I try to be a good friend, but most of the time I feel like I fall short of the kind of friend I would like to be. You know, the one who always has a warm bundt cake or soothing casserole ready for a friend in need, or a fresh pot of chicken soup for someone who is sick. Or someone who just remembers to call. I fall pretty short of all of those bars. So, on those occasions when I can reconnect with a friend over lunch, I savor every moment of time spent talking about children, relationships and kindhearted gossip. And I should savor every moment, because friends are good for us. Friends boost our immune systems, they increase our endorphin levels and relieve stress. They are the remedy for many of life’s ills.
So it was fitting that lunch with a friend was at the locavore-friendly Remedy Diner in downtown Raleigh. The Remedy has a good selection of vegetarian and vegan entrees as well as traditional sandwiches and salads that feature dairy and/or meat. They strive to use local foods “whenever possible” and make all foods from scratch. I had the turkey reuben, which was actually not a heavy sandwich and featured plenty of good-for-you sauerkraut. I had a side of red cabbage slaw, which was also very light and healthy.
Food as Remedy?
During our lunch, we talked about how the folks we know having severe health problems are no longer parents of our friends, but they are now our own friends. How we reached this age, I have no idea. Weren’t we 20 just yesterday?
We shared stories of two very wonderful people in our lives who have struggled mightily with cancer. We were also astonished that both of these women, after completely changing their diets to organic whole foods, no GMOs, no processed foods, little meat or gluten, have been able to dramatically alter the progression of their diseases without palliative chemotherapy. Now, I am not a doctor and am not advocating that cancer patients disregard their oncologist’s advice. Both of these women were terminally ill (and still are, for that matter) and given very little time to live. But still, the impact that dietary change has had on their overall health and their bodies’ ability to deal with the disease is truly amazing. I wish I could say that their cancers disappeared completely, but that isn’t true. They have gained stamina, energy, and boosted immune systems, making the time they have left more enjoyable and, hopefully, longer. I can’t help but think–if this way of eating can improve the lives of people who are so ill, what can it do for the rest of us who are not ill? And good lord, what does it say about what processed foods are doing to our bodies???
Food as remedy. The stories of these two wonderful women are sustaining me through this journey. And I hope they will sustain you as well.
yearofhealthierliving 