Food As Medicine?

Naturopathic doctors, nutritionists, and other integrative practitioners like to emphasize the idea that food is medicine. But what does that really mean? Food can be a sensitive and intimate topic for many. The intention of this article is to approach the topic of food with care and empathy.

Let’s start with some Oxford Dictionary definitions: 

What is medicine? 

“A compound or preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease, especially a drug or drugs taken by mouth.”

What is food?

“Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.”

So, what makes food medicine?

It’s time to shift our idea of food to something that can actually treat, heal, and prevent disease. 

We know that poor nutritional intake is associated with many diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. When we look at the flip side of the coin, proper nutritional intake can not only prevent disease, but reverse it. In contrast to pharmaceutical medicines which often just suppress symptoms, nutritious food can heal. 

How?

Food contains the nutrients needed to keep us functioning optimally on a cellular level. Our bodies are essentially “re-formed” food. Macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) serve as the building blocks for the structure of our DNA, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, cells, muscles, and organs. Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) serve us like gas serves our cars. They fuel the processes that keep us alive and running optimally.

Our bodies are also made up of millions of microbiotic organisms, which we have a symbiotic relationship with. Our microbiota help our gut health, mental health, immune health, and also protect us from infection. They munch on the carbohydrates that we eat, especially the insoluble fiber that comes from our fruits and vegetables. The healthier that we eat, the healthier our gut microbiota will be, and the healthier we will feel. 

Not only do we need food to survive and function optimally, but food can also be used as a treatment for disease. Some examples include:  

• Eating fiber-rich foods to decrease high cholesterol levels. 
• Eating whole, organic, unprocessed foods to help heal autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. 
• Eating foods high in selenium and iodine to help treat an under-active thyroid. 
• Eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids can support cognitive disorders, anxiety, and depression. 

Now that you have some more insight into why food is healing, I would like to point out some obstacles that we may face when it comes to eating food as our medicine. 

Intestinal inflammation and malabsorption

We live in a world where we our gut is prone to inflammation due to things like allergies and immune dysfunction, chemical exposures, inflammatory bowel disease, frequent antibiotic use, high stress, and more. When our gut is inflamed, we aren’t able to break down our foods or absorb our nutrients properly. Gut healing can be an important first step for many folks.  

Nutrient depletion

Standard agricultural practices have depleted the nutrients in our soil leading to less nutritious foods. Organic farming practices, while not perfect, work to replenish the soil, and in turn, provide us with more nutrient dense foods. I recommend using the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists by the Environmental Working Group to guide your organic purchasing. 

Additionally, many of the foods we eat are highly processed and lack adequate nutritional content. A good rule of thumb is to buy foods that resemble the original form as much as possible.  

Food fear and disordered eating

You are not alone if you feel anxiety, fear, or stress regarding what you should and shouldn’t eat. In a culture that prioritizes a certain standard of beauty, it is natural for one to feel like food is the enemy. This can lead to decisions like limiting major food groups or hyper-focusing on one idea of health. 

I hope this article shows you that healing actually comes from the cumulative effect of choosing nutritious foods over time as much as it is possible for you. Food cannot be medicine if the idea of it only leads to more stress. Therefore, if making nutritional changes is not a good option for you right now, naturopathic medicine offers so many other tools outside of nutrition to promote health and wellbeing. 

Disordered eating should be treated with empathy, taken seriously, and supported professionally. Please seek professional counsel if necessary. Helpline number: 1 (888)-375-7767.

So, next time you walk into the grocery store or start to prepare a meal, think of the food as a way to treat yourself with love and as a means to feeling your best so that you can do the things you love on a daily basis.