In using herbs creatively in meals or with meals to reduce or stop cravings/addictions, it is very important to know precisely what herbs as food are.
DIFERENCE BETWERN HERBAL FOODS AND HERBAL REMEDIES
"Food herbs are consumed daily in safe, culinary amounts to add flavour or basic nutrients. Remedy herbs are used in targeted, concentrated doses to treat, cure, or prevent specific medical conditions," according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Better Health Channel, Medicine Plus and African Food Network. Medical professionals usually caution against use of herbs as they interact or counteract the effects of pharmaceutical medications. The reason for that has been addressed in past Farm Cafe write-ups and would still be addressed later. A simple, brief explanation here is that pharmaceutical medications in addition to nutrients usually contain certain non-food substances (synthetics and/or heavy metals) due to the manufacturing processes and the need for extended preservation. Even if the herbal remedy does not contain non-food substances, the herbs would likely be in more concentrated forms in a herbal remedy than the small quantities used in foods. The interaction or counteracting of the content of the pharmaceutical medications and the herbal remedy inside a person's body may pose very serious health challenges.
But this write-up is focused on using pure herbs which are actually food in small amounts daily or regularly for the targeted nourishment of the human body to stop or reduce cravings/addictions. So this is not about herbal medicine for treating illnesses, this is about herbal food for true nourishment, thereby strong, vibrant body.
HERBS FOR NUTRITION According to Science Direct and Better Health Channel “Herbs as Foods add taste, colour, and aroma to meals, act as gentle, everyday nutritional support, enhance the sensory appeal of dishes.” Yes indeed, though many herbs such as scent leaves, mint leaves, blood leaves, rosemary, oregano, lemon grass are not sweet to the taste but when used in meals or prepared as teas or drinks and taken along with other food items, they confer so much sensory appeal.
WHAT HERB IS
According to dictionary definition, an herb is a small plant with soft, green stems that do not turn hard or woody. People use the leafy or flowering parts of these plants fresh or dried—to add flavour to food, make teas.
Though pure seeds and pure spices such as nutmeg, cumin, fennel, ginger, turmeric can also have very beneficial effects in nourishing the body and stopping or reducing cravings/addictions, they are not actually herbs. Ginger and turmeric are roots. Spices can also be seeds, bark or fruits of a plant but not the green or leafy part. Some plants can provide both spices and herbs e.g. turmeric plant roots and turmeric plant leaves.
FRUIT TREE LEAVES AS HERBS
The leaves of most fruit trees are herbs according to National Institute of Health, USA and Wekiva Foliage. Examples of tree leaves which are herbal include almond, pawpaw, guava , mango, soursop , moringa, African cherry leaves (agbalumo) etc. They are rich in antioxidants and used for digestion or blood sugar support. However, according to the National Institute of Health, some fruit tree leaves can be toxic. From the examples of apple, avocado, figs and cherry tree leaves given as usually toxic, it is likely due to their high commercialisation which often lead to use of synthetic chemicals in their production. So even for those mentioned here as safe, to be sure of that, it is either you plant them or source them from places they are assuredly naturally-grown.
If you do not have land space to cultivate them, plant them in containers – buckets, pots, sacks, drums etc. In this case the target isn’t to get then to fruiting stages, it is just to harvest the leaves and you can start plucking when they start bearing leaves. They seem to be even more nutritious when tender. Ensure they are grown naturally, avoid using water treated such as with chlorine or spraying them with chemical substances.
CREATIVE WAYS TO INCLUDE HERBS IN MEALS OR WITH MEALS
1. Though you can make any of these herbal leaves into teas and other soft drinks by themselves, you can also use their boiled or freshly squeezed juice in combination with processed cocoa drinks, even processed coffee drinks. You can mix them with other processed soft drinks and milk if you take such. They will gradually reduce the cravings that usually come as a result of taking those processed drinks. You can use one or different kind of fruit tree leaves. Avoid using mango and citrus leaves together except you find the combination okay for you. Start with few leaves -boiling one or two small tender leaves per one mug of water
2. Eating bread, cakes, pies, other pastries and sugared confectioneries made from refined wheat flour usually cause so much cravings. Rather than drinking processed beverages which also cause cravings along with these sweet foods which may result in overeating and/or desire for substances, why not take a herbal drink sweetened with dates or pure natural honey, pure or sweet fruits? If you use leaves such as mango ,even with other leaves to make the tea or soft drink, you may not even need to add any more sweetener.
3. Seasoning of foods
Most manufactured seasonings usually contain industrially-produced Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) or other industrially-produced taste enhancers.
According to the Renaissance Recovery Centre, “MSG intensifies the ssavoury umami flavour of food. This enhanced taste of food triggers the brain reward centers and may encourage overeating and future cravings for such foods MSG is used in seasoning,"
Harvard Health states, “The combination of simple carbohydrates, fats and intense imagination flavour is what truly drives strong food cravings, rather than the MSG molecule alone.”
So when MSG or other industrially-produced taste seasonings are used in preparing foods such as beef, chicken or other meats, fried foods and other high calorie foods, what do you think will happen? Most likely excessive consumption. But when naturally-grown herbs are used in seasoning foods, though they can help stimulate normal healthy appetite for food, they wont result in excessive cravings. Why? As explained in Part One of this series, the healthy herbs easily digest and the nutrients penetrate the body cells and nourish them appropriately.
Though there is appreciation of the naturally-spiced food by the brain reward centres, as the body cells have also been well-nourished, there isn’t the usual hunger pangs in the body that leads to overeating or cravings for more and more.
According to Nutritionist Resource, “when nutrients from highly processed foods fail to properly penetrate body cells due to cellular resistance or poor nutrient quality, the brain interprets this state as systemic energy deprivation coupled with metabolic stress, triggering persistent hunger signals...”
This may then lead to overeating if indulged. Also some substances used in producing food or which gets into food may still be in the bloodstream causing insulin resistance. As a result the breakdown of sugar or carbohydrate in the body takes time. If having hunger cravings before or after eating, taker small quantitty of herb(s)
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
Sometimes or oftentimes for some people when cooking, one is hungry. If there is nothing available to snack on quickly, there is tendency to descend on whatever is ready usually the meat or fish while the main dish is still in preparation. Rather than that if you have meat stock from meat boiled with only natural herbs and spices, take some spoonfuls of this. It will reduce or at least control the cravings while still keeping the appetite on for the meal in progress when ready. Taking a herbal drink naturally sweetened will also have same effect. But if you choose to take a frizzy drink, be aware of possible cravings galore it can cause.
4. If you choose to eat processed packaged foods like spaghetti, noodles and do on, ensure to put some naturally-grown herbs, not just the accompanying packaged seasonings
5. Those with alcoholic or hard drug addictions who are apathetic about withdrawal symptoms whenever they attempt to stop or reduce it can use herbs this way :
Very early in the mornings before eating or yielding to the substance craving, take herbal tea made from FRESH LEAVES, not processed coffee or processed tea leaves. Do not use sugar, use a natural sweetener or none at all. Do not eat anything with it. Let the drink with its nutrients penetrate your body cells firstly. Do this as early as possible in the.mornjngs after waking up and also, if possible, during the day. If it is a cold day, a warm.drink would likely be preferable. If the weather is hot, a cold or room temperatute drink may be preferable. You can prepare the herbal drink ahead. Boil the leaves, sieve out the liquid. When.cool.add the natural sweeteners and refrigerate. During the day, drink.when thirsty or before meals or when you feel the craving. Even if refrigeration is not possible, it is still okay to keep the drink for a day or two. Just ensure it is kept in a glass or porcelain bottle or jug and not a plastic container. Even if it ferments a little it is still okay for the body as it contains pure nutritionally good substances that can still keep cravings and addictive tendencies under control. You can also add ice from clean water to it.
Stay accountable to your family member or close personal friend to ensure you take such drink first early in the mornings, before meals or when you feel the craving for nicotine, hard drugs or alcohol.
Note: when people constantly lose control of themselves and yield to cravings or addictive tendencies, it may be likely due to lack of discipline but it is also due lack of true food nutrients getting sufficiently into their body cells. So the cravings for substances overpower the body’s natural control mechanisms and the person's willpower.
SOURCING
Whether it is just cravings, alcoholism or substance abuse, it is better to be sure that the herbal.drink is from naturally grown herbs and appropriately-prepared. It may be okay to buy but be wary of the possibility of using synthetic substance(s) as preservatives or herbs that have been grown with chemical fettilizers, pesticides and so on.
CHECK EXCESSES
Also note, for someone who has been into alcoholism or hard substance abuse, excessive intake of herbs will have similar interaction or counteracting as hehal remedies have inside the body of a person who constantly takes pharmaceutical drugs. You do need to.remove the sunstances that may have been deposited or accumulated in your body due to the alcoholism or hard drug usage – YOU NEED TO GET THE POLLUTANTS OUT OF YOUR BLOOD
#shieldyourblood
#Stoppingcravings
#Stoppingsubstanceabuses
