The old clich? that you are what you eat is quite true. Many people suffer from certain health conditions that even though may not be cured, can be controlled through your diet. All foods have certain qualities that affect the body in different ways. Nutrients are broken down and used in different ways, allowing your body to use them how it desires.

Herbs have been forever rumored to help your body reach its full potential, but they are not the only answer. Your grocery list has foods on them that can help whatever ails you, but you'll want to alter them just a little. Many of the foods we eat are processed, but they are really over processed. Chemical additives are in the foods, but you might not even know it. The Food and Drug Administration's restrictions on food labeling might be a little more lax than you thought.

Ingredients need to be listed on the nutritional facts label on food packaging, but ingredients that make up the ingredients don't necessarily get listed. This can create problems if you are trying to avoid certain substances for health reasons.

How Gout was Controlled Through Healthy Foods

My story has taken place over the last twenty two months. I was faced with gout as a twenty five year old, much younger than the average male dealing with it. Gout is a form of arthritis that affects the joints like the big toe, ankles, and knees. My gout affected both of my big toes. Gouty arthritis is a very painful condition; a bed sheet is too heavy to be placed on the toe. The toe swells and it is nearly impossible to walk, let alone wear shoes. It comes on without warning, lasting up to two weeks.

In the initial trip to the doctor's office, I was diagnosed with gout. All the usual symptoms. I could either wait it out or take a pill everyday to control it. The culprit is purines in foods, and the kidneys' inability to eliminate uric acid which comes from purines in the digestive process. Purines are found in red meat, bacon, beer, red wine, pastas, and everything else I enjoy on a regular basis. The list is quite long.

I refuse to take a prescription drug for the rest of my life. I don't even like to take aspirin. How can I change my diet without eliminating my favorite foods?

Diet Experimentation

Working in restaurants my entire life has given me the ability to cook and lots of food knowledge. I took this info to the grocery store. I discovered an excellent organic food store one city over. What organics offer is purity. The foods are not shelf stable for long as long as those in the conventional grocery stores, but I don't care. I know what is in the food. A red pepper is made from pepper plants grown in organic soil with no preservative chemicals or wax coatings. My grocery bills are a little more expensive, but the health care costs I avoid offset the difference.

Through my experimentation with food, I realized that I really didn't need to change my diet. My gout is caused from nitrates and other chemicals that are used to preserve red meat, bacon, and other foods. All natural bacon that is not preserved with nitrates does not affect the gout. I used to feel it coming on as I ate the old foods.

Reveal Your Food Aids

The body really does have the ability to heal itself; you just have to let it. Capsaicin, which is found in peppers from the bell variety to jalape?o to chilies, is noted to help soothe inflammation from arthritis. They will work from the inside or the outside in paste form. There are foods that will work to help whatever ails you.

Any lesson to be learned is experimentation. Many of us are too quick to accept the prescription drug in our lives, but there are too many side effects. They are hard on the body and the digestive system, which can create more problems. A simple diet is better.

When you are at the store, just think about what they ate one hundred years ago. Did they eat at fast food restaurants and make dinner out of boxes? Processed foods can last literally years and years before getting old. Doesn't that sound unreal? Organic foods without chemicals will not last as long, and you'll have to make more trips to the store or farmer's market. In my case, I think it is worth the extra effort. If I don't need a prescription drug to control the gout, I'll do it.

Robb Ksiazek writes and publishes valuable information at Body-Mass-Index-4U.com. He researches and practices health and wellness, and believes the mind, body, and soul work in unison toward a fulfilled life.