Can Food Really Heal?

Greek philosopher and physician Hippocrates made his often-repeated proclamation, “Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food,” more than 2,000 years ago. He was far from alone in his belief that the foods one eats have the power to optimize health and well-being: ancient medical texts in the Egyptian, Ayurvedic, and Chinese traditions also noted different foodstuffs that were believed to prevent or treat illness.

It would seem that what is old is new again: over the past decade, the …