Something that “treats or cures a disease” is considered to be “therapeutic”, so when referring to foods being “therapeutic”, I am referring to foods that have long term disease preventive benefits, and thus, lead to longer health and lifespan.
Many of the foods on this list aren’t going to be rich in macronutrients, so shouldn’t be a core staple of your diet like the foods on the “nutrient dense” list, but rather, should be consumed in addition, specifically for their medicinal, or long term “therapeutic” benefits.
The following list is in order of “most therapeutic” at the top, and then works its way down.
#1
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in a monounsaturated fat called Oleic Acid, which has tremendous anti-aging properties. It is also abundant in powerful polyphenol antioxidants that combat inflammation and oxidative stress—two major drivers of aging and chronic disease. Its antioxidants, like oleocanthal and hydroxytyrosol, help protect against heart disease, neurodegeneration, and certain cancers. Regular consumption of olive oil is linked to significantly lowered all cause mortality, and is probably the most research backed food for disease prevention and overall longevity, making it my top therapeutic food. I consume olive oil daily, most days by simply taking a big swig of it right from the bottle, but I also drizzle it on meals every chance I get.
#2
Beef Liver
Beef liver is considered “nature’s multivitamin”, as it is loaded with highly bioavailable vitamins and minerals, probably more than any other food on the planet. It is also rich in amino acids which help support muscle tissue and act as precursors to neurotransmitters like serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. I’m personally not a huge fan of the taste of liver, so I consume freeze dried grass fed beef liver capsules daily.
Furthermore, if you’re anemic, or have low iron, beef liver, or beef liver capsules are tremendous red blood cell booster as it contains a pre-digested, highly bioavailable form of iron called hemp iron, as well as a host of other red blood cell boosting nutrients like vitamin B12.
#3
Red Wine
Red wine is linked to longevity and disease prevention primarily due to its high concentration of polyphenols, especially resveratrol, quercetin, and proanthocyanidins; phytochemicals with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds help protect blood vessels and reduce oxidative stress at the cellular level. Resveratrol in particular, activates pathways like SIRT1, which is associated with cellular repair and longevity. Moderate red wine consumption is correlated with reduced risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Now, choosing the cleanest, healthiest glass of red wine is always best, which means choosing an “old world style” wine. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my segment on choosing an old world style wine for the healthiest glass of wine.
#4
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate makes its way near the top of this list due to its high concentration of flavanols, a class of polyphenols (noticing a trend with foods containing high amounts of specific polyphenols?) that also have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These compounds improve blood vessel function, lower blood pressure, and enhance circulation, all of which reduce cardiovascular risk. Flavanols also support brain health by boosting cognitive function and protecting neurons from oxidative damage, as well as combatting the cellular aging process. The higher the cocoa content (typically 70%+), the greater the benefit of the dark chocolate.
#5
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods contain naturally occurring probiotics and various enzymes that aid in digestion and reduce inflammation. Greater populations and biodiversity of probiotics in your gut is strongly linked to lower risk of all known diseases.
Foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and unprocessed yogurt and kefir are all great fermented foods to work into your diet to help promote gut health. It’s important to choose forms of these foods that are still living, and haven’t been processed.
#6
Berries
Berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are longevity powerhouses due to their exceptionally high levels of antioxidants, especially anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, and vitamin C. Berries support heart health by improving blood pressure, lowering LDL oxidation, and enhancing vascular function. They also promote brain health, improving memory and protecting against cognitive decline. Their low glycemic load and high fiber content support metabolic health, making them ideal for preventing diabetes and obesity. Regular berry consumption is strongly linked to slower biological aging and disease resistance.
Açaí berries are also included in all of the above, and unique to them is that they are also rich in the monounsaturated fat Oleic Acid, which is a potent anti-aging fatty acid, and was mentioned above for its high concentration in olive oil. Organic acai may actually be the most potent therapeutic berry of them all, meaning there’s something to those acai bowls.
#7
Medicinal Mushrooms
Certain mushrooms have very therapeutic benefits, and when a combination of key medicinal mushrooms are consumed or supplemented with, they have a host of health and disease preventive benefits.
Lion’s Mane is used as a nootropic for daily cognitive support, but it also boosts brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), which has been shown to reduce cognitive decline and prevent age related brain diseases, as well as generating new neurons in the brain.
Reishi and Maitake mushrooms have tremendous immune boosting properties and have been shown to prevent cancer and reduce risk of tumor growth.
#8
Walnuts
Walnuts fall into a food theory known as “the doctrine of signatures”. This theory suggests that nature designs certain foods to look like the organ of the body they most benefit. Slice a carrot and it looks like an eye, cut a beet in half and it looks like a heart, and walnuts look like a tiny brain. And I bet you now guessed it, walnuts are loaded with omega fatty acids that support brain health. A couple handfuls of these a week can go a long way.
#9
Garlic
Garlic yields a highly beneficial compound called allicin. Allicin is a sulfur-containing compound that forms when garlic is crushed or chopped, activating the enzyme alliinase which converts alliin into allicin. It’s highly reactive and short-lived, but its effects are profound. Consumption of allicin has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, provides immune support, has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, and has even been shown to promote better metabolic health.
The key here is that it needs to be fresh garlic, as the allicin, as mentioned above, is a short-lived compound, so once garlic is processed into a spice, it no longer yields allicin.
#10
Pineapple
A one cup serving of pineapple contains more vitamin c than an orange, along with other vitamins and essential minerals.
It also contains an enzymatic powerhouse called bromelain, and is actually the only meaningful natural source of bromelain.
Bromelain is a combination of proteolytic enzymes that help break down proteins into amino acids and peptides and also has potent anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, bromelain, is an enzyme known as a “fasting mimicker” as it induces a process known as “autophagy” in the body, in which cells recycle dead and damaged proteins and debris into new, healthy, more vital cellular material. It is known as a “fasting mimicker” because autophagy is a process that is usually engaged in states of fasting.
#11
Green Tea
Green tea supports longevity and slows aging thanks to its high levels of EGCG, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory polyphenol. It reduces oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, a common theme found in foods that fight aging and reduce risk of disease.
Green tea also improves cardiovascular health, brain function, and metabolic regulation, helping to lower blood pressure, enhance fat burning, and protect neurons. Its unique combination of EGCG and L-theanine promotes calm focus while reducing stress.
I also really like Yerba Mate iced/cold tea, as it tends to be more energizing, and is the best tasting tea I think. It doesn’t contain EGCG, so I wouldn’t rank it quite as high as a truly therapeutic food as green tea, however, it does still have an abundant amount of its own anti-aging and disease preventative polyphenol antioxidants.
#12
Kale/Spinach
If beef liver is “nature’s multivitamin”, I would consider kale and spinach the plant based versions of that. Objectively, I would recommend beef liver as a natural source of many key vitamins and minerals first, especially the red blood cell boosters, but would consider kale and spinach solid plant based alternatives, especially as red blood cell boosters.
Now that we are at the beginning of the warm, sunny months, I’m going to shift the focus to some cool research and facts about all the benefits we can truly yield from soaking up those warm, cosmic rays.
Growing research has shown our cells and DNA use biophotons to store and communicate information. It appears that biophotons are used by the cells of many living organisms to communicate, which facilitates energy/information transfer.
What is a biophoton?
We cannot see these biophotons with the naked eye, however, turn off the lights, and with the right camera, you can see, we all sparkle.
A biophoton refers to an extremely weak electromagnetic wave or particle of light emitted by living organisms, including plants, animals, and humans. The term “biophoton” is derived from the words “bio” (meaning life) and “photon” (a basic unit of light). Biophotons are believed to be emitted as a result of various biological processes occurring within cells and tissues.
Understanding More About the Role of Biophotons and Why This is Important to Our Health
Here’s a quick rundown of what the early research in this area is telling us: Researchers have conducted experiments that suggest biophotons are involved in intercellular communication. For instance, studies have observed the emission and transmission of biophotons between cells and tissues, indicating a potential means of cellular signaling. Various studies have shown that different cells and tissues emit characteristic patterns of biophotons. These patterns can change under different physiological or pathological conditions, indicating a potential link between biophoton emissions and cellular processes. Don’t worry, I’m going to summarize this all up at the end. Light therapy and photobiomodulation, which involve exposing cells or tissues to specific wavelengths of light, have shown promising results in various areas of health and healing. While the mechanisms are not yet fully understood, some researchers speculate that the effects might be mediated, at least in part, through biophotonic interactions. Finally, it is well accepted that at the core of the central nervous system (CNS) is bioelectricity (yes, we run on biologically produced electricity), which is responsible for many primary functions of the CNS. However, many of the higher functions and mental activities of the brain still cannot be explained such as perception, learning and memory, emotion, and consciousness. Recently, both experimental evidence and theoretical speculation have suggested that biophotons may play a potential role in neural signal transmission and processing, contributing to the understanding of the high functions of nervous system.
Sunlight contains a broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, and infrared light. Some studies suggest that certain wavelengths of light, particularly in the visible and UV ranges, may have an influence on biophoton emissions and cellular processes. It is hypothesized that exposure to sunlight might affect the generation, propagation, or detection of biophotons in some way, potentially influencing cellular communication.
Conclusion
It is undeniable that human beings emit weak, organic light waves called biophotons. Typically, the way the human body works, is that everything serves a purpose. The research and study of the interaction of biophotons and their role in cellular communication is early and still growing, however, it certainly seems to point to a strong correlation. On average, it is estimated that the human body contains 40 trillion cells. These cells serve all kinds of different purposes and as parts of different tissues such as blood, bone, muscle, kidney, heart, brain, and so much more. If biophotons play a role, quite possibly a significant role in making all 40 trillion of these cells communicate with each other, then biophotons play a critical role in every single process in the body. In short, human beings go through some level of photosynthesis. We cannot solely survive on water and sunlight as a plant does, but the reality is, sunlight and high quality water play a much larger role in our overall energy production than we previously imagined. Traditional thinking was we got all of our energy from food calories, and that is simply not the case. Light and water play a significant role in creating energy at the cellular level, and I believe we are just scratching the surface in exploring more about this idea of human photosynthesis and how sunlight and quality water can truly help us live longer, healthier, and more happily. Get your sunlight. We now know that natural sunlight, when connected to the human body, increases biophoton production and activity. This could mean that natural sunlight acts as a natural battery charger of sorts that jumpstarts the communication of all 40 trillion of the cells that make up your physical body. We already know that natural sunlight exposure is critical to the production of D3, an immune boosting, disease fighting hormone that the human body produces endogenously. It could very well be possible that biophotons not only play a role in this, but also a role in many more processes that can positively impact and benefit our long term health and wellness. As mentioned above, there’s a strong chance we’re at the very beginning stages of really starting to unpack why natural sunlight is so beneficial to our health.
“It is difficulties that show us who we are.”
-Epictetus
An opportunity to rise to the occasion and test our steely mettle. To show ourselves that our spirit is indefatigable. The tough times and hard things in life can hurt… …but they also instruct. When times get tough, when life throws a big wrench at you (maybe it is right now), embrace the pain, embrace the difficulties, and use them as an opportunity for growth, to become wiser, to be more resilient moving forward. There should be no winning and losing in life, rather, winning and the lessons learned along the way.
The tough times in life provide us with an opportunity.
