‘Food as Medicine’ is Your Best Investment
by Christina Meyer-Jax MS, RDN, LDN, CLT, RYT, Tastemaker in Residence
Let’s face it, like all animals we humans spend a lot of time, resources, and energy in food obtainment. What is increasingly different is humans are getting further away from eating foods that promote optimal personal and planetary health.
Many of us have heard the Hippocrates quote, “Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be they food.” But unlike the ancient Greeks, we now have thousands of choices in our grocery aisles that don’t resemble the bounty of the fresh Mediterranean diet the philosopher spoke of.
So what are we choosing? According to a recent study published in the Journal of American Medicine, 67% of calories consumed by children and teens in 2018 came from ultra-processed foods and noted the overall poorer nutrient profile and inflammatory properties of those ultra-processed foods. In total 4 out 5 Americans aren’t meeting daily recommendations for fruits and vegetables, which are research supported disease fighting powerhouses. So, let’s just say we are getting farther away from where we want to be.
As a registered dietitian and nutrition coach, I’ve seen first-hand how diets that are nutrient poor, but high in calories can lead to lifelong disease and health complications. With the recent pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control reported that 80% of the severe health outcomes (hospitalizations and deaths) from the virus were with individuals who had 1 or more co-morbidities (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc). These conditions are mostly driven by dietary and lifestyle choices.
Is there good news?! Absolutely! If you want to lower your risk of chronic disease, make an impact on climate change, support the economic vitality of farm communities, and significantly reduce your risk of pandemic complications you can with choosing healthy food grown in healthy ways!
Food is medicine, with the power to heal and harm. As Dr. Mark Hyman says, “The best strategy for a long healthy life is to eat your medicine, get your drugs at the farmacy, not the pharmacy!”
At the Northwestern Health Sciences University functional nutrition program that I direct and teach at, we understand that food provides information, and instructions that regulate every function of our bodies. Not only in the distant future, but in the immediate. Our students explore the ancient and emerging science that supports better health outcomes for their patients from a holistic approach. For all of us however, there is no better time to start eating real food: whole fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans/lentils, fatty fish, and local smaller farm raised dairy, chicken, pork, and grass-fed beef. Let’s start using food as medicine instead of making us take medicine today!
Want to get started now? Check out one of my favorite “medicinal” meals: Feel Good Chicken Veggie Noodle Soup
