Food Rx: The Natural Way to Health

Remember when you ate berries for vitamin C? Today, studies suggest that berries also contain antioxidants that fight cell damage. Indeed, the growing popularity of alternative health is putting a spotlight on food, pushing people to look beyond traditional medicine for answers on how to cure and prevent disease. Good food, combined with exercise, may be just the ingredient for a healthy mind and body. By taking control of your health, you will even lift your mood.

According to the IFIC, most Americans believe that they have at least moderate control over their health and that nutrition plays a role even more significant than exercise and family-health history. "Foods for treatment and prevention of disease is an exploding area," says Andrew Weil, M.D. "Any medical journal shows how groups of foods or food components affect health."

If you've heard anything about food's magical powers, it was likely linked to antioxidants. They neutralize cell-damaging agents and possibly reduce your risk of disease. Antioxidants occur naturally in foods of various types such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish oil, tea, and numerous others.

Walter Willett, of Harvard School of Public Health, notes that, "We are learning that foods have many more important functions than we had recognized earlier. For example, polyunsaturated fats do much more than lower blood cholesterol levels. They can help prevent blood clots and lower the odds of developing fatal heart rhythms."

The role of essential fatty acids is another huge area of research. Says Weil, "They improve mental function and protect against heart disease and inflammation. The average American diet is seriously deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and that has health consequences." Good sources for omega-3s include fish, certain seeds, and walnuts.

Plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, soy, and whole grains are also recommended as part of an optimal diet. These contain phytochemicals, natural agents which help strengthen the immune system and protect against disease.

Phytochemicals are found in foods such as garlic, legumes, and nuts, among many others. "Fruits and vegetables don't contain disease-promoting substances; they contain thousands of protective ones," says author Dean Ornish, M.D. "It's not just what you exclude from your diet, it's what you include that's important."

Learning about foods is only part of the goal. To live a healthier life, you may need to change your ways. Shopping for, preparing, and eating foods differently may be in order. Making the switch from chips to veggies isn't easy, so how do we find the motivation?

For one thing, using the fear of death to motivate people doesn't work, says Ornish. However, "when you begin making changes in your diet and lifestyle, you start to feel better. You have more energy, you think more clearly, your brain and heart get more blood, you don't need as much sleep and you have more stamina."

New information surfaces continually, so it can get confusing. To decide what makes sense for you, read, consult your doctor or nutritionist and explore new foods. "Try making changes even if it's just for a week. You'll learn from experience how much better you feel. It's a much more organic way of changing," says Ornish. And, as Willett notes, "Decisions about eating shouldn't be made on the basis of a single study; confirmation from various reputable sources is important." That's why PT has put together some of the most interesting findings from 2005. From ginko to omega-3s, here are some studies that show the benefits.

Guard Your Heart

To protect your heart, you already know that you need to exercise and eat a diet low in saturated fats. But studies show benefits in foods you may not have considered. Soy, for one, is believed to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Many experts recommend 25 grams of soy protein a day. A study in Diabetes Care shows that soy may help reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in postmenopausal women because it contains the antioxidant isoflavones. You can get soy in many forms: edamame (steamed soybeans), tofu and soynuts, for example.

Nuts also have heart-healthy effects, although they were once feared because of their high-fat content. But the Harvard Nurses' Health Study found that women who ate an ounce of nuts at least five times a week for 14 years lowered their risk of heart disease by about 30 percent.

Nuts have monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and according to the IFIC, individuals with diets high in these fats enjoy lower levels of bad cholesterol. Saturated fats, on the contrary, increase "bad," low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Other foods high in healthy fats include avocados, soybean oil, and olive oil.