What you eat and drink significantly influences your physical and mental health. A daily balanced diet with the proverbial “go, grow, and glow” food equips your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly; even thrive. On the other hand, if your daily diet contains hefty amounts of fast food takeout, sugar, and fats, you are not giving your body enough to go on.
Food as medicine is not a new concept. Ancient civilizations also subscribed to this philosophy. Traditional Chinese Medicine, which has been in practice for centuries, prescribes certain herbs to cure specific ailments. Hippocrates, the “father of medicine,” succinctly explained this mutually beneficial relationship: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”
Demonstrating the philosophy’s applicability, the U.S. White House Conference on Nutrition and Health, in September 2022, put together a roadmap to end hunger and the prevalence of chronic disease in the U.S. by 2030. Central to this initiative is the Food is Medicine program. It posits that with consistent access to diet- and nutrition-related resources, including nutritious food, there will be a reduction of chronic diseases and disorders.
While healthcare professionals still maintain the importance of Western medicine to treat chronic diseases, many also uphold the value of complementing conventional health treatment plans with nutrition.
How Food Becomes a Form of Medicine
In many ways, experts have found that the right kinds of food are generally effective at helping keep people healthy in mind and body. Studies have also found that adjustments to diet can effectively help with disease or symptom management.
Below are a few ways food can support medicine.
- It Boosts the Immune System
The body’s first line of defense, the immune system protects against germs and other external and internal threats. It prevents infections and detects and kills abnormal cells, such as cancer cells.
What Can You Eat To Strengthen Your Immune System?
- Citrus fruits. Vitamin C, abundant in citrus fruits, increases the production of white blood cells, which fight against infections. It is also an antioxidant that helps minimize cell damage.
- Garlic. Allicin is a sulfur compound that has antiviral and antibacterial properties. It shortens the duration of colds, improves blood circulation, and fights infections.
- Yogurt. It is full of probiotics (good bacteria), which improve gut health. A well-balanced gut microbiome is necessary for a strong immune system.
- Nutritious Food Reduces Risk of Chronic Diseases
Case in point: A paper published in the National Library of Medicine has proven that by improving their dietary intake of essential nutrients, patients can help ease their diabetic foot ulcers.
Food that Helps Minimize Chronic Diseases
- Whole grains. Brown rice, oatmeal, and corn are just some examples. Whole grains are particularly essential to guard against cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal cancers.
- Lean protein. It builds and repairs tissues. Find this in nuts, seeds, fatty fish (such as salmon and sardines), lean poultry, and beans.
- Healthy fats. Blue Zones are regions where some of the world’s oldest people live. Some pantry staples in the geriatric residents’ homes are extra virgin olive oil, avocadoes, and oily fish.
- A Healthy Diet Boosts a Healthy Mind
Robust mental health is the product of many factors, which include a balanced diet. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants brought by high-quality food protect the brain from free radicals, which damage cells.
Food that Supports Brain Function
- Deeply colored berries, such as blueberries. These bring with them anthocyanins — plant compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that fight inflammation, which contribute to neurodegenerative diseases
- Nuts. A study has found that nuts — rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamin E — could help lower the risk of cognitive decline in seniors.
- Oily, fatty fish, especially salmon, mackerel, sardines, and wild-caught tuna. These are rich in omega-3 fats, which help produce serotonin. Neurotransmitter serotonin is vital in mood regulation.
- Eating Mindfully Helps Keep Skin, Teeth, and Eyes Healthy
To maintain good eyesight, blemish-free skin, and strong teeth, you need nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin, C, vitamin E, as well as fatty acids. These keep tissues in your skin, teeth, and eyes healthy.
Food that Keep the Integrity of Eyes, Teeth, and Skin
- Leafy greens for eye health. These, as well as eggs and corn, contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect against cataract growth.
- Calcium-rich food, such as milk, dairy, and yogurt for dental health. These are rich sources of calcium, which is necessary to build tooth enamel (the hardest substance in the body and a strong barrier against cavities).
- For healthy skin, try antioxidant-rich food, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, beans, eggs, and lean meats. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin elastic. Hydration also helps keep the integrity of the skin’s natural barrier.
Mind Your Mealtimes
We have, so far, focused on what to eat to stay healthy. But it is also important to consider when to eat. According to FLAG (Fast Like A Girl) lifestyle coach Marilen Gonzalez-Elizalde, intermittent fasting — eating only during a specific time every day — boosts the systems that enable the body to process toxins and repair itself.
During a session of Mindfulness Conversations held at Anya Resort’s Niyama Wellness Center, Gonzalez-Elizalde explained that metabolic switching is key to maintaining overall health and wellness.
According to her, the body uses metabolic switching to maintain optimal health. This involves sugar-burning and fat-burning systems.
When you wake up in the morning and have breakfast, you use what you’re eating and burn that to survive the day — this is the sugar-burning system at work. The fat-burning system is activated 12 to 13 hours after your last meal of the day, while you sleep.
“If you eat dinner at 7 p.m. then wake up at 6 a.m. and have breakfast shortly after, you’re still in sugar-burning,” says Gonzalez-Elizalde. If this is your routine, “you’re never shifting to burning fat, and never activating metabolic switching.”
“Daily metabolic switching repairs your body,” Gonzalez-Elizalde adds. “Your liver releases stored sugar, allowing it to heal and repair itself. Your gut repairs itself. Neurons in your brain order the clean-up of the toxins and excess sugar.”
Intermittent fasting allows this daily healing to take place.
As an example, Gonzalez-Elizalde cites our primal cousins. “They didn’t eat every day,” she says. “They were hunter-gatherers. Men would leave to hunt for food. And the ones left behind would have to wait until the men came back with the hunted prey so they could eat. Now, we have food at our disposal. There’s no time for our body to rest and heal.”
If you are thinking of starting your intermittent fasting journey, the best way to begin is to consult your healthcare provider first. They can tell you how best to proceed given your body’s unique needs.
All in all, it boils down to mindful eating habits. Watch what you eat and when you eat because your body works (or doesn’t) depending on what you feed it.
DISCLAIMER
This article provides general information and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider for personalized recommendations. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
