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.
Share on PinterestGetty Images/Maria KorneevaWhat we eat has profound effects on our overall health and well-being.
Research shows that dietary habits influence risk of certain diseases. While some foods may lead to chronic health conditions, others can offer therapeutic and protective qualities.
For this reason, many people argue that food is medicine.
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. Plus, accessibility to nutritious whole foods —which are often costly — can be difficult for many.
Keep reading to learn about the medicinal effects of food, including which foods should and shouldn’t be used for healing purposes.
How food nourishes and protects your body
Many nutrients in food promote health and protect your body from disease.
Eating whole, nutritious foods is important because their unique substances work together to create an effect that can’t be replicated by supplements.
Vitamins and minerals
Although your body only needs small amounts of vitamins and minerals, they’re vital for your health.
However, Western diets — high in ultra-processed foods and low in whole foods like fresh produce — are typically deficient in vitamins and minerals. Such deficiencies can increase your risk of disease.
For example, insufficient amounts of vitamin C can lead to scurvy. This nutritional disorder can trigger a slew of symptoms, including weakness, anemia, shortness of breath, and chest pain. It’s treatable, and severe symptoms won’t develop if treatment is sought early on.
Although it’s one of the most common deficiencies, vitamin D deficiency can have profound effects on overall health.
For instance, vitamin D is crucial for bone health. A diet lacking sufficient vitamin D is linked to osteoporosis and a higher risk of falls.
Due to its role in immune functions, having low levels of vitamin D can also increase your susceptibility to viral infections and the risk of repeat infections.
Beneficial plant compounds
Nutritious foods, including vegetables, fruits, beans, and grains, boast numerous beneficial compounds, such as antioxidants.
Antioxidants protect cells from damage that may otherwise lead to disease.
Though more research is needed, it’s possible that polyphenol antioxidants may help lower the risk of dementia, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Research also suggests that polyphenol antioxidants can have a positive impact on mental health. A 2021 study showed that people whose diets are rich in polyphenol antioxidants have lower rates of depression.
Fiber
Fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet. It not only promotes proper digestion and elimination but also feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
High fiber foods like vegetables, beans, grains, and fruits help protect against disease, decrease inflammation, and boost your immune system.
On the other hand, low fiber diets are associated with an increased risk of certain health conditions, including colon cancer and stroke.
Protein and healthy fats
The protein and fat in whole, nutritious foods play various critical roles in your body.
Amino acids — the building blocks of protein — aid immune function, muscle synthesis, metabolism, and growth, while fats provide fuel and help absorb nutrients.
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in foods like fatty fish, help regulate inflammation and are linked to improved heart and immune health.
SummaryWhole, nutritious foods boast vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, protein, and fat, all of which promote health and are key to optimal bodily function.
A healthy diet can decrease disease risk
Notably, nutritious foods may decrease your risk of disease. The opposite may be true for highly processed foods.
Diets high in sugary drinks, fast food, and refined grains can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
These foods can harm gut bacteria and promote insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and overall disease risk.
A 2023 review of 13 studies showed that diets rich in ultra-processed foods were linked to higher risks of certain cancers, notably colon and breast cancer.
Nutritious diets protect against disease
On the other hand, research indicates that diets abundant in plant foods and low in processed products can strengthen your health.
For instance, the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in healthy fats, whole grains, and vegetables, is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, neurodegenerative conditions, diabetes, certain cancers, and obesity.
Other eating patterns shown to safeguard against disease include plant-based, whole foods-based, and paleo diets.
In fact, some diets may reverse certain conditions.
For example, plant-based diets have been found to reverse coronary artery disease, while very low carb lifestyles may help eliminate type 2 diabetes in some people.
What’s more, nutritious eating patterns like the Mediterranean diet are tied to better self-reported quality of life and lower rates of depression than typical Western diets. They may even boost longevity.
Such findings suggest that robust diets function as preventive medicine.
It’s important to note that social, economic, and political factors can all contribute to a person’s access to food. Food insecurity and a lack of access to affordable, nutritious foods can increase an individual’s risk of certain health conditions. This issue disproportionally affects historically marginalized populations.
SummaryFollowing a healthy diet can increase longevity, protect against disease, and improve your overall quality of life.
Can food treat disease?
While some dietary choices can either prevent or increase your disease risk, not all diseases can be prevented or treated through diet alone.
Many other factors affect your health and disease risk
Disease risk is quite complex. In addition to diet, many other factors need to be considered.
Genetics, stress, pollution, age, infections, occupational hazards, and lifestyle choices — such as lack of exercise, smoking, and alcohol use — also have an effect.
Food cannot compensate for certain lifestyle choices, genetic disposition, or other factors related to disease development.
Food should not be used as a replacement for medicine
Though shifting to a healthier dietary pattern can prevent disease, it’s critical to understand that food cannot and should not replace pharmaceutical drugs.
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.
Beware of false advertising
While scientific evidence shows that food can aid various health conditions, company claims of curing or treating diseases through extreme dieting, supplements, or other methods are often false.
For example, diets advertised to cure cancer or other serious conditions are typically not backed by research and are often prohibitively expensive.
Do not swap conventional treatments like chemotherapy for alternative, unproven diets. This can lead to serious complications.
SummaryAlthough many foods have strong disease-fighting benefits, diet should not be considered a replacement for conventional medicine.
Foods with powerful medicinal properties
Share on PinterestTransitioning to a diet based on whole foods can improve your health in countless ways. Foods that offer particularly powerful benefits include:
- Berries: Numerous studies have found that nutrients and plant compounds in berries can prevent disease. In fact, diets rich in berries may protect against chronic conditions, including certain cancers.
- Cruciferous vegetables: Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale contain a wide array of antioxidants. A high intake of these raw vegetables may decrease your risk of heart disease and promote longevity.
- Fatty fish: Salmon, sardines, and other fatty fish fight inflammation due to their high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which also protect against heart disease.
- Mushrooms: Compounds in mushrooms, types of which include maitake and reishi, have been shown to boost the immune system.
- Spices: Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and other spices are packed with beneficial plant compounds. Some research suggests these may help ease arthritis symptoms.
- Herbs: Herbs such as rosemary and sage provide natural flavor to dishes and boast many health-promoting compounds.
- Green tea: Green tea has been thoroughly researched for its impressive benefits, which may include reduced inflammation and lower disease risk.
Nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, honey, seaweed, and fermented foods are just a few of the many other foods studied for their medicinal properties.
Transitioning to a diet rich in whole foods like fruits and vegetables, when they’re accessible, can help you reap the medicinal benefits of food.
SummaryBerries, cruciferous vegetables, fatty fish, and mushrooms are just a selection of the foods that offer powerful medicinal properties.
The bottom line
Food does much more than provide you with fuel. Many foods can even promote health.
In fact, a nutrient-dense diet of whole foods has been shown to prevent many chronic conditions and may help treat some conditions, such as type 2 diabetes.
Although following a nutritious diet is one of the most important factors in living a long, healthy life, keep in mind that you should not rely on food to replace conventional medicine.