Food as therapy is hardly a new concept. After all, it was ancient Greek physician Hippocrates – AKA the father of Western medicine – who proclaimed “Let food be thy medicine”. But in these modern hedonistic times – where the term ‘food porn’ is vying for the Macquarie Dictionary Word of 2011 title – we seem to have lost track of the basic fact that food is, in essence, a means to good health.
The pendulum, however, seems to be swinging back in Hippocrates’ direction, with an increasing number of health and food experts looking at mealtime as an opportunity to not merely tantalise our taste buds, but also to enhance our entire system.
Take the issue of depression, for instance. In a world of quick fixes and multiple medications – which are in effect band-aids that merely cover up the real injury – experts are increasingly looking at the option of nutrient therapy to target the underlying problem.
While there’s no doubt that medication has its place, certain foods have also been touted as effective antidepressants. The National Institutes of Health recently found that short-term depletion of tryptophan – an amino acid that can only be consumed, and that affects serotonin production - can trigger a minor depression relapse. Tryptophan is found in the likes of eggs, cheese, milk, tofu, soy and peanuts. What’s more, Canadian researchers have shown that depressed patients who take 1200 mgs of fish oil a day experience the same extent of relief they would with antidepressant medication. B vitamins have also been shown to boost the effectiveness of antidepressants.
There’s growing interest in how diet may fix other modern health complaints, such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and, of course, excessive weight gain (which are said to often be symptoms of excessive medication). In the past year,
The China Study – which examines the effects of nutrition on heart disease, diabetes and cancer – gained mainstream influence, while
Forks Over Knives, a cult documentary film turned book, made the claim that we can control, or perhaps even reverse, most degenerative diseases through a plant-food diet.
A new book,
The Food Hospital, has also piqued our interest. Compiled by a team of GPs along with a dietitian and gastrointestinal specialist, it presents an impressive list of healthy-eating tips and complementary recipes, designed and categorised to address particular illnesses and ailments. “Eating is not just about putting fuel in the tank to keep us going”, write the authors. “There’s a much more subtle relationship between food and the human body. Particular genes in our DNA may be turned on or off in response to nutrition and the environment. Our hormones and blood pressure are affected by what we eat. We get pleasure from eating good food, and that is important for our wellbeing in itself. By choosing out foods carefully, we can have a lot more control than we ever have over how well we age, resist illnesses, and the number of years we are able to live an active life.”
The book is cleanly divided into chapters: Gut Feeling, On the Outside, Mind Matters, Just for the Girls, Eat Yourself Better and When Things Get Serious. Some of the 45 super-healthy – and also, thankfully, mouth-watering - recipes are granola bars (for constipation), chocolate, orange and pistachio mousse (chronic fatigue syndrome), homemade cranberry juice (cystitis), wholegrain kedgeree (asthma) and edamame dip with spied pitta chips and crudités (menopause).
It sure makes popping a pill seem like a bland option.
Related content:
Health buzz: The China Study
Health buzz: Brain foodHealth news: Could your contraception lead to memory loss?