That’s a great question. And one that bears long, hard thought. There’s a large and growing movement in Western Society that holds we should be emphasizing healthy eating over drugs and supplements. Major institutions have taken note…
The Galacian-Penninsular Diet larder: A newer, more specific, finely-tuned
version of the renowned Mediterranean dining regime. Heavy
on whole grains, legumes and fresh produce…
The first few months of this year saw a succession of high-level conferences at which, “nutritionists explored the link between nutrition and health and the role easy access to better-for-you foods plays in wellness and disease prevention.”
In a nutshell…
The big question was: “Can we do better as a society nutritionally, medically and economically by stressing better health through informed, mindful eating habits?
The answer – for me, anyway – has always been yes. But I’m an unabashed old school type. And I’ve always turned to simple, common sense approaches to treat all but the most serious ailments.
Prevent, in the first place
I also believe it’s better to prevent medical and general health problems, rather than waiting until they occur, and then having to treat them.
That’s what the Mediterranean Diet and similar food-choice protocols are all about. And the other side of that coin – the ‘tails’ – is that avoiding processed foods and certain other edibles can go a long way toward ensuring better health, and increasing longevity.
We all benefit
Even the healthiest of us benefit further when all of us eat better. It costs health care systems hundreds of billions of dollars a year, around the world, to treat preventable conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Notably, the most obvious benefit of proper eating – weight control – addresses a whole host of health and medical issues that folks spend billions of dollars on treatments for every year.
No time like the present
Global warming is already affecting crop yields and forcing major shifts in agricultural practices. Traditional varieties of staple grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits (notably, bananas) are in danger of extinction. Fortunately, plant scientists have already been working on new, more hardy strains of the world’s most important foods for a number of years.
The ‘food as medicine’ concept is coming to the fore not a moment too soon.
My take
We are at a historic pivot point in our relationship with a fast-changing world. And a return to the fundamentals – of which food as medicine is a classic example – is a natural direction for us to look in.
But it will take a major shift in some folks’ mindset to give up pills, supplements and other ‘artificial’ cures and treatments. it may take a considerable effort and time before we can establish a new social order based on the inevitable new realities. The sooner we start making an effort to adapt, the better.
My questions to you:
Do you agree that, ‘We are at a historic pivot point in our relationship with a fast-changing world’?
Are you prepared to adapt to the coming great food choice shift?
Are you already shifting your diet towards the ‘foods of the future’?
Muse on that…
~ Maggie J.