Health News Update: Food as Medicine Movement Gaining Momentum
Hello everyone:
As you probably know, Hippocrates, traditionally regarded as the father of medicine, famously stated: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” The strength of that statement has not only stood the test of time but is supremely relevant today. Here is what the authors say is why food should be considered medicinal:
"Poor nutrition is the top cause of death and disability in the United States ... causing more harm than tobacco use, alcohol, physical inactivity, and air pollution," said Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University in Boston.
Bottom Line:
While this article is targeting populations that cannot easily obtain unprocessed whole foods, the notion that food is medicine applies to every one of every socio-economic class. Why? Because, not only in this country, but around the world people are choosing to consume food like objects called ultra-processed foods. This choice is, as Dr. Mozaffarian states, “literally lethal” and from my point of view, there should be a massive public health initiative to get people to consume much less of that stuff. The average U.S. citizen consumes 60% of their calories from ultra-processed foods that pose these risks:
Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-eat/heat industrial formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods, including flavors, colors, texturizers, and other additives, with little if any intact whole food.1 Ultra-processed foods, which are typically of low nutritional quality and high energy density, have been dominating the food supply of high income countries, and their consumption is markedly increasing in middle income countries.2 Ultra-processed food consumption accounts for 57% of daily energy intake among adults and 67% among youths in the US according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).34
Ultra-processed foods usually disproportionately contribute added sugars, sodium, saturated fats and trans fats, and refined carbohydrates to the diet together with low fiber.56 As well as having low nutritional quality, ultra-processed foods may contain harmful substances, such as additives and contaminants formed during the processing.78910 Growing evidence from large prospective cohorts show that ultra-processed food is associated with adverse health outcomes, such as overweight/obesity, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.11121314 A systematic review showed that high ultra-processed food consumption was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, depression, and postmenopausal breast cancer.15 https://www.bmj.com/content/385/bmj-2023-078476
Please read the above two paragraphs closely and slowly. Friends do not let friends or family eat things that foster disease. Now that you know, what will you do?
