Food choices are the most important cause of poor health in the United States. Seven out of ten deaths are caused by chronic diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which can be prevented or treated with diet and account for 86% of the $2 trillion spent on U.S. health care every year. But food-as-medicine is still fringe medicine, a practice more likely to be found at a few specialized clinics rather than in the halls of academic medical institutions.
Only 14% of doctors feel qualified to talk to patients about food. The American Heart Association recently issued a scientific statement calling for improved nutrition training for doctors. But education is only a part of the problem — financial incentives also keep food out of medicine.
