The idea of ‘food as medicine’ is a fairly novel concept to many people, especially in modern healthcare. But even since my days in medical school, research has uncovered a great deal of information around the role of nutrition in metabolic health and function. This is especially true of dairy, eggs, and animal protein: three things demonized as ‘bad for your heart’ in recent decades.
With this in mind, I’d like to take the next few minutes to give a high-level overview of how food can be used as medicine for your heart. I’d also like to point you in the right direction with resources for further study.
Article overview:
- Food directly drives metabolic health. What you eat has downstream consequences on your heart, either positively or negatively.
- Many foods traditionally demonized are heart-healthy and cardioprotective compared to unnaturally refined seed oils, carbohydrates, and sugar.
- To use food as medicine, consider eating real, nutrient-dense foods, following a low-carb diet, and cutting refined sugar.
The connection between food and health
If you’ve followed me on X for any time at all, you know I speak almost constantly about the interplay between food and metabolic health.
What you eat affects your blood sugar, which has a trickle-down effect on your brain, pancreas, liver, and yes, your heart. Too much of the wrong thing(s) can cause insulin resistance, increase inflammation in your body, and ultimately clog your arteries. This process occurs slowly, often over the course of multiple years or decades.
But if eating the wrong foods can cause damage over time, it stands to reason that eating the right foods can have quite the opposite effect. Imagine replacing the real drivers of heart disease and chronic illness — like fake and real sugars, processed food, and refined carbohydrates — with whole, real foods like:
- Whole-fat dairy. The myth of the healthier low-fat diet has been exposed. Not only do we know that full-fat dairy is cardioprotective, but it also offers a substantial amount of protein per serving.
- Animal protein, especially red meat. Meat is medicine, in more ways than one. Not only is it positively associated with a longer lifespan (and potentially healthspan) compared to carbohydrate crops, but it is also “highly nutritious and contributes with several essential nutrients which are difficult to obtain in the right amounts from other food sources.”
- Saturated fat. This is a much healthier alternative to seed and vegetable oils, which can oxidize quickly and harm your heart. You can learn more about the oxidation of omega-6 versus omega-3 oils here.
- Organ meats. No, they’re not going to clog your arteries with cholesterol. The same is true of eating eggs: no need to avoid the yolk to save your heart. In fact, studies urge consumers to “Avoid discarding egg yolks, as they contain antioxidants, essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that contribute to a healthy and balanced diet.”
So how can you use food as medicine to heal your heart?
If you’re currently at risk for a heart attack, or if you’re worried about a recent CAC score, you should know that it’s never too late to start making positive changes. Yes, this even applies if you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease.
Here are some simple dietary changes you can make today that will help you see results in as little as 12 weeks or less.
Get more whole, real food
The easiest way to heal your heart and body is to eat foods with as many vitamins, minerals, and other trace nutrients as possible. This means avoiding any ultra-processed, ‘near food objects’ that offer little to no nutritional value to your body.
Now, keep in mind that there are many so-called ‘health’ foods that are particularly bad for your metabolic health. Protein-powered junk food, carb-free ‘bread,’ and ‘healthier’ sodas are just a few examples of processed food masquerading as healthy options.
These foods offer little to no nutritional value per serving. You’d be much better off served by whole, real foods like low-carb fruits, vegetables, and cuts of animal protein.
Speaking of carbs…
Replace carbs with fat
Anything that follows a proper human diet, such as keto, carnivore, or ketovore, can help reduce the strain of high blood sugar. This allows your body to become more insulin sensitive, which can lead to better health outcomes and fewer instances of chronic disease.
Interestingly, studies show that high-carb diets have a “1.15-fold increased risk of CVD compared to those with the lowest intake.” They may also accompany other less-than-healthy additives, like preservatives, food dyes, and more.
Please, don’t be afraid of getting more fat in your diet. And don’t feel tempted by fake fat replacements like EPG, which are not necessarily a healthful alternative.
Learn more about fats versus carbs in the great heart health debate.
Reduce your sugar intake as much as possible
Sugar is technically a carbohydrate, but refined sugars are a particular danger to your metabolic health. Not only do they spike blood sugar and lead to addictive eating behaviors, but they can also lead to high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Learn more about using food as medicine
I could go on and on about using food to heal your body. But as you can imagine, there are quite literally pages upon pages to say. This is truly a subject that lets you dive as deeply into it as you want — and we’ve barely scratched the surface.
So if you’re hungry for more knowledge (pun intended), let me give you a few starting points:
- The relationship of nutrient density to heart health
- Forget superfoods. Here are the top 3 foods to eliminate to improve your heart health
- Gut microbiota and your metabolic health
- How your gut health directly impacts heart disease
- The ultra-processed ‘health’ foods that are lurking in your pantry
I cover all this and more in greater depth, plus provide a four-week diet-as-medicine protocol, in my new book: Stay Off My Kitchen Table.