“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ~ Hippocrates
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates is traditionally considered to be the father of modern medicine and is one of the most influential people in the history of medicine and healing. Hippocrates was wise, indeed. Around 400 B.C., he advised people to eat a nutrient-dense diet to prevent and treat disease.
Many ancient cultures shared this belief. For thousands of years, traditional systems, such as Ayurvedic medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, taught the concept of food as medicine – that food plays a vital role in protecting and promoting health. Though the deep wisdom of this practice has been passed on from generation to generation by indigenous cultures, much of this nutritional knowledge and practice have been lost to antiquity in the Western world.
Modern cultures have forgotten how to feed the body and are just beginning to rediscover the healing power of food. The focus on profit and a hurried, stressful lifestyle have taken the focus away from mindful, nutritional sustenance and placed it squarely on consumerism and quick and easy solutions to hunger. This hunger is often an emotional fix to immediately satisfy a craving, rather than a physical hunger meant to provide fuel for the body.
A New Approach to Old Medicine
There’s a new science-based and holistic approach to nutrition – food as medicine – that is slowly turning around the habit of eating empty calories. It focuses on providing nutrition for optimal brain health and to address personal health issues, such as chronic disease. Taking it a step further, the practice of food as medicine can prevent the harmful effects of a poor diet and is thought to enhance longevity.
What you choose to eat has powerful effects on your overall health. Viewing your food as medicine helps you make better decisions about your food. You become more focused on what you eat and how it affects your overall health and wellbeing.
What is the role of food besides satisfying our taste buds?
Our diet has a major influence on our health. Nutrient-rich food maintains our health. It can prevent disease by boosting our immune defenses. Nutrients from food allow the body to function properly, and they send information to our cells for optimal performance. When we’re sick, paying attention to what we eat gives us the nutrients we need to heal.
The foods we ingest are critical to regulating cardiovascular health, balancing blood sugar, blood glucose levels, and hormones, controlling inflammation, optimizing digestion and absorption of nutrients, and elimination of waste and toxins, among other functions.
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” ~ Ayurvedic proverb
Certain foods may trigger disease and chronic health conditions, like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. And they can lower immune defenses. Processed, high fat, high sugar, refined grains, and high carb foods consumed on a regular basis can compromise your health. They destroy gut bacteria necessary for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients, and they promote insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and other health risks.
Highly processed foods are deficient in the natural vitamins and minerals that the body needs for optimal health. The lack of these nutrients can alter the balance and efficiency of the body’s functions, causing inherent disease or lowering the body’s defenses to allow pathogens to attack. A diet deficient in vitamin C, vitamin D, and folate may have detrimental effects on your heart and cause certain cancers and immune dysfunction.
Preventive Medicine
Committing to a healthy, plant-based diet, with low meat consumption, organically grown produce, and whole grains may actually reverse some chronic conditions and heal disease. Changing your lifestyle and diet may reverse some chronic conditions, such as coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes.
Whole, nutrient-packed foods really are medicine. They’re jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, protein, and beneficial fats, which nourish and protect your body. These ingredients are critical to optimal body function. They can even have a positive impact on your emotional health.
Studies show that diets rich in polyphenols result in lower rates of depression, heart, disease, and dementia. Beneficial plant compounds, such as antioxidants and phytonutrients found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, protect cells from damage and prevent certain diseases. A healthy diet can increase life-expectancy, prevent disease, and improve the overall quality of your life.
A nutrient-dense diet of whole, organically grown foods work synergistically with your body and have a more potent effect than synthetic supplements. Key nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fatty acids, and fiber promote health and protect your body from disease.
High fiber foods, such as beans, whole grains, and fruits, promote better digestion and more efficient and complete elimination of waste. They protect against disease, decrease inflammation, and boost immune function. Alternatively, low-fiber diets increase the risk of stroke and cancer.
A Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fresh produce, healthy fats, and whole grains, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, and obesity. Lower rates of depression have also been reported.
Although much has been made of reducing fat in order to lose weight, it’s important not to eliminate fats from your diet. Good fats (olive oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, etc.) play critical roles in body function. They contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein and assist in immune function, metabolism, cell growth, building muscle, and nutrient absorption. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and soybeans benefit the heart and boost immune health.
Powerful Medicinal Foods
The best medicinal foods fall in these categories:
- Fresh/raw vegetables
- Organ meats and bone broth
- Probiotic foods
- Foods rich in Omega-3
- Healthy fats
- Foods high in antioxidants
- High fiber foods
You’ll never get bored (or hungry) with the variety of delicious foods with medicinal properties from which to choose:
- Berries
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Fatty fish (in moderation because they contain heavy metals)
- Mushrooms, such as Reishi and Chaga
- Spices, such as turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger
- Herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, parsley, and sage
- Green and herbal teas
- Nuts and seeds
- Olive oil
- Raw honey
- Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and kombucha
- Avocados
- Seaweed
Making the Transition
Changing your diet to include medicinal foods may sound like a big challenge, but it’s easier than you may think. Big changes start with a change of attitude. Changing your approach to food will help you be successful in restoring your health and preventing further damage. Rather than thinking about this change as a restriction – which feels like punishment – look at it as a new start, a pathway that will be a satisfying journey of abundance and exploration in finding the foods that work best for you.
A good way to change your diet is just to begin. Start small. Incorporate healthy foods into your meal plan and eliminate the processed and fast food a little at a time. You don’t have to do it cold turkey. Any change for the better will reap big rewards for your health. You will begin to form new habits and new tastes. Little by little, you’ll stop craving the sugary, salty, fatty foods. In fact, they won’t taste good to you anymore! As you start to feel better and have more energy, it will be hard to go back to your old ways of eating.
Make a grocery list, keep it simple, and stick to it. When shopping, focus on the foods that are around the perimeter of the store. This is where the fresh foods are stocked. Choose produce that is in season. Buy from local, organic growers, whenever possible. Best of all, grow your own produce. It’s easier than you think (see My Little Porch Garden and Recipe: Garden Fresh Zucchini on Pasta Farfalle).
Cultivate mindful eating habits (see Mind Your Peas and Carrots) and listen to your body. It will tell you what you need.
To support these changes, reduce stress by practicing mindful activities, such as yoga, meditation, qigong, and conscious breathing. These practices will help you overcome the cravings that result from a stressful, busy lifestyle.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you lapse into binge eating or fast food, forgive yourself and start again. It’s a process, and it takes a while to develop new habits.
Is there a Role for Traditional Medicine?
Food as medicine should not completely replace traditional medicine. Although a poor diet is proven to contribute to illness, there are other factors that weigh into the equation, such as stress, genetics, age, infections, occupational hazards, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol and illicit drug abuse, and pollution.
While changing to a plant-based, whole foods diet may not entirely eliminate the need for traditional medicines, there is much evidence that it can allow some patients to discontinue the use of their prescription medications.
There is speculation that a plant-based, whole foods diet may eradicate the need for taking dietary supplements, however, there is one caveat. You may still need to take some supplements, depending on the nutritive value of the produce that you buy.
Commercially farmed produce is grown with chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides that interfere with the absorption of nutrients into the plants. Whenever possible – and I know it’s more expensive – buy organic produce. Organic means that no chemicals are used in the growing process, and chances are, the soil quality is higher, so the nutritive quality will be, too. Even better, grow your own produce. Then you’ll know what has gone into your food and what is going into you.
Precautions
When making a big life-change, such as your diet, especially if you have chronic health issues, please consult your physician for guidance. If you’re on prescription medication, there may be certain foods you must avoid, as there could be complications from drug interaction, or certain foods may reduce the efficacy of the drug.
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