Let Food Be Thy Medicine Let Medicine Be Thy Food

Published on by Green Initiatives

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. We have all grown up listening to this simple proverb and probably even followed it to a great extent. Although the wisdom here does not merely focus on eating apples, but rather on the greater holistic concept of eating healthy foods to stay fit and healthy.

Eating For Convenience or Nutrition

Since early times, people have developed food cultures on the basis of available products and their dietary needs. While these traditions have evolved over time, they have always been rooted in nutrition and locally available produce. However, with increasing urbanization and globalization, food industries completely disconnected from these traditional concepts have emerged, the most prominent of which is the fast-food industry.

source: https://aliveandshinecenter.com/welcome-autumn-with-baked-apples/

You know your diet plays a huge role in weight and energy, and even your mood. But did you know it could help save your life, too? There are many reasons why we should pay attention to what we eat. The processed, low-variety foods many of us consume regularly may be convenient and tasty, but they compromise our health.
Generally speaking, the characteristics of a poor diet include consuming too much sodium, meat (especially the red or processed variety), and sugar-sweetened beverages, or not eating enough fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, polyunsaturated fats, and seafood-based omega-3 fatty acids.

How Can a Healthy Diet Help Keep Disease at Bay

We especially need to pay attention to what we eat when we are sick so we can give our bodies the nutrients it needs to heal.

“We have known for literally decades that 80 percent of all chronic disease and premature death that happens in the world around us is completely preventable just by routine physical activity, not smoking, and eating optimally. The only complicated variable in that is eating optimally.”

David Katz, MD, founder and CEO of DietID in Detroit.

There are many research studies to prove that certain diet plans are scientifically supported to help prevent many chronic diseases like diabetes, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and even treating Alzheimer’s & Dementia.  “Diet truly is medicine, not just prevention, not just health promotion — literally treatment and reversal of disease,” says Katz.

Dieting for Health

There are many different diet plans out there such as paleo, keto, low carb, low fat, Mediterranean, DASH, intermittent fasting and so on, most of which focus on weight loss, curb appetites, and restrict intake of calories and either carbs or fat.
source: https://www.stemjar.com/ayurvedic-diet-guide/

However, there is one type that is different from the rest - The Ayurvedic diet. It is not just a diet plan but a lifestyle based on an eating pattern focused on promoting balance within your body by following guidelines for your specific 'dosha' , or body type.

The Ayurvedic diet emphasizes eating whole foods, which can improve your overall health and boost weight loss. The diet also encourages mindful eating, a practice that may promote a healthy relationship with food.

The evidence of a healthy diet to achieve optimal health is so strong, that some clinics have now launched ‘Shop with your Doc’ programs, where the doctor accompanies patients when they go grocery shopping in supermarkets to get them to buy healthier foods.

reference

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/food-as-medicine-what-it-means-and-how-to-reap-the-benefits/

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/food-medicine

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ayurvedic-diet#the-diet