Cures From Mother Nature

The healing power of nature and the foods that come from her is undoubted. Read on to know more about how they can help you fix your little one’s ailments.

- Neelanjana Singh

THE HEALING power of food has been recognised since time immemorial, but even today, leading research centres of the world, including Harvard, John Hopkins and MD Anderson, are working to understand the compounds in foods that cure and prevent disease. And there are several theories explaining how different herbs, vegetables and spices help us in feeling better.

Foods that have medicinal powers are just too many, therefore I shall only point out those that help with common ailments that children suffer from.

allergy

Given that we’re in the midst of the allergy season, it’s helpful to know the foods that can provide relief. Onion is one. It contains the plant chemical quercetin, which reduces the release of the hormone histamine from the cells that cause the allergic response (quercetin is chemically similar to the anti allergy drugs commonly used). So make sure that you consciously include red onions in as many preparations as possible, particularly when allergies are bothering your child.

Rx For picky eaters, you can prepare onion rings as a snack. The good news is that quercetin is not destroyed when onions are cooked, so you could easily get your little one to eat enough onions this way. Another food that can help calm allergic reactions is pineapple; it contains the enzyme bromelain, which plays a key role in reducing both allergic inflammation as well as irritation.