Using Food To Heal

There is a growing movement to use food as a primary means for preventing and managing disease. Before reaching for pharmaceuticals or even supplements, people are seeking healing on the plate. According to a 2024 academic article in the Nature Partner Journal Science of Food, scientific advances in our understanding of nutrition at the cellular level are driving a food-first strategy. Key micronutrients have been identified to reduce inflammation and promote cellular regeneration and repair, prompting practitioners to champion dietary modifications that soothe chronic symptoms, repair gut integrity, rewire immune signaling and reach metabolic balance.

“Healing the gut is the backbone of my practice,” says Lorraine Maita, M.D., a triple board-certified internal, integrative and functional medicine specialist who helps patients harmonize their hormones and detoxify their bodies through her Restore & Rejuvenate program at The Feel Good Institute. Whether a patient needs to lose weight, have more energy, regain their focus or sleep better, Maita’s approach centers on eliminating foods that trigger inflammation and replacing them with deeply nourishing ingredients.