Human health is shaped by far more than what happens in a doctor’s office.
Research estimates that as much as 80% to 90% of health outcomes are influenced by factors outside of medical care, including diet, physical activity and other everyday habits.
Yet food, one of the most powerful drivers of health, is rarely treated as medicine.
The concept of food as medicine isn’t new, said UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Culinary Medicine Program director and internal medicine physician Dr Jaclyn Albin in the United States.
The movement gained traction in the 1980s, when medically tailored meals were provided to patients with advanced HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection during the AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) epidemic.
“They found that people who were delivered healthy meals stayed out of the hospital,” she said.
“They lived longer. They felt better.
“Imagine that: a healthy meal helps you heal.
“It brings longevity and comfort in a sickness.”
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A balancing act
Studies have found that improving access to nutritious food, whether through medically tailored meals or programmes that provide fresh produce, can help manage diet-related conditions such as heart disease.
While eating healthier might sound simple, it can feel daunting, or even unappealing, for someone who hasn’t had positive experiences with foods often labelled as “healthy”.
UT Southwestern’s Culinary Medicine Program co-founder and dietitian Milette Siler said it’s important to consider people’s financial access to food, as well as their emotional and cultural connections to it, focusing not on taking foods away, but on adding nutritious ingredients and enhancing flavour.
“Is there a way to take maybe an ultra-processed food that is what you can afford right now,” said the specialist in culinary medicine, “and add some value to it with some foods that, while they might also be processed, are convenient and inexpensive to add nutrition?”
Part of that strategy involves scrutinising nutrition labels – not so much for additives, although these chemicals added to preserve food can affect health and are important to keep in mind, she said.
Instead, Siler recommends focusing on a few key markers of nutrient density, such as protein, dietary fibre, sugar and sodium.
“Every food is going to have drawbacks because it’s grown in a world that is not perfect,” she said.
“So we need to help people understand it’s a teeter-totter.”
For kids and weight loss
For parents and caregivers of young children, North Texas child healthcare provider Children’s Health senior vice-president and chief health equity officer Dr Stormee Williams said it’s important to build healthy eating habits early to support better health later in life.
At the same time, the paediatrician said parents should meet kids where they are by introducing healthier versions of foods they already enjoy, such as a baked apple topped with cinnamon, instead of apple pie.
“Don’t restrict the children in your life to what you like and don’t like,” she added.
“Even if it’s something that you don’t readily eat, but you have it available, go ahead and serve it to them, because they might like it.”
For people on GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) drugs, whether for managing diabetes or weight loss, North Texas healthcare provider Methodist Health System family medicine specialist Dr Dora Johnson recommends focusing on eating enough protein and multiple small meals a day.
“As you lose weight rapidly, you lose muscle mass,” she said.
“That’s why we spoke about protein being very important to incorporate in all your meals, but you also want to preserve muscle mass through weight-bearing and strength training.”
ALSO READ: The GLP-1 workout: Targeting the muscle loss from taking these drugs
Addressing food insecurity
Health experts say financial barriers and food insecurity remain major obstacles to ensuring people have access to the nutrition they need.
For example, the Community Health Needs Assessment Report – a data-driven evaluation of the health status, needs and challenges facing communities in Texas – is used to help guide health programmes in the American state.
The 2025 report identified food insecurity and nutrition among the top three health-related problems in the Dallas and Rockwall counties.
“Some of the statistics were astounding, which is why Parkland, partnering with other health organisations and communities, has developed interventions in specific ZIP codes, specifically South Dallas, to try to reverse that,” said Dallas public hospital Parkland Health community integrated health vice-president Jessica Hernandez.
“You can imagine that food is a part of that, but it is one part.”
Siler highlighted a partnership at the RedBird Mall in Dallas with Crossroads Community Services, which opened a nutrition pharmacy on-site.
Patients from nearby clinics – including UT Southwestern and Parkland – who are screened and identified as food insecure can easily access the pantry and select food for themselves.
The screening process takes less than 30 seconds and is done for all patients to reduce stigma.
The programme’s goal, Siler said, is not just to address food insecurity, but also nutrition insecurity, ensuring people have access to the nutrients they need to support their health.
Overall, treating food as medicine must be a priority for health providers hoping to change the tides in medical care and prevention of preventable diseases, Dr Albin said.
That means having thoughtful, sensitive conversations with patients and communities about their relationship with food, particularly for those who have experienced food-related trauma.
“We’ve created a void in medicine,” she said.
“I think we need to own that we haven’t been a voice for this.
“I blame us, which is part of why training the next generation to do better and to not do harm in their language around food is a huge priority.” – By Miriam Fauzia and Jamie Landers/tca/dpa
