Food As Medicine
by Dr. Angelo Castello

Each day in my office men and women remark how they want to be healthier. They want to rid themselves from pain and aches, lose weight, exercise more and eat better. Often they feel frustrated with themselves and alone.

An alarming number of American men, women, and children are feeling the same way. At last count (the 2005 estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 60 percent of Americans are overweight (compared to 20 percent of Europeans). This percentage has been increasing since the 1960s (it was 13 percent in 1960 and 23 percent in 1964). Along with obesity, diabetes is epidemic among adults and children.

Overall, most Americans are in poor shape. Worldwide, America ranks 46th in life-expectancy--behind Japan, Singapore, Canada and virtually all of Europe and Scandinavia. Forty-one countries, including Cuba, have lower rates of infant mortality than the United States. Our health care system, which is the most costly and modern in the world, is not providing the best results. This can be attributed to a lack of emphasis on the fundamental self-care represented by a healthy lifestyle.

The cover story of Newsweek's 2005 Summer Special Edition "The Future of Medicine" concludes, "Wonder drugs aside, most of us can still achieve longer, better lives by exercising, eating well, and managing our weight." In the same issue it states, "Studies show that exercise, weight control, moderate drinking, and a Mediterranean diet emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthful fats can all help raise high density lipoproteins (HDL)." HDLs protect against heart attack, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

The science is compelling. The concept of healthy food as medicine and a way to prevent many degenerative diseases has gotten the attention of many researchers. In 1999 the National Institute of Health (NIH) published a report recommending the American diet contain at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. A couple of years later the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) raised the recommendation to at least seven. The National Cancer Institute's current recommendation is nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day.

Why the emphasis on fruits, vegetables and whole grains? Within the vegetable, fruit, and whole grain food groups are compounds which have beneficial effects on human cells. Healthy, fresh vegetables and fruit contain thousands of these life enhancing compounds known as phytonutrients.

Many phytonutrients are commonly known to be antioxidants (which reduce DNA damage) and have an immune system-enhancing and anti-inflammatory effect on cells. These naturally occurring substances in fresh produce are considered to have a preventative effect on cancer, heart disease, strokes and dementia. Their role in improving the health of our cells and preventing disease is growing daily and many of the thousands of phytonutrients in fresh foods are under investigation.

Eating healthier involves implementing what we already know: it is simple, but not always easy. Here are some suggestions. Begin by consistently improving the quality of one meal--say breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but always the same one--every day. Make this your "healthy meal." When you shop, choose wisely so you will eat as many servings as possible of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein. After achieving one nutritious meal per day for one week, start on a different meal. For ideas about healthy meal planning, use the Internet or books you may already have on your shelf. Once you've refined the second "healthy meal" of the day, start on the third. Eventually, your eating habits will consistently favor nutritious food. You will feel different, look different, and realize why nourishing the body in healthful ways is life changing.

Since our health is a result of the aggregate health our cells, it is essential that we feed ourselves in ways that nourish and revitalize our cells. Our food is our fuel.

Dr. Angelo Castello is a chiropractor and clinical nutritionist in Rhinebeck, NY.