The other day I learned that Jerusalem Artichokes were growing in my back yard. They are considered a weed by many farmers and yet they are cultivated and harvested and used by many other people. I had also heard by some old timers that Jerusalem Artichokes are good for your heart. Some people with heart problems swear by them.

I did a little research and discovered that Jerusalem Artichokes are not from Jerusalem and they are not artichokes. Apparently the name is a twist on an old Italian name for them, Gerisole. They are actually native to America and have been used by the American Indian tribes for hundreds of years. An early explorer who experienced them while in the Americas wrote that he considered them to have a taste somewhat like artichokes.

Lewis and Clark, the famous explorers, are supposed to have lived off of them for a while when food was scarce on their journey across America. They are somewhat like a potato and it is said that some Europeans survived off them during the potato famine.

Jerusalem Artichokes are good sources of potassium and iron. They also contain a type of startch that the human body doesn't use too much, so they are considered good for diabetics because they are filling but don't raise blood sugar levels. They also help to stimulate and repopulate intestinal flora in the gut.

That means that they can help with digestion.

Many of our modern day digestion problems stem from the fact that we take things into our bodies that kill off our good intestinal flora (bacteria). That is why it is good to eat things like yogurt with active bacteria to replenish the bacteria in our guts that we tend to kill off with chlorine and antibiotics and such.

So I thought it was interesting to note that they are good for digestion.

Then while thumbing through the Readers Digest (February 2008) I read an amazing story about how people with severe heart problems were being helped with an injection of Fibroblast Growth Factor.

The FGF actually helped their bodies to grow more arteries to improve their heart function.

I had to find out what this FGF was.

After a little research I discovered that it is made of special proteins that contain well over one hundred amino acids. This of course reminded me how important it is that we eat a variety of foods and that those foods should be unprocessed so that we get all the goodness from them that we can. If we don't get all the amino acids that we need from our food, then our bodies can't very well make the specialized proteins that our bodies need to keep us healthy.

So then I wondered where they get these growth factors from to inject into peoples hearts to help them.

A little more research and "Ah ha!" They get them from E. coli (the bacteria in the gut)!

No wonder Jerusalem Artichokes have been found to be helpful to heart patients!

Jerusalem Artichokes help make healthy gut flora, which can then help make wonderful proteins that help our bodies to function well.

Have a great day!

Just eat a high quality natural foods diet, exercise, drink plenty of good clean water, make sure you get fiber (whole raw foods), get plenty of sleep, breathe deeply and have a gratitude attitude.

Your body will take care of you, if you take care of it.

Coach G.

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Success in health comes from lifestyle described here.

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Tags: antibiotics, bacteria, blood sugar, chlorine, digestion, E. coli, FGF, Fibroblast Growth Factor, flora, heart, Jerusalem Artichokes, proteins

Catagories: In the News