Do we need a prescription to eat better? Talking Food is Medicine with Dariush Mozaffarian

884. Your doctor can write you a prescription for a statin or a blood pressure medication. What if they could also prescribe fresh vegetables, and your health insurance paid for them?

That’s one of the central ideas behind the Food Is Medicine movement, and cardiologist Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian is one of its leading voices. In his new book, “Food Is Medicine: Healing Our Bodies, Nourishing Our Minds, and Transforming Our Food System,” he argues that diet is the leading driver of chronic disease in the US and that it can also be part of the treatment.

Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN, talks with Dr. Mozaffarian about:

• What “food is medicine” means, and what it doesn’t
• How produce prescriptions and medically tailored meals and groceries work, and how they differ from SNAP
• Promising results from pilot programs serving people with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, and high-risk pregnancies
• Why opening grocery stores in food deserts didn’t change how people ate
• What car safety and anti-smoking efforts can teach us about changing the food system
• How much nutrition training doctors need, and where registered dietitians fit in
• Why a healthy diet is more about adding good food than cutting out bad food

Nutrition science you can trust, in plain English.

Have a food or nutrition question for a future episode? Email [email protected]. To book Monica for a live or virtual event, visit wellnessworkshere.com.

Related episodes:

735 – A provocative new study on ultra-processed foods

334 – Is the Mediterranean Diet all it's cracked up to be?

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