Food as medicine

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once stated, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Why, then, are so many people consuming pills manufactured in a lab in order to manage symptoms of poor health? Is food really medicine? Well, I think Hippocrates was on to something. In fact, I believe we have gotten so far away from actually understanding what food is and how it serves our bodies, I find that I am constantly reminding people that every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it. Chew on that for a moment.

Every time you eat or drink you are either feeding disease or fighting it. Really? Well, think about it. Your body has to do something with everything you consume. It utilizes the good in a way that is beneficial, or it processes the bad and tries to get it out of the body so it doesn’t cause harm.

Knowing this, it is a good idea to keep a record of what you consume once in a while. Categorize it as either “health promoting” or “other,” then get a total percent for the day. This is what I call the 80/20 rule for healthy living. Try to consume disease fighting foods and drinks 80 percent of the time and allow for disease promoting only 20 percent of the time. You will be amazed at what your average percent actually is. Most people think their percent is better than it is, yet once they start keeping track, they realize how many potentially disease promoting consumables they are taking in on a daily basis. Go ahead, give the 80/20 healthy living diet a try!

You will find that there are some foods you may not be sure about. When in doubt, put those in the “other” category. Many processed foods are questionable. Fresh, local, organic fruits and veggies are always a winner, as well as high quality animal products that are minimally processed. If it came from the ground or something that had eyes, and it is high quality and organic, with little or no processing, it is generally health promoting. If it came from a box or has been altered from its original state through processing, chances are it’s not health promoting and may even be disease promoting depending on the processing and chemicals and additives used. Keep this in mind for drinks, too. Many Americans consume processed drinks daily, which can be a hard hit to your health. Many processed drinks are high in sugar and chemicals unnatural to your body.

The good news is, you have some control over your health and can make the right choices to support feeling and looking better. Hippocrates made good sense by suggesting that healthy starts with good food. In Sonoma, we are blessed to have fresh, local, organic, clean food choices to support our health.
May food be your medicine, and may you get lots of healthy foods into your body daily to keep it healthy.
For more on optimal food choices and how to eat healthy go to shapeupsonoma.com.
Yours in good health,
Heather Morgan