Food can heal like medicine or harm us. Learn how food can heal chronic medical conditions to understand the importance of homemade meals. Discover tips to minimize and optimize the time needed for healthy meals.
Food as Medicine
Food can heal or harm. A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that if doctors would prescribe fruits and vegetables to people with diabetes, it would result in millions of saved lives, billions of saved healthcare cost dollars, and 300,000 prevented heart attacks and strokes. Subsequently, in 2022, the American Heart Association and The Rockefeller Foundation launched the Food is Medicine Initiative.
Examples of Food as Medicine
To take this point further, we put together examples of how food can heal, reverse chronic diseases, support a longer and healthier lifespan, and reverse chronological age.
Infertility. Tom and Rachel Sullivan, authors of Meals She Eats, found that food can be medicine on their journey to conceive a baby. Rachel was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The couple researched and developed a list of food choices for every phase of the menstrual cycle, which helped them reverse the medical condition and conceive a baby.
Autoimmune Disease. In her early 20s, Meghan Telpner was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, which is an autoimmune, inflammatory bowel disease which traditional doctors found incurable. Meagan found her way back to health and vitality by transitioning to real food, which she documented in her training courses and books, including Undiet: Eat Your Way to Vibrant Health.
Epilepsy. In the 1920s, Dr. Russell Wilder, a father of keto diets, discovered that the benefits of fasting can be obtained by eating high-fat and low-carb food. The first keto diet designed by Dr. Wilder was highly effective in the treatment of epilepsy. Keto diet and its various variations are widely used today to treat epilepsy.
Alzheimer. Dr. Dale Bredesen, MD, is the author of the bestselling book Dale Bredesen: The End of Alzheimer, the First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline. The program combines supplements and lifestyle changes, including particular dietary recommendations and recommendations regarding the timing of meals. The Bredesen program helped over 6000 families achieve an average of 84% improvement.
Aging.
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, ND, the author of the bestselling book Younger You: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, created a bio-age-reversing diet and lifestyle program. Her program helped to lower the biological age of middle-aged people, measured by DNA analysis, by five years on average.
Chris Mirabile designed a program that is fundamentally similar to the Younger You, which helped him reverse his age by thirteen years and slowed aging by 37%
The Blue Zones is a project supported by National Geographic to research communities where people live exceptionally long and healthy lives. Dan Buettner, a journalist who initiated the project, authored a best-selling book, Blue Zones, The Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest. The book includes a list of “longevity food“ typical within Blue Zone communities.
With some slight variations listed above, “food as a medicine” is based on the following principles: unprocessed, homemade, low-carb, preferably organic, mainly plant-based, with selected sources of clean protein.
Let's Cook!
If real whole food is medicine, why do so many eat unhealthy processed food? One of the main reasons is that processed food is fast. Just open the box and consume. No washing, peeling, cutting, and cooking. Processed food also has an extended shelf life, meaning less frequent grocery store runs. Processed food can be found anywhere: vending machines, gas stations, drug stores, hospitals and events. It is cheap and engineered to stimulate taste buds in a very addictive way. However, the time and money saved on buying and cooking healthy meals eventually lead to substantially larger healthcare expenses.
Here is a list of superfood competitors of processed food, which we recommend always keeping in stock in your kitchen.
Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are superfoods which are so easy to store and carry around. The healthiest and most popular nuts and seeds include walnuts, almonds, pistachios, sunflower, pumpkin, Chia, and flax seeds. Nuts and seeds contain potent antioxidants, good fats, and a high concentration of omega-3. Daily consumption of nuts helps to normalize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, strengthen bones and improve memory. Nuts and seeds can be added to salads, mixed with fruits to make a perfect dessert, added to breakfast oatmeal, or consumed as snacks. Soaked Chia seeds can make a nutritious and delicious breakfast.
Frozen berries and veggies. Frozen berries and veggies are lifesavers when the fridge is empty, and there is no time to cook a healthy meal. Instead of ordering pizza, use frozen veggies and eggs for a quick quiche, scrambled eggs with veggies, or veggie and egg casserole. Frozen veggies can make a quick soup or stir fry. Frozen berries can make a great breakfast. They are great in smoothies. Another way to make a quick “berries-chia seeds” pudding is to cover frozen berries with boiling water, mix with chia seeds, and stir periodically. The pudding will be ready in about 20 minutes. There are sound economic reasons to keep a supply of frozen produce. Frozen berries and veggies cost about half of fresh ones, while they are as healthy and nutritious as fresh ones.
Healthy grains. Some grains are significantly healthier than others. Two main differences between healthy and unhealthy grains are gluten and glycemic index. White wheat, white bread, and white rice contain gluten and are high in glycemic index, which makes them unhealthiest among grains. The best alternatives are buckwheat, quinoa, and still-cut oats. All these three grains are gluten-free and low in GI. They can be cooked faster than rice; you do not need to worry about them getting soggy. Quinoa is a close cousin of spinach. It improves athletic performance and eye health. Buckwheat is a relative to sorrel. It is rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. It has a unique component that helps to manage blood sugar levels.
Sprouts. We added sprouts to the list because they provide one of the best ratios between the time required to prepare them and the benefits they offer. No more than five minutes a day, growing light and a sprouting jar are needed to have a constant supply of fresh sprouts in the fridge. Sprouts are fresh, crunchy, super healthy, pesticide-free and delicious. The popularity of sprouts skyrocketed in the 1990s after Dr. Talalay discovered sulforaphane. Dr Talalay found that sulforaphane is present in all raw cruciferous vegetables, with the highest concentration in broccoli. Broccoli sprouts contain ten to a hundred times more sulforaphane than raw broccoli. This powerful compound blocks cancer-related mutations in DNA along with anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antidementia properties. Just fifteen grams of broccoli sprouts daily can be a potent cancer-prevention medicine. The easiest sprouts to grow are broccoli, alfalfa, kale, radish, and red clover.