Wellness Learning Center
Diet & Nutrition
Your Food Shall Be Your Remedy
Sue H. Mustalish, RN, HNC
Roger W. Mustalish, MPH, Ph.D.
“Your Food Shall Be Your Remedy”
Hippocrates (ca. 460-377 BC)
The wisdom of this 2500 year old philosophy is as relevant today as it was then. The role of good nutrition in health promotion, disease prevention, and healing is without dispute, even if it is not adequately practiced in this country. Today, one hears much in the popular print and electronic media of revolutionary advances in functional foods, nutriceuticals, and phytonutrients. But what do these terms really mean? Basically, they mean what the Hippocratic School espoused more than two millennia ago: food can be your medicine. That botanicals in the form of tinctures, teas, decoctions, and capsules have therapeutic effects and offer powerful alternatives to synthetic drugs is well documented in the literature. However, Etkin notes how curious it is that while we know much about the nutrient characteristics of foods, we know little about their pharmacologic actions. The result is a medical system that focuses so much on disease and treatment that foods as health promotion and disease prevention therapeutic agents have been largely ignored. With increased attention to holistic health and integrative modalities, it appears, now, that this is changing.
There is a growing body of evidence that “ordinary” foods possess an abundance of phytochemicals that protect the body from a wide range of chronic diseases: cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name just three. When incorporated into a comprehensive program of integrative care, they truly transcend into the realm of medicine. Balch and Balch in Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd edition, list over 250 disorders that can be effectively addressed using diet as part of an integrative health strategy. These include not only symptom relief but disease prevention as well. Craig presents a useful overview of the role of phytochemicals in the reduction of disease risks; these are summarized below.
- Soy. Demonstrated anti-cancer activity due to high levels of phytates, protease inhibitors, saponins, isoflavonoids and phytosterols. Studies also suggest cholesterol lowering capabilities, although the exact mechanism is not known.
- Flax. High essential fatty acids provide an anti-inflammatory action thus suggesting a role for flax in boosting the immune system and as possible treatment for such conditions as lupus, arthritis and allergies.
- Citrus. Rich in anti-oxidants, such as flavonoids and carotenoids, citrus also exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity as well as blood clot inhibition. Over 170 phytochemicals can be found in just one orange.
- Whole grains. Reduce cardiovascular disease and cancer risks due to plant sterols, phytoestrogens, phytases, tocotrienols, lignans, ellagic acid and saponins found in the germ and bran.
- Flavonoid containing foods (onions, kale, broccoli, cherries, red grapes, apples). There are over 800 flavonoids in plants, of which quercetin is most prevalent in our diet. Quercetin is anticarcinogenic and inhibits LDL oxidation.
- Pigments. The anthocyanins found in strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, grapes and other fruits, inhibit cholesterol synthesis, while the carotenoids found in green vegetables and yellow/orange fruits help lower cancer and heart disease risks.
- Flavoring herbs and spices. Antioxidant activity is exhibited by herbs such as rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme; carcinogenic inhibition is found in the phytochemicals of celery seed, garlic, onions, broccoli, citrus, ginger and turmeric. Allicin and other sulfides in garlic and onion reduce blood clot formation, lower total and LDL cholesterol, and are anticarcinogenic.
So by incorporating these foods into our diets, we are not only eating smart, we are also using food as the basis of health promotion and disease prevention. A case in point is diabetes.
Brown et al note that 14-16 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, of which 90-95% are Type II (non-insulin-dependent). Wallace notes that the disease, already the seventh leading cause of death, is growing at an annual rate of 6%. Poor nutrition is correlated with Type II diabetes, thus, a balanced diet including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and the phytochemicals they provide, play a key role in its prevention. Ernst identifies more than 400 plants with suspected glucose-lowering potential. Brown et al, the Herbal PDR, Brinker, and Newall et al provide extensive reviews of phytotherapeutics for their hypoglycemic activity. Among those listed include: onion, garlic, aloe, oats, alfalfa, dandelion, nettle, gymnema, bilberry, bitter melon, burdock, cucumber, ginger, fenugreek, ginseng, mulberry leaves, prickly pear, spinach, celery and sage. However, simply incorporating these foods into one’s diet is not enough. An integrated strategy of nutrient rich, blood glucose lowering foods, exercise, and stress reduction, coupled with blood glucose monitoring, are needed to assure an effective program for diabetes prevention.
Today, therefore, as we witness a paradigm shift from disease treatment to disease prevention the words of ancient healers are more than just food for thought, but rather a powerful reminder to us once again that food can indeed be our medicine.
Literature Cited
Balch, J. and P. Balch. 1997. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd edition. Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing Group. 600 pp.
Brinker, F. 1997. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Institute, Inc. 146 pp.
Brown, D., A Gaby, R. Reichert, and E. Yarnell. 1998. Phytotherapeutic and nutritional approaches to diabetes mellitus. Quarterly Review of Natural Medicine. Winter.
Craig, W. 1997. Phytochemicals: Guardians of our health. Journal of the American Dietetics Association. Vol.97 (suppl 2): S199-S204.
Ernst, E. 1997. Plants with hypoglycemic activity in humans. Phytomedicine. Vol. 4(1): 73-78.
Etkin, N. 1996. Medicinal cuisines: Diet and ethnopharmacology. International Journal of Pharmacognosy. Vol. 34(5): 313-326.
Newall, C., L. Anderson, and J. Phillipson. 1996. Herbal Medicines: A Guide for Health-Care Professionals. London: Pharmaceutical Press. 296 pp.
PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1998. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company. 1244 pp.
