In our high-tech society, where industry drives profit and most of the day is spent at work, eating has become something to do quickly and often while staring at a screen. This has normalised feeding with unnatural food, getting sick because we eat unhealthily and too much, and the tendency to silence the body’s protests with medications. In doing so, we have effectively industrialised and neglected our nourishment, allowing preservatives and artificial sweeteners to be part of our routine diet.

  1. Berrino F. The Food of Wiseness. What really nurtures us. 2020.Mondadori. ISBN-13. 978-8804712763
  2. Eisenberg DM, Pacheco LS, McClure AC, et al. Perspective: Teaching Kitchens: Conceptual Origins, Applications and Potential for Impact within Food Is Medicine Research. Nutrients. 2023. 15:2859
  3. Reddy K, Aggarwal M, Freeman A. Food Is Medicine: The Time Is Now. The American Journal of Medicine. 2024.137:1180-1183
  4. Witkamp RF, van Norren K. Let thy food be thy medicine…when possible. Eur J Pharmacol 2018. 836:102-114
  5. Downer S, Berkowitz SA, Harlan TS et al. Food is medicine: actions to integrate food and nutrition into healthcare. BMJ. 2020. 10.1136/bmj.m2482,369
  6. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025. 125:1601-1610
  7. Berrino F, Fontana L. 2018. The Great Way. Nutrition, exercise, and meditation for a long, happy, healthy, and creative life. ISBN-13978-8804724377
  8. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2025). Food as Medicine Strategic Roadmap. Available here: https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/member-updates/academy-releases-food-as-medicine-strategic-roadmap
  9. Berrino F. 2016. Human Food. Franco Angeli, ISBN-13, 978-8891707444
  10. Berrino F. 2018. Medicine to Eat. Franco Angeli. ISBN-13. 978-8891771780
  11. O’Brien O, Owens S, Stanton A, et al. 2023. Climate and Health Alliance sustainable diets working group. Fixing Food Together: Transitioning Ireland to a healthy and sustainable food system. Climate and Health Alliance
  12. Kennedy D. 2024. Culinary Medicine From Clinic to Kitchen: A Hands-on Guide to Transforming Nutrition Guidelines into Cooking Skills – The Essential Foods (Culinary Medicine From Clinic to Kitchen Series Book 1)
  13. Wadhwa S. 2020. Understanding food as medicine through a system lens. Explore (NY);16(6):411-412
  14. Hildebrand CA, Artz KE, Dollinger B, et al. Defining the evolving field of culinary medicine across multiple domains. Front. Nutr. 2025. 12:1588449. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1588449
  15. Glenn AJ, Hu FB. Perspective: Food Is Medicine: Hype or Hope? J Nutr. 2025. 155:3654-3662
  16. Mozaffarian D, Aspry KE, Garfield K, et al. ACC Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Section Nutrition and Lifestyle Working Group and Disparities of Care Working Group. “Food Is Medicine” Strategies for Nutrition Security and Cardiometabolic Health Equity: JACC State-of-the-Art Review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024. 83:843-864
  17. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025. 125:1601-1610
  18. Rigby RR, Mitchell LJ, Hamilton K, et al. The use of behavior change theories in dietetics practice in primary health care: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020.120:1172-1197
  19. Jones LJ, VanWassenhove-Paetzold J, Thomas K. Impact of a fruit and vegetable prescription program on health outcomes and behaviors in young Navajo children. Curr Dev Nutr. 2020.4
  20. Villalona S, Ortiz V, Castillo WJ, et al. Cultural relevancy of culinary and nutritional medicine interventions: A scoping review. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022. 16:663-671
  21. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025.125:1601-1610
  22. Veldheer, S, Scartozzi, C. Knehans, A et al. A systematic scoping review of how healthcare organizations are facilitating access to fruits and vegetables in their patient populations. J Nutr. 2020.150:2859-2873
  23. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2025). Food as Medicine Strategic Roadmap: https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/member-updates/academy-releases-food-as-medicine-strategic-roadmap
  24. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. (2025). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; 125, 1601-1610
  25. Downer S, Berkowitz SA, Harlan TS, et al. Food is medicine: actions to integrate food and nutrition into healthcare. 10.1136/bmj.m2482, BMJ. 2020. m2482,V 369
  26. Morgenstern S, Redwood M, Herby A. An Innovative Program for Hospital Nutrition. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2024.19:320-323

About the Author: Giuliana Rocca, ANutr

Giuliana is a Programme Manager in University College Dublin. She delivers nutrition workshops and mentors in cooking programmes, providing advice on sustainable diets and healthy food choices to individuals, families and communities.

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In our high-tech society, where industry drives profit and most of the day is spent at work, eating has become something to do quickly and often while staring at a screen. This has normalised feeding with unnatural food, getting sick because we eat unhealthily and too much, and the tendency to silence the body’s protests with medications. In doing so, we have effectively industrialised and neglected our nourishment, allowing preservatives and artificial sweeteners to be part of our routine diet.

  1. Berrino F. The Food of Wiseness. What really nurtures us. 2020.Mondadori. ISBN-13. 978-8804712763
  2. Eisenberg DM, Pacheco LS, McClure AC, et al. Perspective: Teaching Kitchens: Conceptual Origins, Applications and Potential for Impact within Food Is Medicine Research. Nutrients. 2023. 15:2859
  3. Reddy K, Aggarwal M, Freeman A. Food Is Medicine: The Time Is Now. The American Journal of Medicine. 2024.137:1180-1183
  4. Witkamp RF, van Norren K. Let thy food be thy medicine…when possible. Eur J Pharmacol 2018. 836:102-114
  5. Downer S, Berkowitz SA, Harlan TS et al. Food is medicine: actions to integrate food and nutrition into healthcare. BMJ. 2020. 10.1136/bmj.m2482,369
  6. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025. 125:1601-1610
  7. Berrino F, Fontana L. 2018. The Great Way. Nutrition, exercise, and meditation for a long, happy, healthy, and creative life. ISBN-13978-8804724377
  8. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2025). Food as Medicine Strategic Roadmap. Available here: https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/member-updates/academy-releases-food-as-medicine-strategic-roadmap
  9. Berrino F. 2016. Human Food. Franco Angeli, ISBN-13, 978-8891707444
  10. Berrino F. 2018. Medicine to Eat. Franco Angeli. ISBN-13. 978-8891771780
  11. O’Brien O, Owens S, Stanton A, et al. 2023. Climate and Health Alliance sustainable diets working group. Fixing Food Together: Transitioning Ireland to a healthy and sustainable food system. Climate and Health Alliance
  12. Kennedy D. 2024. Culinary Medicine From Clinic to Kitchen: A Hands-on Guide to Transforming Nutrition Guidelines into Cooking Skills – The Essential Foods (Culinary Medicine From Clinic to Kitchen Series Book 1)
  13. Wadhwa S. 2020. Understanding food as medicine through a system lens. Explore (NY);16(6):411-412
  14. Hildebrand CA, Artz KE, Dollinger B, et al. Defining the evolving field of culinary medicine across multiple domains. Front. Nutr. 2025. 12:1588449. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1588449
  15. Glenn AJ, Hu FB. Perspective: Food Is Medicine: Hype or Hope? J Nutr. 2025. 155:3654-3662
  16. Mozaffarian D, Aspry KE, Garfield K, et al. ACC Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Section Nutrition and Lifestyle Working Group and Disparities of Care Working Group. “Food Is Medicine” Strategies for Nutrition Security and Cardiometabolic Health Equity: JACC State-of-the-Art Review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024. 83:843-864
  17. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025. 125:1601-1610
  18. Rigby RR, Mitchell LJ, Hamilton K, et al. The use of behavior change theories in dietetics practice in primary health care: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020.120:1172-1197
  19. Jones LJ, VanWassenhove-Paetzold J, Thomas K. Impact of a fruit and vegetable prescription program on health outcomes and behaviors in young Navajo children. Curr Dev Nutr. 2020.4
  20. Villalona S, Ortiz V, Castillo WJ, et al. Cultural relevancy of culinary and nutritional medicine interventions: A scoping review. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022. 16:663-671
  21. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2025.125:1601-1610
  22. Veldheer, S, Scartozzi, C. Knehans, A et al. A systematic scoping review of how healthcare organizations are facilitating access to fruits and vegetables in their patient populations. J Nutr. 2020.150:2859-2873
  23. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2025). Food as Medicine Strategic Roadmap: https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/member-updates/academy-releases-food-as-medicine-strategic-roadmap
  24. Steiber A, Handu D, Mantinan K, et al. (2025). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food As Medicine Strategic Roadmap Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; 125, 1601-1610
  25. Downer S, Berkowitz SA, Harlan TS, et al. Food is medicine: actions to integrate food and nutrition into healthcare. 10.1136/bmj.m2482, BMJ. 2020. m2482,V 369
  26. Morgenstern S, Redwood M, Herby A. An Innovative Program for Hospital Nutrition. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2024.19:320-323

About the Author: Giuliana Rocca, ANutr

Giuliana is a Programme Manager in University College Dublin. She delivers nutrition workshops and mentors in cooking programmes, providing advice on sustainable diets and healthy food choices to individuals, families and communities.

Leave A Comment