{"id":7847,"date":"2025-07-07T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7847"},"modified":"2025-07-07T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T14:30:00","slug":"food-as-medicine-your-diet-can-promote-health-well-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7847","title":{"rendered":"Food as medicine: Your diet can promote health &#038; well-being"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-07-07T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve all heard the saying, \u201cAn apple a day keeps the doctor away.\u201d Can a delicious, nutritious meal serve as medicine? Yes! It\u2019s true that specific foods can have beneficial effects and support overall health and well-being.<\/p>\n<p>When John, a Veteran who receives his care through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/maryland-health-care\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VA Maryland Health Care System<\/a>, had a hard time managing his diabetes with medication alone, his VA care team connected him with a VA dietitian. Together they worked on simple swaps in John\u2019s diet, like swapping sugar-loaded sports drinks for iced tea with fresh squeezed lemon. These small changes added up, and soon John saw his blood glucose levels drop.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Food as medicine<\/h2>\n<p>According to recent research, one out of five deaths around the world can be linked to poor diet and nutrition. Fortunately, VA offers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.va.gov\/Healthy_Living\/Eat_Wisely.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">resources<\/a> to help prevent and manage chronic diseases through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/HealthyLiving\/EatWisely\/\" rel=\"noopener\">proper nutrition<\/a> and dietary choices. \u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/Fiber.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Fiber<\/a> can aid digestion, promote weight loss, reduce risk of chronic disease and support gut health. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes are rich sources of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/TipsToIncreaseDietaryFiberJan2024.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">fiber<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Ginger can help with nausea, including nausea from pregnancy and chemotherapy.<\/li>\n<li>Foods that are high in anti-inflammatory properties can help decrease inflammation in the body, which reduces the risk of health problems. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/Anti_Inflammatory_Diet.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Anti-inflammatory foods<\/a> include lean meats, seeds, beans, fatty fish, and fruits and vegetables. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/Recipes\/DressingsSaucesSeasonings\/SeasoningBlends.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Spice up your food<\/a> with cumin, garlic, cinnamon and turmeric for more anti-inflammatory benefits.<\/li>\n<li>Add an avocado to your plate to enhance brain function and reduce risk of arthritis. It also good for your skin.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/health.clevelandclinic.org\/probiotic-foods\" rel=\"noopener\">Probiotic foods<\/a> support gut health. Try adding Greek yogurt or kimchi, a fermented cabbage dish, to meals and snacks.<\/li>\n<li>Portabella and shitake mushrooms can be great meat substitutes. Mushrooms can help support a healthy immune system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s important to remember that these recommendations are not considered a substitute for medications prescribed by your provider.<\/p>\n<p>A local VA registered dietitian is available to help you in creating a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=nutrition+plan\">nutrition plan<\/a> that promotes health and reduces the risk of chronic disease. If you\u2019re interested in this or any other nutrition-related topic, contact your local VA to speak with a registered dietitian.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/141063\/food-as-medicine-diet-promote-health-well-being\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The concept of \u201cfood as medicine\u201d recognizes the role of your diet in managing your health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Food as medicine: Your diet can promote health &amp; well-being - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The concept of \u201cfood as medicine\u201d recognizes the role of your diet in managing your health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7847\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Food as medicine: Your diet can promote health &amp; 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