The Benefits of Prescribing Food as Medicine

—Tanja Ivanova—Getty Images We all know that eating a healthy diet is good for us.

In fact, nutrition is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent and manage chronic health conditions like heart disease , diabetes, and hypertension.

The evidence is strong enough that the American Heart Association identifies eating better as one of Life’s Essential 8 , the eight key factors for improving heart health.

So, why is it so hard for Americans to eat well? Part of the problem is knowing what to eat as part of a healthy diet.

Nutrition can feel complicated, especially when health claims can be conflicting or confusing.

How much protein does one really need? What are good fats and bad fats ? But the fundamentals of a heart-healthy diet have been remarkably consistent for years: eat plenty of fruits and vegetables , prioritize healthy sources of protein, and choose whole grains while minimizing sodium, processed foods, and added sugar.

This was reinforced in the most recent 2026 Dietary Guidance released by the American Heart Association.

Knowing what to eat and being able to eat that way are, however, not the same thing.

Eating a healthy diet is not simply a matter of individual choice; it also depends on whether you can afford healthier foods, which often cost more.

Nearly 1 in 7 U.S. households struggled with having enough food to eat at some point in 2024, according to the latest USDA data.

Even foods that seem healthy can contain unhealthy ingredients.

A salad may seem like an obviously healthy choice, yet it can contain a surprising amount of sodium and saturated fat if it has processed meat, cheese, and dressing.

Since much of the sodium is already baked into our food, it is not surprising that nearly seven in 10 adults exceed the recommended intake of sodium of 2,300 milligrams per day.

As a preventive cardiologist and one of the authors of the 2025 high blood pressure guideline by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, I know how compelling the data are to support a low-sodium diet to manage high blood pressure.