taking two or more mg of iodine every day helped to prevent deficiencies of the B-group vitamins and resulted in normal growth and development of the nervous system.

Omega-3 fatty acids are another group of nutrients that are important to health. These include: EPA, DHA, and LA. Although these fats are fat soluble, they can easily be oxidized in the body which leads to oxidative stress which can result in many diseases. Therefore it is very important to consume healthy oils such as olive oil, canola oil and flax seed oils.