IDEO designer reveals food can be preventative medicine for “reshaping the healthcare system”

25 Aug 2021 --- Embracing the food-as-medicine movement, Vivian Barad, leader of IDEO’s Design for Food studio, speaks to NutritionInsight about the potential of food to treat health ailments. Barad designs a holistic approach to treating mental, physical and chronic illness with food. Additionally, she is joining physicians and medical institutions that incorporate food as a formal part of treatment for mental and physical wellness.

“The time has always been for food as medicine, but so far, policies have limited this transformation by developing two separate industries that are the food and healthcare industries,” says Barad.

“At IDEO, we constantly are asking the question ‘how might we design a food system that nourishes everyone?’ We have the opportunity to transform communities across the world by integrating food and medicine so that daily nutrition is a valuable component of healthcare strategies at every level.”

A global concern
Access to nutritious food has been deliberately denied to many people, and we can see the results of that in most countries today, as poor diet is linked to 11 million deaths per year globally, Barad notes.

“A balanced diet is crucial. Fresh food, mostly plants and grains, and lots of water are fundamental for a healthy, positive diet, but those ‘guilty pleasures’ that can bring you joy, from wine to chocolate to mac and cheese, are vital as well. Food should delight the senses and bring connection to friends and family, which are all important for a healthy and long life.”Barad designs a holistic approach to treating mental, physical and chronic illness with food.

Both small and large food companies are expected to tailor their businesses accordingly with the use of more personalized solutions.

“Kroger, a US retail company, for example, now offers telenutrition with a team of dietitians to assist consumers with healthy buying,” adds Barad.

Healthcare industry in focus
To make food a valued part of the healthcare industry and health more important to the food industry, several changes are needed, comments Barad.

“For one, good food services should be covered by insurance and an integral part of healthcare services. We should also include food literacy in medical schools and formal training programs.”

Food can be seen as preventative medicine and could fundamentally reshape the healthcare system if supported through policymaking in the form of better nutrition education and prescriptive nutrition, she continues.

“Within the food system, the current tide in agriculture is shifting away from the reductionist theory of growing calories through increasing agricultural yield and toward a holistic view of growing nutrients by improving soil health.”

“This shift can reimagine the food and health systems from the ground up while building healthier environmental systems as well.”

In this space, Karen Washington with Rise and Root Farm is a leader in this discussion, promoting urban farming in New York City as a way for all to access fresh, locally grown food and being an outspoken advocate for community garden protection and preservation.

Food as medicine “movement” surges
The potential of food as medicine is becoming more widely noticed with the backing of clinical research. Illustrating this further, American College of Lifestyle Medicine research previously affirmed that a range of chronic diseases can be addressed with the incorporation of healthier, functional food into diets.

Also, in this space, the National Institutes of Health in the US has given a US$2.9 million grant for a “food as medicine” study. It aims to customize meal delivery formulations that could prevent and improve diabetes in patients.Food can be seen as preventative medicine and could fundamentally reshape the healthcare system.

In other research, Dr. Sonja Nodland, a scientist at Kerry, revealed the impact of food-as-medicine on the immune system. However, she notes it would be “premature” to say that everything we eat directly affects the immune system.

From an industry perspective, pioneers such as US-based company Mend have accelerated their efforts this year to make food as medicine accessible for everyone.

Food for mood
A US Census Bureau found a 31 percent increase in US citizens experiencing anxiety and depression since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Holistic health is more important than ever now. We live in a period of environmental catastrophe, mental health crises, social and political turmoil, and a global pandemic. Holistic health envisions a nutrition system that goes beyond just healthy food, but also supports social connection, physical exercise, and personal fulfillment,” says Barad.

“These are important habits to mitigate the stress and burnout that are becoming rampant as a result of the unprecedented time we are living in. At IDEO, we believe in designing a more nourishing food system that feeds both the body and soul.”

Food has the potential to impact physical ailments, while either promoting or debilitating mental health, depending on the type of food consumed.

An Edith Cowan University study has found that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is associated with stress levels 10 percent lower than diets with low intake.

In a previous study, Aramark collaborated with the American Heart Association to discover people’s eating habits in the workplace. The study found that stress and food choice were related. People who were stressed tended to eat unhealthy meals as they were more convenient.

By Nicole Kerr