Food-is-medicine is resurging globally as a viable means to combat chronic conditions and social health determinants. Advice to eat healthy is all around but it can be difficult to follow. Hippocrates, who is considered by many to be the father of modern medicine, is famously credited as saying "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Dietary choices significantly affect health, influencing disease risk and providing medicinal benefits. Food is not a substitute for conventional medicine, which remains essential for many illnesses that diet alone can’t address.
There is no single definition of the "food as medicine” concept, but it generally refers to prioritising food and diet in an individual’s health plan, with the goal of either preventing, reducing symptoms of, or reversing a disease state. There’s great evidence that an unhealthy diet may be a great contributor to heart illness, diabetes, many cancers, stomach issues, and many other conditions, besides, and that following a healthy diet can help to prevent these conditions, to slow down their progress if you already have them, and sometimes even reverse them. Equally, if you or someone you love has these conditions, this is not the time to start feeling guilty. Many factors contribute to these things, and diet is only one of many.
The issue of scaling global food production to feed a rapidly growing population at the turn of the 20th Century, food itself was separated from its connection to health. The reasons for this detachment are numerous, probably caused by economic incentives, industrialisation, the advent of chemical pesticides, and cultural homogenisation, among other trends. Diet alone isn’t a replacement for medicine in all circumstances. Many health conditions can be prevented and treated by dietary and lifestyle changes, but many others cannot.
Though shifting to a healthier dietary pattern can prevent disease, for clarity of this article, it’s critical to understand that food cannot and should not replace pharmaceutical drugs. There are absolutely times when the best medicine is medicine. If you need an antibiotic, you need an antibiotic. If you need a chemotherapeutic agent, you need a chemotherapeutic agent. Medicine was developed to save lives and treat diseases. As healing does not hinge solely on diet or lifestyle, choosing to forgo a potentially lifesaving medical treatment to focus on diet alone can be dangerous or even fatal.
When we talk about food as medicine, we simply mean, it’s important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, aiming for five servings a day, with each serving being 80g. Contrary to some myths, fruit’s natural sugars are healthy, as they come with fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants. Reducing salt intake is crucial because it’s linked to high blood pressure and can lead to overeating. Restaurants and food manufacturers often add salt to enhance flavour, so it’s wise to check the salt content in pre-packaged foods and avoid adding extra at the table.
Refined sugar and fats should also be limited. While natural sugars in fruits and vegetables are beneficial, refined sugars found in sweets can lead to unhealthy spikes and drops in blood sugar, causing hunger and cravings. Switching to whole grains instead of refined products like white bread or rice can help. Naturally occurring fats are necessary for the body, but processed foods high in refined vegetable oils should be avoided. Home-cooked meals are generally healthier than processed or takeaway foods, which are often designed to encourage overconsumption.
Certain particular foods often offer great benefits to health, a diet rich in whole foods, such as berries, cruciferous vegetables, fatty fish, mushrooms, and various spices and herbs, offers numerous health benefits. Berries and cruciferous vegetables of the cabbage family provide essential antioxidants that may help prevent chronic diseases, including certain cancers and heart disease.
Fatty fish, high in omega-3 fatty acids, reduce inflammation and protect heart health, while mushrooms enhance immune function. Spices like turmeric and ginger may alleviate arthritis symptoms, and herbs like rosemary and sage are packed with health-promoting compounds. Green tea, along with nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, honey, seaweed, and fermented foods, also contribute to reduced inflammation and overall wellness.
Dr Vincent Mutabazi is an applied epidemiologist.