The Medicinal Role of Different Foods as Held by Different Communities from Different Regions in the World - Literature review Example

Literature review essay Affiliation Literature review essay Food plays an integral role in the part of any human being in the sensethat people cannot live without food. However, the choice of food matters for every individual because it determines whether a person is healthy or killing themselves with foods that are toxic to their bodies. Therefore, the food that people eat gives them information and materials to help the body in functioning appropriately. The amount of food that a person consumes also matter because when the body get too much food it becomes undernourished, overweight and develops the risk of conditions and diseased that are risk to the body such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. Therefore, what people eat is central to their health; food on the other hand, can play medicinal role where it maintenance the health of the body by alleviating or curing diseases. In this essay, I will examine the medicinal role of different foods as held by different communities from different regions in the world. The medicinal role of food is an important subject to explore because people only think that they eat food in order to grow and maintain the body. However, there are other underlying benefits of foods, especially medicinal benefits, which most people do not forget to explore. Therefore, it is vital for the readers to understand how different foods they consume or ignore play an important role in their bodies. The research question in the essay is what are the medicinal role of various foods that are consumed by citizens every day? Many people have a clear understanding of the importance of eating healthy, in the United States cases of obesity and chronic diseases have been on the rise due to foods that are served in restaurants and in school where most school going children are obese. The five sources in the essay were selected after an intensive research where I concluded on them because they have the content of information that is needed to explain the literature review in the essay. The sources have the basis of my discussion hence appropriate for the essay. Literature review Ensiyeh Seyedrezazadeh, Masoud Pour Moghaddam & Fariba Kolahdooz et al (2011) “Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of wheezing and asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” In this article, the author discusses the relationship between asthma and wheezing and the intake of fruits and vegetables. The number of people suffering from asthma in the community is high and it has been held that diet may be a modifiable factor that predisposes people or individual to asthma. For example, the intake of salt and a change in the fatty acids compound in the diet, as well as, low intake in fruits and vegetables has been associated with the development of obstructive lungs diseases in many individuals. Therefore, it has been established that there is a need for people to take foods that are high in fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of getting asthma or other allergy related diseases. Additionally, high intake of flavanone and flavone have been associated with low incidences of asthma. However, flavonoids have been considered not to have any nutritive compounds it has been established that they contain antioxidants, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective properties, which play a major role in the prevention of chronic diseases. Li-Jing Ke, Jian-Wu Zhou et al. (2012)“ Revealing the Secret of Soups Healing Power: Nanostructures and Their Functions” in this article the authors explored the medicinal benefits of soup apart from just filling the stomach. They established that the occurrence of Maillard reaction or non-enzymatic glycation, as well as, the formation of nanostructures distinguishes soup from their raw materials; thus providing an explanation of bio-functions of soup. Soup has been held to have medicinal function where, for example, chicken soup has been pinned Jewish Penicillin because of its healing power against weakness and illness such as asthma, fever and inflammation. Additionally, in western Africa, the pepper soup or what is commonly referred to as the ‘enemudo oji ‘has been used to ease some respiratory conditions. The fish or the crucian carp soup is given to lactating mother after delivery to boost their lactation in china. Therefore, there are many medicinal benefits of soup. Therefore, soup has different roles in the human body as long as it is prepared in the right way. Abdulameer A. Allaith, Safa H Ahmed & Fatima Jafer. (2012) “Effect of different thermal treatments and freezing on the antioxidant constituents and activity of two Bahraini date cultivars (Phoenix dactylifera L.)” In this article, the authors examined the effects of various thermal conducts and freezing on the antioxiadant propertuies of fresh dates. The poroperties of dates were held to have a good source of antioxidant activity, which was attributed by the contents of phenolic constitutes that are found in dates. Dates were held to have a ferric reducing capability of plasma when used as an antioxidant and antiradical. Additionally, it was held that certain thermal methods that are traditionally used to preserve date fruit might either cause a stabilization effect or improve the antioxidant activity. In that, mild heat treatment and freezing dates resulted to a high upsurge in the level of the entire phenolic in the two cultivars that were conducted in the research. Medhi Nematbakhsh, Behzad Zolfagahri & Tahereh Safari et al. (2012) “The effects of unripe grape extract on systemic blood pressure, nitric oxide production, and response to angiotensin II administration.” In this article, the authors examine the healing effect of unripe grape juice on patients suffering from hypertension. Although it has never been documented, it has been held that unripe grape extract is used as antihypertention cure. The authors conducted a study to establish whether the claims on the unripe juice were accurate. A study was premeditated to determine whether there was a consequence of unripe grape extract on blood pressure, as well as, the respond to angiotensin II in pests. The results of the study indicated that mean arterial, diastolic and systolic pressure in groups treated with UGE were less than those of control group were. Therefore, due to the increased rate of the people who suffer from obesity due to bad eating habiting which in turn leads to hypertension the use of unripe grape juice may be a remedy to help people who have hypertension. Arumugam Abirami, Gunasekaran Nagarani & Perumal Sidfdhuraji (2014)“The Medicinal And Nutritional Role of Underutilized Citrus Fruit- Citrus hystrix (Kaffir Lime): A Review” In the article the author discusses the underutilized role of citrus fruit where in some traditional communities such as the Indians the fruit is used to treat inflammatory ailments. Through chemical studies, it has been established that the fruit contains phyoconstsituents such as tannis, glycerolgycolipids, furanocoumarins, tocopherols and flavonoids that provide the remedy for the inflammation ailments in the body. The citrus food has been used by various communities for different functions where, for example, in Malaysia to fruit was used by the communities to wash their hairs and other parts of the body; hence, controlling the body odor. Skin extracts from the fruits were also used as an insecticide for treating the feet in order to kill land leeches and washing the head. Additionally, the regular use of the leaves on the teeth was held to aid in dental health. Therefore, there are many benefits of citrus fruits that are ignored by many people since the fruits is not sweet. The articles in the essay related to each other in one way or the other because all of them promote the medicinal side of the foods that people take in every day. Therefore, this essay compares to others in the sense that, it provides the nutritional information about food that is used in the body, as well as, how that food is synthesized in the body to produce medicinal benefits for people suffering from chronic diseases. The unique thing about this essay is that it provides different perceptive of different cultural groups in the world and how they use different foods for medicinal use. In the United States, most people do not consume the foods that have been held to be medicinal, and that is the reason there is a high prevalence of chronic diseases and obesity. Therefore, this essay gives an insight on how people who have chronic diseases can take advantage of the readily available food to benefit themselves and prevent, as well as, cure their illnesses. This is different from other essays in the sense that all the data or sources provided are recent meaning that the information given is accurate. Additionally, the essay looks at food not only in the perspective of filling the stomach but also its medicinal role. This essay shares some similarities with other essays where they all discuss about food and how it affects the body differently. In addition, the essay is similar to other essays because it indicates the effects of food in cases where the person ingesting the food does not take care of his diet it leads to obesity and other chronic diseases associated with bad eating habits. The essay provide a broad picture of how the subject of food is wide and no matter how many times it is discussed, new topics will come up. Conclusion The issue of food and eating habits is a broad subject that will continue to be discussed repeatedly. This is because the world is changing and the preference and choices that people are making in relation to food are difficult as many foods are being associated with cancer. Therefore, it is a high tome that people realize the importance of taking healthy foods for the benefit of their bodies. The sources above indicate that it is important to choice foods that have a significance in the body, as well as, a healing power to prevent chronic diseases. It is clear that the food trend are long as they have sparked another question which is how can people be taught how to use foods that are beneficial to their health without looking at the sweetness but the benefits. Therefore, the sources have helped me in creating a new position to argue in writing project 3. References Abirami, A., Nagarani, G., & Siddhuraju, P. (2014). The Medicinal And Nutritional Role of Underutilized Citrus Fruit- Citrus hystrix (Kaffir Lime): A Review. Drug Invention Today, 6(1), p. 1-5. Retrieved from www.dotonline.info Allaith, A. A., Ahmed, S. H., & Jafer, F. (2012). Effect of different thermal treatments and freezing on the antioxidant constituents and activity of two Bahraini date cultivars (Phoenix dactylifera L.). International Journal of Food Science and Technology 2012, 47,, 47, p. 783–792. KE, L., Zhou, J. W., Gao, G., Shao, B., Wang, H., & RAo, P. (2012). Revealing the Secret of Soups Healing Power: Nanostructures and Their Functions. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 20(1), Pages 275-279. Nematbakhsh, M., Zolfaghari, B., Eshraghi, F., Safari, T., Pezeshki1, Z., & Sorooshzadeh, S. M. (2013). The effects of unripe grape extract on systemic blood pressure, nitric oxide production, and response to angiotensin II administration. Pharmacognosy Research Vol 5, 5(2), P.60-64. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.110511 Seyedrezazadeh, E., Moghaddam, M. P., Ansarin, K., Vafa, M. R., Sharma, S., & Kolahdooz, F. (2011). Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of wheezing and asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutritional reviews, 72(7), P. 411–428. doi:10.1111/nure.12121 Read More