Food Is Medicine: Healing Our Bodies, Nourishing Our Minds, and Transforming Our Food System

An urgent indictment of the food we eat and a blueprint for a nutrition revolution to mend our health, economy, and planet, from a world-renowned expert in nutrition, medicine, and public policy

The food we eat is making us sick. In the United States and around the world, diet has become the leading cause of illness and premature death, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease and other chronic ailments. Advocates of healthier diets pin the blame on overeating, but the bigger issue is what we undereat—the dearth of food that nourishes and heals. Harnessing the power of the right foods can do more than prevent illness—it can treat it, extending life while reducing the crippling cost of ill health to our communities and economy. Food Is Medicine shows the way, from transforming our own diets to keep us healthy to getting the right foods from our farms into our stores and onto our plates—all while eating plentifully and pleasurably.

A global authority, uniquely positioned on the front lines of nutrition science, medicine, and public policy, Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, draws on cutting-edge research to turn complex science into a clear, actionable program to end the health crisis in our homes and communities. Excavating the decisions that led to a broken food system, plagued by the harms of ultraprocessing and ruinous to the environment, he lays out how the meals we eat are damaging our bodies. He reveals the medicinal, healing power of ideal nutrition and introduces the innovators who are pioneering solutions—at the doctor’s office, in supermarkets, in the halls of Congress, and above all for individuals, to empower them to access the foods they need to live well.

With clarity and optimism, braiding storytelling, science, and practical wisdom, Food Is Medicine lays out a vision for a twenty-first century food system that will restore health, nourishment, and equity without sacrificing convenience or choice. In the process, these solutions can revitalize our economy, and even help to heal our planet.