The Good Stuff Nutrition Series: How to Heal 101

Wow, talk about eating an elephant! Healing is multifaceted, to say the least and is unique to each individual and opportunity. There’s no such thing as a one-size fits all when it comes health, but there are some fundamentals we can focus on to start the healing process.

First and foremost... nutrients! Nothing positive happens without the proper nutrients needed to fuel the thousands of mitochondria and functions that keep our bodies running as designed. Laying the groundwork to health with a therapeutic-range multivitamin is essential, as it’s impossible to get everything we need from our food.

Today we are going to look at a super nutrient, Vitamin C, as well as some of the things that put the nutritional ‘fun’ in fungi!

Vitamin C is a well-known vitamin that can sometimes be taken for granted. It’s easy to think, “Can a yummy orange-flavored chewable or drink mix really make a difference in my health?”. While those may not be the most absorbable versions, the overall answer is Yes! Vitamin C is involved in many processes and definitely makes a difference. Just do a quick search on the Age of Scurvy and read some of the horror stories of life without adequate Vitamin C to see what an impact it makes.

Along with that life-saving aspect and the well-known “shortens the common cold” benefit, here are a few other benefits of Vitamin C:

• Vitamin C helps prevent gout outbreaks by reducing the amount of uric acid in the blood. (I hear gout is painful, so this is great news for gout-sufferers!)

• Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron by 67%, y’all! If you’ve ever been turned away from giving blood due to a low hematocrit score or suffered the energy-draining effects of anemia, you understand what a big deal this is! 67% is substantial... and it’s so easy!

• Memory and clarity... can I get an Amen?? More studies are needed to better understand the relation of Vitamin C to neurology, but we do know Vitamin C is protective of memory and thinking ability as we age. We can also see from studies that dementia patients have a low level of Vitamin C in their blood. I feel a strawberry-spinach salad in my near future! (they are both great sources of Vitamin C) ☺

• Wound healing... my friends have started repeating this back to me I say it so much (repetitial y’all... it eventually sinks in!): You can’t heal without Vitamin C! It is involved in every phase from helping to clear out the inflammation to regenerating collagen and tissues.

Our bodies don’t make Vitamin C so we need to focus on eating lots of colorful fruits and veggies, along with supplementation. To make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck, look for the liposomal forms for best absorption.

Next let’s look at some super fun guys in the fungi family... Medicinal Mushrooms!

With more benefits than I can cover here, let’s take a look at just a few of the fantastic facts about fungi:

• D-Beta Glucans. You may have heard about these in relation to oats, but they are also part of what makes mushrooms so magical! Did you know that they are Biological Response Modifiers? That means that if you have an infection or something, they will boost your immunity’s ability to fight. On the flip side, if you’re experiencing a cytokine storm from an overactive immune response, they come in and settle everything down! So basically, whatever state you’re in, the answer is “Yes please, I would love some!”

• You’ve also probably heard a lot about the importance of the microbiome in your gut. Chalk another one up for DBG because they act as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria and thus affecting all aspects of well-being!

• The networking of mycorrhizal fungi is mind-bogglingly amazing. It is the communication system between the trees and vegetation, allowing them to disperse nutrients among each other. With this understanding, it should really come as no surprise that fungi are packed with healing properties for our bodies, as well. Paul Stamets has done some fascinating research on mushrooms and shares the remarkable story of how Turkeytail was instrumental in his mother’s recovery from cancer. (Here’s his TedTalk!). Healing benefits of chaga and reishi include the lowering of LDL, while Lion’s Mane fosters Nerve Growth Factor, improving cognitive function. Research also shows it can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. I stay pretty upbeat and positive, but even I need help with anxiety at times. Thank you, mushroom friends!

This obviously isn’t meant to be a comprehensive paper on healing but hopefully you were able to grab a few nuggets to take with you, ponder, and ultimately put into practice. Just in case, let me leave you with a couple overall concepts:

• Fight the familiarity of Vitamin C and regain a healthy respect for how it positively affects so many aspects of your health.

• Mushrooms are a network in nature bringing a network of healing to the body.

Peace, love and health, friends!