Food is Medicine. Exercise is Medicine. Medicine is Medicine.

When you work with experts from the farm to the fork and beyond, and a topic comes up with all of them, it’s time to pause and think on it from your own scope of practice pov and what it means for the very people you are in service to help. For dietitian me, this means from a food perspective.

The “…as medicine” phrases are coming in hot. Let’s discuss:

Food decisions involve considering the total nutrition package and what potential it has to impact our health while honoring individual cultural meaning, taste, and other personal preferences.

Medicine works better when you pay attention to (potential) food interactions.

Exercise works better when you also pay attention to the food.

When we say food and/or exercise is medicine, the positive intent of this (IMO) is that we must treat these with the same serious and dedicated attention that we do medicine.

What we need is consistent self care to be our healthiest selves.

Here is the bottom line: Treat each thing that you are doing for your health with the same respect and consistency, and learn how they can work together to help you even more.

Take medicine (if you have it) as prescribed.

Eat balanced meals with nutritious foods daily.

Move and be active daily.

Food is food. Exercise is exercise. Medicine is medicine. Treat them all with the same level of importance to help each of these important aspects of care work the best they can for you.

Words are powerful, as are analogies.  Let’s be happy and focused when we choose them. Especially when it comes to describing how we are going to care for ourselves.

#YouGotThis