By Chantelle Pape, Nutrition Expert
What if I told you that all this time, you’ve been looking at food all wrong? Within the practices of functional medicine, there’s a very strong belief that the power that made the body, has the power to heal the body. Originally spoken by the founder of Chiropractic, Daniel David Palmer, this quote was meant to declare that the body was designed to heal itself. But how?
When you cut yourself, you can see this universal principle in motion. As the body begins the stages of healing, the inflammatory process begins by sending white blood cells to the injury site. Almost magically, the skin then begins to restore and repair until there is hardly a memory of the injury except, perhaps, a scar. We’ve all witnessed the body’s ability to heal from the outside-in. But have you ever considered how this works for the parts of your body that you can’t see?
What about a heart that is under stress from high blood pressure and clogged arteries? A fatty liver? A defunct digestive tract? A poor immune system?
Just as the body heals and recovers from a cut on the skin, it has the ability to restore itself internally given the proper components. Namely, the foods that we choose to put into our system. That’s right, your state of health (or lack thereof) is dependent on what you eat.
You Truly Are What You Eat
You’ve heard the old adage “You are what you eat.” But did you know that there’s a scientific backing to that statement? Every few months the body goes to work replacing old tissue with new. The body is not a stagnant organism, it’s constantly regenerating, and it does so with the nutrients that we place within it.
Each time we eat, the body breaks-down that food to retrieve the nutrients housed within it. Then, the digestive system works like a super-highway, transporting and giving those nutrients a purpose: to help our bodies heal, regenerate and function. If you look at the digestive process in this way you can begin to understand the importance of functional foods.
Functional foods are foods that do the work of improving the body’s ability to function (hence the name). Foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and are good sources of whole grains, fiber and protein all assist in this regenerative process. However, when we eat food that doesn’t meet this criteria (like processed foods laden with chemicals, dyes and fillers) it also serves a purpose in the body— creating inflammation, waste and a dysfunctional system. Actually, when the body encounters a food that is highly processed, the brain flags it as waste, and alerts the liver and kidneys to clean and dispose of this garbage, which can really end up taxing your renal system and create a fatty liver over time (among other things).
Functional Food Made Accessible
This is why products like ReGrained’s Nutrition Bars are so important. They fit that category of “functional foods” that serve a purpose in healing the body by giving your system what it needs to rebuild every few months like it’s designed to do. And– they’ve got some additional health-promoting components too.
ReGrained Nutrition Bars are made primarily from Brewer’s “spent” grain. Which is the technical moniker for grain leftover from brewing beer. But this grain is actually far from “spent.” During the brewing process it’s given its sugars to the beer, leaving behind a supergrain that is low in sugar, high in prebiotic fiber and packed with protein.
This grain alone has the power to go about giving the body the ability to function at a higher level— remember the power that made the body has the power to heal the body? Our bodies are made and remade over and over again with our food! Are you beginning to piece together how important nutrition really is?
Functional Flavor Collaborations
Back to our bars here, ReGrained SuperGrain+ is then combined with other functional foods to form 3 life-altering combinations that will not only curb your hunger but functionally fuel your body to improve your health.
Immunity + Anti-Inflammatory
First up is the Honey Cinnamon SuperGrain+ Immunity Bar which combines the immunity-building strength of Manuka honey with turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties and cinnamon’s blood sugar balancing skills.
What you may not know is that Manuka differs from your average bear-bottle-container honey because it is specifically harvested from bees who have pollinated the Manuka bush (pictured here). This power-plant has antimicrobial properties that translate to this magical sweet elixir which in turn supports the immune system, functioning as both a natural antibiotic and anti-inflammatory.
Turmeric is also an anti-inflammatory that has pain-relieving benefits so powerful that they can rival prescription medication when consumed in high concentration.
Cinnamon, also known for its’ anti-inflammatory properties, also has some serious impact on blood sugar regulation. According to a study, patients with diabetes were able to reduce their blood sugar by 24% after 40 days of consistent cinnamon consumption.
Brain + Body Boost
Next up, we have the Chocolate Coffee SuperGrain+ Energy Bar. This marvelous mixture of coffee fruit and ginseng serve as an afternoon pick-me up with a hearty helping of focus to help you finish your workday (or anyday) on a high note.
Coffee fruit, pictured here, is the antioxidant-flesh that houses the coffee bean. Coffee fruit not only supports energy, but improves cognitive function and mood. The combination of coffee fruit and ginseng offers the body and brain a supercharge which brings overall functionality to the next level.
Digest + Cleanse
Last but not least, we have the amazing Blueberry Sunflower SuperGrain+ Antioxidant Bar which brings together the digestive system supporting and cleansing duo of Ginger and Cranberry.
Berries are wonderfully rich in antioxidants by nature and support the immune system by ridding the body of free-radicals, but cranberries have an ability to cleanse the renal system, which is a level-up for functional foods everywhere. The renal system (kidneys, bladder, ureters, urethra) sole purpose is to cleanse the body and by doing so it regulates electrolytes and blood pressure. In short, cranberries cleanse the cleaning system of our body — pretty powerful stuff if you ask us.
When you combine the cleansing properties of cranberry with the digestive support of ginger, you are checking off every box for circulatory function of the digestive and renal systems. Ginger is also a great anti-inflammatory that also packs pain-relieving powers as well!
And let us not forget that all of the Regrained SuperGrain+ Nutrition Bars have prebiotic fiber, another supporter of the digestive and immune system. Not to mention plant-based protein, which is crucial for the body’s ability to regenerate and rebuild tissue, among the other functions of protein within the body.
These delicious collaborations of nutrient-dense foods just further lend to the body’s natural design for self-healing. If you haven’t realized it by now, the condition of your body is in your hands. And it could be that much better off if your hand was holding a ReGrained Nutrition Bar.
Chantelle Pape is a content writer and Nutrition Science grad who specializes in all things pertaining to the food and beverage industry. Her passion is to help companies craft a laser-focused message to educate their desired audience on the benefits of their products. She personally considers it a plus when her work contributes to the improvement of public health. To connect, please send an email to: chantellempape@gmail.com
