Most of what we’re consuming today is no longer food, and how we’re consuming it – on-the-go or in front of devices - is not really eating. For many, food has become “edible food-like substances” and no longer the product of nature but of food science that brings with it confusion and a lack of satiety.
“Food as medicine” is emerging as a new concept in the Western world but has existed for centuries as the cornerstone of health for many cultures around the world. The term refers to prioritizing food and diet with the goal of either preventing, reducing symptoms of, or reversing a disease state. We all know how energised and positive we feel when we eat nourishing food, equally we know how sluggish we feel when we have been on a bout of poor food choices. What you choose to eat has profound effects on your overall health, it can nourish and protect.
Research shows that dietary habits influence disease risk. While poor food choices over a prolonged period may contribute to chronic health conditions, other food choices offer medicinal and protective qualities. Thus, many people argue that food really can be medicine. Eating whole, nutritious foods is important because their unique substances work synergistically to create an effect that can’t be replicated by taking a supplement. Whole, nutritious foods boast vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre, protein, and fat, all of which promote health and are key to optimising bodily function, maximising healthspan, protecting against disease, and improving overall quality of life.
Food does much more than simply providing you with fuel. It may promote or worsen health, depending on what you eat. Dr. Mark Hyman has said many a time “the food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. Even Hippocrates was noted saying in 400BC “Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food.” And Michael Pollen famously promotes: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
This is why at Akesi our liquid good gut health concentrates mean so much to us: we have created a food as medicine approach to improving gut health. The range is ideal for busy people who want to improve their digestive health – knowing how a healthy gut links to overall wellbeing. We have worked hard to include polyphenols (plant nutrients) along with multispecies probiotics and a postbiotic. Because the drinks are bio-fermented, the ingredients are what we call ‘bio-available’ meaning the beneficial bacteria have done the hard part of breaking down the nutrients ready to be better absorbed by our bodies. And the benefits don’t end there: we created lifestyle drinks that can be taken any time of day, they are enjoyable, and they are food. No gummies. No fillers. Natural, easily absorbed, food as medicine.
