CULINARY MEDICINE

Culinary medicine seems new to most people and the first thing they ask after hearing the term is “What is that all about?” It is basically a field of practice that recently emerged in the advent of Wellness and Healthy Lifestyle Programs in response to the continuous upsurge of non-communicable diseases worldwide.  The World Health Organization has predicted that morbidity will be two thirds caused by faulty lifestyle choices by year 2020.  But today, evidences are showing us that about seventy percent of death worldwide are lifestyle related diseases which includes heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.  With the advances in medicine, availability of prescribed drugs, and the increasing number of highly qualified medical diplomats, the incidence of non-communicable disease has tremendously gone up leaving morbid individuals no choice but maintain drugs to control their condition and at least retard the eminent complications and somehow live longer.  No medical treatment seem to offer cure and reversal of such diseases.


It’s not surprising to see patients who are in a ditch, confused of their health condition, taking one pill to another yet their blood sugar keeps creeping up, the cholesterol is still above target, blood pressure uncontrolled and the weight stayed frustratingly high.  Some may go on an expensive carefully planned intensive diet program and experience amazing change as initial effect, but after the diet, the same problem goes back.  It seem to be a vicious cycle and “Yoyo” effect is always manifested basically due to a common failure of not addressing the cause of the problem.

More and more evidences are prominently showing the link of FOOD as powerful factor in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases but also an undeniable greater factor in the development of several non-communicable diseases.  “Food as Medicine” now a days makes a lot of sense after all.  It was not too long ago during the good old days when people eats farm products with a complex combination of plant-based and animal produce but the incidence of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity to name a few were too low compared to what we have today where the incidence and prevalence rate have phenomenal increase.  What seem to go wrong? People now are eating the same complex combination of food including fruits, vegetables and animal products.  But why the increase was exceedingly high and it keeps creeping up right before our eyes?  What could be the difference between the food source, preparation, portion consumption, and preferences that may explain the inevitable development of chronic diseases now a days?  There might be a lot of confusion along side of the consumers basing on so much information and claims that the food industry is presenting the public.  
 
Watch out for the release of my book "CULINARY MEDICINE" The book will largely deal on several factors influencing the food sources, choices, preparation, nutrition and related pathogenesis that brought about manifestation of chronic diseases, subjects not commonly discussed in culinary arts nor in medical schools.  A comprehensive list of simple and easily prepared recipes will also be included to serve as reference for each stage of reaching optimal dietary practices.  

​The bottom line is, most people wanted to live longer than the expected life expectancy which is surprisingly so low as what the national statistical data is showing us.  But since the culture and practices around us is not encouraging nor leading people to live long, we’ve really got to do something!  It’s never too late to educate ourselves and start an optimal lifestyle that will not only benefit us but our family and the next generations to come where we pass not only our genes but mostly our familial practices, disease risks and tendencies.