Effect of food on our bodies:
The nutrients in food enable the cells in our bodies to perform their necessary functions. Nutrients give our bodies instructions about how to function. In this sense, food can be seen as a source of "information" for the body. Thinking about food in this way gives us a view of nutrition that goes beyond calories or grams, good foods or bad foods. This view leads us to focus on foods we should include rather than foods to exclude. Instead of viewing food as the enemy, we look to food as a way to create health and reduce disease by helping the body maintain function.
Why should we care?
The nutrients in food give our bodies the information and materials they need to function properly. But our daily diets may not always be providing all the information our bodies need. We all know that we need to get a basic balance of nutrients every day. But we may not be aware that the Standard American Diet (SAD) lacks nutrients. Moreover, some of our processed foods include chemically-altered fats and sugars that may be giving our bodies the wrong signals.
Is there a connection between food and disease?
As a society we are facing significant health problems.
The Functional Medicine Perspective
One component of Functional Medicine (medical practice or treatments that focus on optimal functioning of the body and its organs, usually involving systems of holistic or alternative medicine) focuses on how diet impacts health and function. When Functional Medicine practitioners examine the role of nutrition in chronic disease, they look at multiple systems, such as the digestive system, the immune system, and the detoxification system, because of the interconnections between those systems. For instance, because 80% of the immune system is contained in the gastrointestinal system, a person's issues with immunity could be related to faulty digestion.
Functional Medicine maintains that chronic disease is almost always preceded by a period of declining health in one or more of the body's systems. Thus, these practitioners seek to identify early the symptoms that indicate underlying dysfunction, possibly leading to disease.
One of the ways Functional Medicine seeks to address declining health is to provide the foods and nutrients needed to restore function. This is a cost effective, non-invasive intervention that aims to stop the progression into disease.
Example of Cardiovascular Disease
When taking a nutritional approach to health and disease, it is important to understand that one disease might have multiple causes, and one underlying dysfunction might cause multiple diseases. Cardiovascular disease may be among the clearest examples of this concept.
Researchers have shown that the development of heart disease can be triggered by multiple factors. These factors include insulin resistance, elevated homocysteine, oxidative stress, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, heavy metal toxicity, stress, and inflammation. Each of these factors can be influenced by nutrition and each, in turn, impact our nutritional needs. This applies both to the prevention and treatment of these factors.
Real Life Story:
Albert's Story
Age: 74
Valley Stream, New York
Diet
"When I was put on a low-salt diet, I immediately stopped eating out so much ... Chinese, Italian, you name it. Now my wife and I only eat out every couple of weeks, and I try to choose something healthier, like fish or lean meat. We also started using food labels to check the salt content of every item we buy. I'm only allowed 2,000 milligrams of salt per day, so I have to avoid anything that has more than 35 milligrams of salt per serving.
In addition to eating out less, I've learned to cut down on portions. I was a very heavy eater before. I could eat three or four steaks, a couple of hamburgers or a few hot dogs in one meal. Now I've gone from weighing 260 pounds to 150."
Physical Activity & Fitness
"I've found it necessary to limit my activity, especially since I had surgery recently to implant a defibrillator. I used to be my own carpenter, electrician and gardener around the house — but now I call in a professional carpenter, electrician and gardener! I also used to be able to walk three to four miles, but I haven't done that in quite a while.
I have kept exercising, though, because whenever I would see my nurse for my monthly visit, she would always ask me if I was being physically active. For the winter months, when I couldn't really go out, I got an exercise bike and put it in my basement to use three to four times a week. But now that the weather's getting warmer, I plan to go back to walking."
Treatments
"I take all of my medications in the morning before breakfast so I don't forget any. However, there was one medication, an ACE inhibitor, that I was having trouble remembering at first because I had to take it every eight hours, three times a day — at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. I could remember the morning and night pills because they coincided with getting up and going to bed, but the late afternoon one was tough. So I set my watch alarm to 4 p.m. every day so I'm sure to remember it."
Working With Your Doctor
"The computer has been a big help. My wife and I used it to make up a chart that we use to record my weight every day and all of the medications I take. I also keep my complete medical history on the computer, adding to it as I go along. Every time I go to the doctor, I take these records with me to save myself some paperwork. One doctor actually called me a professional patient because I was so organized! But it's a real timesaver. We've been doing this for the past two years."
Citations:
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/eating-healthy-affect-life-6386.html
https://www.functionalmedicine.org/about/whatisfm/ http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartFailure/HeartFailureToolsResources/Alberts -Story-Learning-to-Manage-the-Diet-and-Activity_UCM_306396_Article.jsp
The nutrients in food enable the cells in our bodies to perform their necessary functions. Nutrients give our bodies instructions about how to function. In this sense, food can be seen as a source of "information" for the body. Thinking about food in this way gives us a view of nutrition that goes beyond calories or grams, good foods or bad foods. This view leads us to focus on foods we should include rather than foods to exclude. Instead of viewing food as the enemy, we look to food as a way to create health and reduce disease by helping the body maintain function.
Why should we care?
The nutrients in food give our bodies the information and materials they need to function properly. But our daily diets may not always be providing all the information our bodies need. We all know that we need to get a basic balance of nutrients every day. But we may not be aware that the Standard American Diet (SAD) lacks nutrients. Moreover, some of our processed foods include chemically-altered fats and sugars that may be giving our bodies the wrong signals.
Is there a connection between food and disease?
As a society we are facing significant health problems.
- The United States ranks ninth in life expectancy among nations in the developed world.
- We have a workforce plagued with absenteeism and reduced productivity because of chronic health problems, including depression.
- 78 percent of healthcare expenses are for the treatment of chronic disease.
The Functional Medicine Perspective
One component of Functional Medicine (medical practice or treatments that focus on optimal functioning of the body and its organs, usually involving systems of holistic or alternative medicine) focuses on how diet impacts health and function. When Functional Medicine practitioners examine the role of nutrition in chronic disease, they look at multiple systems, such as the digestive system, the immune system, and the detoxification system, because of the interconnections between those systems. For instance, because 80% of the immune system is contained in the gastrointestinal system, a person's issues with immunity could be related to faulty digestion.
Functional Medicine maintains that chronic disease is almost always preceded by a period of declining health in one or more of the body's systems. Thus, these practitioners seek to identify early the symptoms that indicate underlying dysfunction, possibly leading to disease.
One of the ways Functional Medicine seeks to address declining health is to provide the foods and nutrients needed to restore function. This is a cost effective, non-invasive intervention that aims to stop the progression into disease.
Example of Cardiovascular Disease
When taking a nutritional approach to health and disease, it is important to understand that one disease might have multiple causes, and one underlying dysfunction might cause multiple diseases. Cardiovascular disease may be among the clearest examples of this concept.
Researchers have shown that the development of heart disease can be triggered by multiple factors. These factors include insulin resistance, elevated homocysteine, oxidative stress, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, heavy metal toxicity, stress, and inflammation. Each of these factors can be influenced by nutrition and each, in turn, impact our nutritional needs. This applies both to the prevention and treatment of these factors.
Real Life Story:
Albert's Story
Age: 74
Valley Stream, New York
Diet
"When I was put on a low-salt diet, I immediately stopped eating out so much ... Chinese, Italian, you name it. Now my wife and I only eat out every couple of weeks, and I try to choose something healthier, like fish or lean meat. We also started using food labels to check the salt content of every item we buy. I'm only allowed 2,000 milligrams of salt per day, so I have to avoid anything that has more than 35 milligrams of salt per serving.
In addition to eating out less, I've learned to cut down on portions. I was a very heavy eater before. I could eat three or four steaks, a couple of hamburgers or a few hot dogs in one meal. Now I've gone from weighing 260 pounds to 150."
Physical Activity & Fitness
"I've found it necessary to limit my activity, especially since I had surgery recently to implant a defibrillator. I used to be my own carpenter, electrician and gardener around the house — but now I call in a professional carpenter, electrician and gardener! I also used to be able to walk three to four miles, but I haven't done that in quite a while.
I have kept exercising, though, because whenever I would see my nurse for my monthly visit, she would always ask me if I was being physically active. For the winter months, when I couldn't really go out, I got an exercise bike and put it in my basement to use three to four times a week. But now that the weather's getting warmer, I plan to go back to walking."
Treatments
"I take all of my medications in the morning before breakfast so I don't forget any. However, there was one medication, an ACE inhibitor, that I was having trouble remembering at first because I had to take it every eight hours, three times a day — at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. I could remember the morning and night pills because they coincided with getting up and going to bed, but the late afternoon one was tough. So I set my watch alarm to 4 p.m. every day so I'm sure to remember it."
Working With Your Doctor
"The computer has been a big help. My wife and I used it to make up a chart that we use to record my weight every day and all of the medications I take. I also keep my complete medical history on the computer, adding to it as I go along. Every time I go to the doctor, I take these records with me to save myself some paperwork. One doctor actually called me a professional patient because I was so organized! But it's a real timesaver. We've been doing this for the past two years."
Citations:
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/eating-healthy-affect-life-6386.html
https://www.functionalmedicine.org/about/whatisfm/ http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartFailure/HeartFailureToolsResources/Alberts -Story-Learning-to-Manage-the-Diet-and-Activity_UCM_306396_Article.jsp