20 Amazing Healing Foods

20 Amazing Healing Foods

To heal your stressed-out, strained body, step away from the medicine cabinet. The miracle drugs you need are in the kitchen. Certain foods have been shown to have measurable effects on specific body parts and functions — from soothing your gut to lowering your blood pressure, from slimming your waist to helping you stay hard. Here are 20 of the best.

Spinach

Lemon

Ginger

Yogurt

Garlic

Apples

Healing power: May preserve muscle mass

An apple a day can keep younger men at bay: A recent University of Iowa study found that older mice fed diets high in ursolic acid, which is found in apple peels, experienced a 10 percent increase in muscle mass and 30 percent increase in muscle strength, putting them on a par with younger mice. They theorize it helps turn off the protein responsible for age-related loss of muscle mass.

Berries

Healing power: Prevents diabetes

The best thing you can do for your diet: Taste the rainbow — and we're not talking Skittles. A recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study of more than 200,000 people found that a high consumption of berries—which are rich in anthocyanin, an antioxidant that gives them their color—was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. They also help turn off the "fat genes" that lead to obesity. Go for blue and red hues: Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are all especially high in flavonoids.

Bananas

White tea

Coffee

Black beans

Healing power: Slashes cholesterol

Black beans contain soluble fiber, the type of fiber your body can digest; it's a key nutrient in helping to reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. A half cup of black beans will get you halfway to the five grams of fiber you should have each day.

Turmeric

Salmon

Healing power: Heals arteries

When fats are good, they're very good: Researchers say a diet rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids can help reverse arterial stiffness, which inhibits blood from flowing to vital organs. A study in the International Journal of Cardiology found that smokers who supplemented with just 2 grams of omega-3s a day—what you'll find in a 4-ounce portion of salmon—saw a significant improvement in arterial elasticity.

Chocolate milk

Healing power: Aids muscle recovery

Recently, researchers said they may have found the perfect pre- and post-workout drink. It's not sold in a $40 tub that looks like a spaceship; it's what you used to drink after school: Chocolate milk. Why? It contains a near-ideal balance of carbs and whey protein (about eight grams per cup). Scientists say an ideal protein intake for building muscle is 10 to 20 grams, divided pre and post workout, so mix up a few cups and you're there.

Kiwi

Pears

Almonds

Beets

Healing power: Detox the liver

With all the toxins in the modern world — pollution, food additives, the guy in the next cubicle over — the body needs all the help it can get. Beets contain a type of antioxidant called betalains, which studies show can help repair and regenerate cells in the liver, the body's primary detox center.

Grapefruit

Asparagus