Pears

Pears add moisture to our lungs, reduce phlegm and can clear heat in our bodies – all of this can help with our lung issues.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

My Acupuncturists suggested I eat pears, warm pears if I could, and I’m sure he suggested Nashi Pears but I couldn’t find them so I went with my standard Packham Pears.

He said they’d add moisture to my lungs, reduce phlegm and can clear heat in my body, which could help with my lung issues.

I was up for anything, so I went to my local supermarket, brought some pears and poached them that afternoon.

Now, I’m not good with poached fruit – warm, hot or cold. I hate apple pie and I don’t eat stewed fruit – my nose is going up as I type this LOL, but in the interested of doing things that can support my health and wellness, and heal my lungs, I ate it, and it was ok.

My pear habit has been in place for about 9 months now and it isn’t perfect, more hit and miss and that’s ok. I now have fresh pears, from my fridge, and I cut half a pear up most afternoons and eat it.

Have the pears helped heal my lungs?

I can’t answer that question – yet, but I can tell you the benefits of pears and maybe they’re something you can bring into your life and see how they can help you and your lungs.

Benefits of Pears

Pears can actually help our bodies reduce phlegm, and when you have non-tuberculosis mycobacterium, a lovely mucus that I cough up from my lungs, due to a bacteria that lives in there, it’s worth a try.

Pears, according to the Natural Library of Medicine:

• Have active compounds such as:
  • Flavonoids – healthline.com says flavonoids are compounds found in many plant products. They’re rich in antioxidants, helping our bodies detox.
  • Triterpenoids – Phytochemicals, also called Phytonutrients, are plant based compounds that can help prevent chronic disease.
  • Phenolic Acids 
    • National Library of Medicine says the main polyphenols made by plants are Phenolic Acids. Flavonoids (see the first point) are a diverse class of polyphenolic compounds. According to NCBI: We absorb Phenolic Acid through our intestinal tract wall, and they’re beneficial to our health because of their possible antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
    • The Phenolic Acids in pears are:
      • Arbutin – naturally lightens and brightens our skin (yes you’ll find this in skin care products)
      • Chlorogenic acid – can reduce blood sugar levels and support heart health
      • Malaxinic acid – found predominantly in pears and can help reduce body weight
• And there’s a lot of benefit in the peel.

Studies have shown that pears are:

• Anti-diabetic: Can help to decrease blood sugar levels
• Anti-obese: Can help to reduce body weight
• Anti-hyperlipidemic: Can help to reduce cholesterol levels
• Anti-inflammatory: Can help to reduce inflammation in the body. Dis-ease in the body generally starts with inflammation.
• Anti-mutagenic: Can help to reduce the frequency of DNA mutation
• Anti-carcinogenic: Can help to delay or reduce the risk of cancer
• Detoxification of xenobiotics: Xenobiotics are foreign chemicals to the human body, so pears can help to detox them from the body (if they exist). Typically, xenobiotics come from drugs, pesticides, cosmetics, flavourings, fragrances, food additives, industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants according to the National Library of Medicine
• Respiratory – supports our breathing systems i.e. lungs and airways
• Cardio-protective – supports our heart health

Ayurveda

Excess mucus in the body is a Kapha imbalance. What we want to be doing is bringing in, where appropriate, more Vata and Pitta components (that can be food, movement etc.) and reducing Kapha components to help our bodies find balance.

Pears are low-acid fruits, with a pH of 3.5 to 4.6, they can form acid in the body. A body with high acid, has been shown to create dis-ease. Now, we don’t want to not eat pears, rather, eat them for the benefits they do bring and eat other alkaline foods to help balance them.

Source: Clemson.edu

Chakras

Pears are generally also green, therefore, it connects us to our Heart Chakra – opening us up to love. Yellow pears connect us to our Solar Plexus – our sense of self and red pears will connect us to our Base Chakra – our sense of security. Also, to me, their white flesh connects us to our Crown Chakra – opening us up to universal consciousness. This means, they’re helping us heal on multiple levels.

In summary

A Scottish survey identified increasing fresh fruit into our diets helps our lungs. Pears also naturally help reduce phlegm. Depending on what’s happening for you, adding pears and other fresh fruit into our diets can help us because of their many benefits including their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Remember, our bodies are seeking balance, so when we bring in pears it’s not all or nothing, rather, it’s a gradual process of adding a pear or half a pear into your day, or every second day. Do what works for you. 

Enjoy your pears in the way that feels good to you. Create balance in your life and notice what happens when you eat pears verses when you don’t.

 

To learn more about my Lung journey, you can read Project 24.

 

Disclaimer: Please remember to consult with your medical professionals before making changes in your life that can impact your health and wellness.