By Tracey Karele – AIM Nutritionist

Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician and the father of modern medicine, said the following more than two and a half thousand years ago: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” It is therefore curious that modern doctors, many of whom take the Hippocratic Oath, very seldom administer dietary advice along with the powerful pharmaceuticals that they prescribe. In the case of chronic disease, these drugs are more often than not an attempt to correct damage done by years of self-inflicted bodily and dietary neglect. 

Obviously, not all health conditions can be prevented or alleviated through dietary means. The chronic diseases of lifestyle, however, are degenerative and irreversible diseases that are due in part to poor food choices, lack of exercise, the use of tobacco and alcohol and stress. These diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, are by far the leading cause of mortality in the world.

These diseases were relatively unheard of 100 years ago. So what has changed? A century ago, most people had more physically demanding jobs, the primary form of transport was your own two legs and food processing was minimal. Today, sedentary lifestyles and diets of refined and processed foods have led to nations of sick and overweight people.

Chronic diseases represent 60 percent of all deaths, yet it’s a relatively small number of risk factors – namely high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and alcohol – that actually cause the majority of these diseases.

A few statistics according to the World Health Organisation (WHO):

• Heart attacks and strokes kill about 12 million people every year. In addition, another 3.9 million people die annually from hypertensive and other heart conditions.
• An estimated 177 million people are affected by diabetes, the majority by type 2 diabetes.
• More than one billion adults worldwide are overweight, and at least 300 million of these are clinically obese.
• Up to 80 percent of cases of coronary heart disease, 90 percent of type 2 diabetes cases, and one-third of cancers can be avoided by changing to a healthier diet, increasing physical activity and stopping smoking.

Free from side effects

Side effects are an unfortunate but common occurrence with many prescription drugs. Statins, for example, are a class of drug frequently used to lower cholesterol levels. Side effects include muscle pain, possible muscle damage, liver damage, digestive problems and rashes or flushing. A diet that is high in unsaturated fats, soluble fibre and phytosterols could also help to lower cholesterol levels, but without these harmful side effects. For many people, dietary intervention would be the preferred route, but most are actually unaware that this option exists.

However, certain foods can aggravate certain conditions; for example, purine-rich foods like sardines can aggravate gout. For the most part though, with the obvious exception of food allergies and intolerances, food has a supportive and preventative effect, helping the body to heal itself. 

In fact, there was a 20-year study completed about ten years ago in Europe that compared drug versus non-drug therapy for heart disease. What they found was that for the first ten years, the drug group taking anti-hypertensive and anti-cholesterol drugs fared slightly better than the non-drug group. However, when they analysed the groups after a further ten years, they found that the non-drug group not only fared better but they actually had a lower death rate than the drug group.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”

This popular saying is believed to have originated in 18^th century Wales and is one of many early sayings to encourage healthy eating. Apparently, in old English, the word “apple” was used to describe any round fruit that grew on a tree, and it was known that eating fruit would help one to remain healthy. 

Prevention IS better than cure

According to the Oxford dictionary, the word medicine is defined as “a drug or other preparation for the treatment or prevention of disease”. Rather than addressing the issue after the fact, it would be a far better idea to prevent the onset of these chronic diseases before they even start, by watching what you eat, exercising and indulging in moderation.

Your choice of diet is one of the primary factors that influence your long term health prospects. Only two common lifestyle habits are more influential – smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. What you put in your body now affects your health later. Many older people suffer from debilitating health conditions that could have been largely averted had they known of the preventative effects of a healthy and balanced diet in their younger years.

Yes, we are living longer now thanks to modern medicine, but what about quality of life? Is living longer really the objective if we spend our later years sickly and reliant on medicines? Prevention is the answer, so act now by changing your diet and lifestyle rather than living with the consequences later.

Where should I start?

According to the University of Minnesota, the following ten dietary tips are a great place to start on your journey to a healthier you:

1. Eat a variety of foods. Studies show that people who eat a variety of foods are healthier, live longer, and have a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

2. Increase fruits and vegetables. Scientific data on the benefits of fruits and vegetables in preventing a variety of diseases has been mounting. For example, several studies show that the higher the consumption of fruit and vegetables, the lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease, including stroke (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2008).

3. Choose whole grains. Data from the now famous Nurse’s Health Study shows that whole grains reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease and improve the health of the gastrointestinal tract. Whole grains contain multiple nutrients, but when the whole grain is processed, the large majority of these nutrients are lost.

4. Include beneficial fats. For years, fat was deemed to be public enemy number one. But, as we learn more about the effects of fats in the body, the message has become that fat itself is not the issue, but rather a vital nutrient.

5. Drink water. When concocting a recipe for health, one of the most important ingredients is water. The body is made up of 65 percent water, and water is needed for the digestion, absorption and transportation of nutrients.

6. Include green tea. The healthful properties of green tea are primarily attributed to its potent antioxidant activity and polyphenols (phytonutrients) called catechins. The most active of these polyphenols in green tea is called epigallocatechin (also known as EGCG).

7. Control portions. A 2006 Clinical Interventions in Aging article on delaying age-related disease recommended, on the basis of current research, a diet low in calories and saturated fats and high in whole grains, legumes, and fruits and vegetables – all of which maintain lean body weight.

8. Avoid trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids are man-made fats, created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is favoured by manufacturers because it increases shelf-life and adds stability to foods. Trans-fatty acids have been shown to cause endothelial dysfunction, raise bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol, increase triglycerides and promote inflammation.

9. Avoid corn syrup and other artificial sweeteners. The U.S. department of Agriculture reports that the consumption of high fructose corn syrup increased more than 1000 percent between 1970 and 1990. Now evidence is mounting that corn syrup has negative impacts on health.

10. Limit processed foods. Processed foods lack nutrients and they often contain artificial colours, additives, flavourings and chemically altered fats and sweeteners.

In addition to the above 10 points, the University also stressed one key rule of thumb: to include foods that are natural and whole while excluding those that have been “monkeyed with.”