FOOD IS MEDICINE
By Sarah Larson, MPH, Community Health Educator
Have you ever heard the phrase “food is medicine”? Foods that are nourishing include many traditional Indigenous foods. However, the modern grocery store looks much different than the nutrient-rich forests and lakes where ancestors historically foraged for food and medicines. Whole food is a common term now used to describe foods that haven’t been processed, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Whole foods are similar to traditional Indigenous foods in that they are nutrient-rich, but whole foods don’t have the same spiritual and cultural significance that traditional foods can have.
Eating “healthy” doesn’t mean you have to eat like a rabbit. Eating good food is all about how the food makes you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fat kick off dopamine and other feel-good chemicals in our brains. This is what signals our brains to eat more, and why we may crave those foods. But those foods often make us sick over many years and can make us feel worse in the short term, negatively impacting our mental health. Studies have shown that eating foods with lots of sugar can lead to worsening symptoms of depression.
It can be really difficult to change our eating habits, especially if it’s being recommended by a health care provider in light of a diagnosis, or for the sake of prevention. Most of us know what we “should” be eating, but those foods maybe don’t appeal to us. It can be difficult to change our habits and taste buds. Did you know that our taste preferences can change with the food we eat? Eating more salt and sugar can make us crave those even more, and increase our tolerance. The key to making lifestyle changes is slow, small, sustainable, gradual changes. For example, drinking one less soda every week or only having a packaged salty snack two times a week, depending on your current habits.
Not only is it important to limit foods that harm our physical and mental health, but it’s important to be providing nourishing foods to our bodies! If you are working on cutting out certain processed or “unhealthy” foods, be sure to have some ideas of good foods you want instead. Eating good food doesn’t have to mean all carrots and cheese sticks, it can look like vegetarian enchiladas, baked salmon with maple syrup, flavored popcorn, chicken tacos, bison and wild rice meatloaf, and so many other recipes. It sometimes takes just a little curiosity and willingness to try something new. Find some new recipes that include traditional foods by searching “Anishinaabek Cooking Resources” and finding the link to the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan website or find the link on the new Health and Human Services Facebook page.
Think about the food you eat. Is it medicine to your body?
How does it make you feel? Foods should be nourishing, but it’s important to remember that foods shouldn’t be banned either. It is all about balance. For the month of March, join the Population Health Department in their Community Wellness Challenge: Strive for Five. Community members are encouraged to get five fruits/vegetables every day and keep track using a tracker they can get at the Ne-Ia-Shing clinic, or pick up at the DII outer clinic or the DI and DIII senior living facilities. Yes, there will be prizes! Contact Sarah Larson for more information: sarah.larson@hhs. millelacsband-nsn.gov, 320-630-3115.
