If you have ever seen an Instagram reel claiming you can “eat your retinol” or a blog post stating you can heal your gut with turmeric, you have encountered the idea of “food as medicine,” an old idea that has come to the forefront of health and wellness conversations.
The idea of “food as medicine” has risen in popularity because it highlights the importance of good nutrition and presents diet as the solution to people’s health issues. However, others dismiss it as a fad that persuades people away from seeking real medical care.
Unsurprisingly, the truth is somewhere between these two attitudes. It is time to examine the reality behind the idea of “food as medicine.”
Food As Medicine
The idea of “food is medicine” often goes beyond a healthy diet. It suggests that people can treat or manage disease by eating the right kinds of foods.
While the idea that diet plays a vital role in shaping health is an old concept, the saying “make food your medicine” is a relatively modern concept often misattributed to thinkers like Hippocrates. It encapsulates a real idea: that food and health are tightly linked.
This notion and the misattribution have gone on to influence medical practice and policy, such as the development of “culinary medicine” in medical schools and the growing popularity of medically tailored meals.
What It Gets Right
The conversation around the idea of “food as medicine” is correct in its assessment that diet plays a crucial role in broader health and well-being, a factor many people feel that the broader healthcare system ignores.
It also correctly pinpoints the fact that many conditions like cardiometabolic diseases and obesity are directly affected by diet. It also notes that certain conditions can be better managed and even improved through food.
For example, studies indicate that people who followed a diet emphasizing fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy had lower blood pressure than those following a typical U.S. diet. Other trials have indicated that supported dietary habits for conditions like type 2 diabetes, celiac disease, and obesity can significantly help people dealing with these issues. However, these studies also tend to be small and last only a short time. More work is needed to confirm their results
Additionally, “food as medicine” programs that provide medically tailored meals and groceries for people help improve diet quality and self-reported health.
What It Gets Wrong
While the idea of food as medicine does bring up potentially helpful points, it can have devastating impacts for people who take it to an extreme point.
For example, there have been documented examples of people refusing treatments for cancer such as surgery, chemo, or hormone therapy in favor of raw juice protocols or healing plants. Similarly, people trying to treat conditions like type 1 diabetes or schizophrenia and bipolar disorder solely through approaches like the keto diet or supplements will reject medications like insulin that they need, leading to long-term complications.
Restrictive diets advertised as “healing” can also lead to malnutrition and encourage the development of eating disorders. This results with people skipping appointments and increasing the chances of medical complications.
Finally, products like pills, gummies, or tinctures advertised as “food as medicine” are loosely regulated or unregulated and can be harmful to consume due to interactions with other medications. They can also be dangerous because of impurities from hidden drugs or toxins, missing ingredients or key ingredients substituted for cheaper alternatives, or contamination from heavy metals.
“Food as medicine” stops being a helpful idea when it becomes a lifestyle or an advertising ploy.
Another Way: Food and Medicine
While it is important to acknowledge the role diet has on health, it is equally important to acknowledge that food cannot replace medicine. A balanced approach ensures that people have access to both the nutrition and medical care they need.
Thankfully, more information and support are now available to assist people in improving their eating habits. For people struggling with their diet, taking steps to identify any condition sensitive to diet, to discover any specific nutrition issues they are experiencing, and to find a way to receive the food and/or counseling they require can provide the kind of specific improvements that the general advice of “eating better” does not.
Additionally, having food delivered can be extremely helpful in certain situations, such as for people with a diet-sensitive diagnosis and/or who are unable to shop for food themselves.
Additionally, medical nutrition therapy (MNT) has evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and assists people with specific issues such as prediabetes, hypertension, nutritional deficiencies, heart conditions, and more. By taking a balanced approach to both medicine and diet, people can gain the full benefit of both these elements working together instead of against each other.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that the food we consume has a massive impact on overall health. No pill or injection can replace the benefits of a healthy diet.
However, the idea that some people push that food can replace the developments of modern medicine is as much a marketing ploy as the “drug pushers” they claim to hate.
Perhaps, instead of “food as medicine”, a more helpful approach would be “food and medicine,” acknowledging the role that both play in our health.
At Rockwell Physicians. We believe that good nutrition and good medical care, while playing different roles, are both essential for a person’s health. Our practitioners work with you to help develop practices that support your long-term wellness, like personalized nutrition plans and recommendations tailored to your specific needs.
If you are ready to discover the role food plays in your health journey, get in touch with your provider at Rockwell Physicians today!