Let food be your medicine

The importance of a good diet is not a newfound concept. For instance, back in 1330, Hu Sihui, a Chinese court therapist and dietician, published Principles of Correct Diet, which is considered the first ancient Chinese text to integrate food culture and nutriology. Indeed, in traditional Chinese medicine, food plays an immensely important role in the health of the body, so far so that the roles of food and medicine often overlap in their philosophy.

Similarly, in the 5th-4th centuries BC, the Greek philosopher Plato believed in a moderate and healthy diet, consisting of “cereals, legumes, fruits, milk, honey and fish”. Meats, confectionery and wine, according to Plato, should only be consumed in modest quantities.