Foundations of Healthy Eating

Functional medicine starts with food

Food is medicine, connection, information, and energy. Eating a wide variety of high-quality, whole, and mostly plant-based foods is truly powerful medicine that improves health and hinders the development of disease.

Healthy, whole food is medicine the body needs to reverse many chronic diseases.

The Western diet has large nutritional gaps because of the abundance of high-calorie foods with poor nutritional quality. Nutrigenomics, a science that studies the impact of food choices on gene expression, is proving that we truly are what we eat. The key is making an effort to choose nutrient-rich foods that send healthy signals to the body for positive gene expression and optimal health.

Food is central to our social interactions

We typically share meals with our communities, and our ethnic backgrounds influence what and how we eat. Food is used for celebration and ceremony, and to honor and enjoy traditional cultures. Through the process of sharing food with others, we also practice intention and mindfulness.

Food is not just calories you eat; it is also a source of information for the body.

With every bite, food has the ability to influence genes that control disease risk, lifespan, and metabolism. Certain foods can impact blood sugar, or even trigger allergic reactions, inflammation, or autoimmune responses. Food has the potential to provide the body with what it needs to function at its best.

Food gives us fuel, in the form of calories, to support every cell of the body.

Every cell, tissue, and organ needs fuel to function. What does the body use for energy? Macronutrients—protein, fats, and carbohydrates and micronutrients—minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients ,all are derived from food and help your body perform its best.