Nutrition is Medicine!
- Aug 20, 2023
- 4 min read
Nutrition is Medicine
Many people only regard their prescriptions / drugs to be considered as their medication. That taking their prescribed drugs will be the complete solution to the problems and they can carry on with their every day life.
But I'll tell you now, there's much more you can be doing for yourself and any medications you might be taking should be just a temporary solution.
Here is a famous quote by Thomas Edison which in this case, is very relevant:
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in nutrition, and the cause and prevention of disease."
First and foremost, if you are going to begin any new plan for your health, its best to clear any changes you're planning with your GP / health professional to make sure they are appropriate and work alongside your current health care package. Be sure to be armed with some good solid research with you to show them! If you're unsure of any solutions, there's no harm in asking!
The definition of medication is "a substance used in treating a disease or relieving pain".
There are so many opportunities to heal your body and improve your health using everyday lifestyle changes and these with have a far greater effect on not only your physical health, but also your mental health. Through being consistant and with a bit of planning, you'll be able to create long lasting positive health effects which in many cases, will allow the prescription medications (which often have nasty side effects) to be reduced or even withdrawn.
A brilliant place to start to create these long lasting positive health effects is with your nutrition as this plays a massive factor in your health.
This blog post outlines some good places to begin and resources to use with your health positive nutrition plan.
Plant Based diet
If I were to recommend to anyone where to begin if they are wanting to improve their health, it would be to try a 1 month plant-based diet challenge. While this is a drastic start, it may be necessary and I believe with some good planning and structure, it is possible for anyone to give this a go.
Benefits of going plant-based:
Decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and many cancers
Reduces cholesterol
Improved management of blood sugars
Immune system boost
Gut health boost
Reduces inflammation
If you want to give this a go, there are some fantastic plant based recipes here and on the British Heart Foundation recipe finder where you can filter over 2000 tasty recipes to suit your nutritional requirements:
If a plant-based diet isn't the right solution for you right now, you can still try to cut down on eating meat and animal products as this is where many problems can arise.
The EatWell Plate
The EatWell plate is a government recommendation daily food intake guideline. Its a brilliant resource to use for novice beginners. However it is a very generalised plan and does not take into account a persons health, daily activity, dietary needs, and various lifestyle factors so while there is a place for it, it is also a very limited resource.
If you want to have a look, you can find it here:
There are many nutrition services available to the public including with the NHS which will provide holistic, detailed plans which will take into your life and current health.
Natural remedies
There are many natural, herbal remedies which can be utilised to help to manage various health factors.
Many of these can be found online.
Some include:
Cayenne pepper and capsaicin
Ginger
Beetroot
Turmeric & curcumin
Garlic
Onions
Apple cider vinegar
Lemon juice
CoEnzyme Q10
Selenium
Various vitamin & mineral supplements
Here's a link to a recipe for some health shots which contain a few of these ingredients:
Furthermore, an amazingly useful resource to find more of this highly useful and beneficial, herbal remedy information is Barbara O'Neill's YouTube channel which you can find here:
My Movement Medicine Nutrition Tips
Watch these nutrition documentaries (links provided):
Then make a plan and go plant-based!
If that's not for you, eat at least 3 meat-free meals per week.
Use a smaller plate for your meals.
Batch cook your own meals - you'll save money and you can control what is going into your meals.
Avoid processed foods.
Drink a large cup of water when you wake up, before meals, and half an hour before bedtime.
Cut down on salt.
And finally and once again - Exercise!
Some conclusive evidence and research to be armed with
Caroline A Koch and others, Vegetarian or vegan diets and blood lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized trials, European Heart Journal, Volume 44, Issue 28, 21 July 2023, Pages 2609–2622, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad211
Greger M. A Whole Food Plant-Based Diet Is Effective for Weight Loss: The Evidence. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2020 Apr 3;14(5):500-510. doi: 10.1177/1559827620912400. PMID: 32922235; PMCID: PMC7444011.
Joshi S, Ettinger L, Liebman SE. Plant-Based Diets and Hypertension. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019 Sep 24;14(4):397-405. doi: 10.1177/1559827619875411. PMID: 33281520; PMCID: PMC7692016.
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