Changing your diet is one of the most impactful strategies you can use to immediately improve your health and prevent chronic disease, but it can be difficult to know where to start. With so many different eating plans and ways of eating, it can sometimes feel impossible to know which diet is right for you. When it comes to nutrition, the truth is there’s no one-size-fits-all.

If you have the opportunity to meet with an integrative provider who is well-versed in therapeutic diets, a meal plan can be tailored based on your goals, genetics, and lifestyle. But if you just want to wade slowly into the “food as medicine” movement, the Core Food Plan from the Institute for Functional Medicine is a well-balanced option that can easily be modified based on your lifestyle and needs.

In this article, we’ll discuss what the Core Food Plan is, who can benefit from it, and how it’s implemented. We’ll also touch on why nutrition is such a crucial component of functional medicine and discuss some functional medicine labs that may help you fine-tune the Core Food Plan to best meet your health- and nutrition-related goals.

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What is The Core Food Plan?

The Core Food Plan includes a balance of healthy, whole foods to set the foundation for healthy eating and health optimization. This plan blends elements of the Mediterranean and Paleolithic diets, both of which have been found to improve a variety of health parameters.

The Core Food Plan encourages the consumption of a wide range of foods to provide adequate amounts of protein, healthy fats, low-glycemic and high-fiber carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. It also recommends limiting simple sugars to promote blood sugar balance and choosing clean and organic foods when possible to limit pesticide and toxin exposure.

By eating wholesome foods that contain all the macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat, and protein), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and phytonutrients (special health-enhancing compounds found in plants) your body needs, you may have more energy, experience vibrant health, and you’ll likely begin to feel more mindful about your food choices.

Why is Nutrition Important in Functional Medicine?

While the concept of functional medicine has been on the scene for at least 150 years, the modern version we know today wasn’t brought to life until 1990. At that time, an interdisciplinary team looking for a better way to approach disease prevention and reversal came together to create a systems-oriented model that would help clinicians identify and treat the root causes of disease. In other words, rather than prescribing medication to treat the symptoms of a disease, clinicians would now have the tools needed to interrupt the underlying dysfunction and begin to reverse the disease process. One of the most important of these tools is nutrition.

In the functional medicine model, food is viewed as not just fuel for the body but rather as information that can either create or heal disease. It’s been well-established that nutritional imbalances and certain dietary patterns can increase the risk of various chronic diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. But just as poor nutrition can contribute to disease, high-quality nutrition has the power to prevent and/or disrupt the disease process and optimize health. This “food as medicine” approach is the foundation of functional medicine.

Who Could Benefit From The Core Food Plan?

Currently, it’s estimated that more than 40% of American adults are obese, and 60% are living with at least one chronic disease. Even more concerning, childhood obesity has become a serious problem, which significantly increases the risk of developing additional chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure.

The standard American diet is notoriously lacking in nutrients but also contains high amounts of ultra-processed foods, sugar, and harmful fats. This type of eating pattern is a major risk factor for obesity and other serious chronic diseases.

The Core Food Plan, on the other hand, is a wholesome meal pattern that provides all the necessary nutrients and phytonutrients needed by the body with minimal exposure to potentially harmful foods. As such, the Core Food Plan can help to maintain great health throughout the lifespan but can also be used as a therapeutic tool for disease reversal. The Core Food Plan is appropriate for children, adults of all ages, and pregnant women. And because it’s so versatile, it can be tailored for people who follow a plant-based lifestyle, athletes, or those with food sensitivities.

What are The Core Food Plans Guidelines?

Before getting into the specific foods recommended on the Core Food Plan, it’s important to discuss a few overarching guidelines. This meal plan encourages the use of clean and organic whole foods, focuses on plant diversity, and promotes mindful eating behaviors.

Choosing high-quality, organic foods is one way to decrease your toxic burden and increase your body’s ability to remove toxins. Conventionally grown plants are often produced with pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides, but processed foods also contain different artificial dyes, preservatives, and sweeteners that may be detrimental to health. The Core Food Plan encourages the use of organic, whole foods as much as possible.

In addition to food quality, striving for phytonutrient diversity is important. Plants contain thousands of compounds that may be beneficial for human health. One way to ensure you’re taking advantage of these phytonutrients is to eat at least six different colors of plant foods every day.

And finally, by encouraging food quality, appropriate portion sizes, and balanced meals, the Core Food Plan helps you develop a more mindful eating practice. Mindfulness around food helps to improve social connections and digestion and encourages better health outcomes over time.

What Foods Are Recommended for The Core Food Plan?

The Core Food Plan is rich in variety and can be tailored to suit the individual needs of meat-eaters, as well as those who are plant-based. Let’s look at each food category, why it’s important, and the foods that are included.

Proteins

Protein is a macronutrient that’s made up of various amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that humans use to create new proteins to help with everything from tissue growth and repair and immune system function to the creation of neurotransmitters and nutrient transport. While animal proteins contain all the amino acids needed to create proteins, plant proteins are usually missing one or more essential amino acids. Soy protein is one exception to this rule and is a good option for people who don’t eat animal proteins. But eating a wide variety of plant-based foods can also provide an adequate amount of amino acids, needed for optimal nutrition.

The Core Food Plan encourages the consumption of lean protein with each meal and snack, and it’s preferable to choose free-range, grass-fed, organically grown meats, non-genetically modified (GMO) plant proteins, and wild-caught fish. For animal proteins, choose a variety of cheeses, eggs, fish and shellfish, meat, and poultry. Plant protein sources include soy products like tofu and tempeh, plant-based protein powders, legumes, nuts and seeds, and dairy and dairy alternatives.

Legumes

Legumes provide protein, but they’re also a great source of complex carbohydrate, which provides needed fiber for gut health. In addition, legumes contain micronutrients like B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium, many of which Americans are lacking in the standard American diet. The Core Food Plan recommends including organic and non-GMO varieties of beans, soybeans, lentils, and green peas.

Dairy and Dairy Alternatives

Dairy foods generally contain a mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, but they’re also a source of micronutrients like calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and zinc. However, cow’s milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in kids, and lactose intolerance (an inability to digest the sugar in milk) may be a concern as well. If you tolerate dairy products, opt for unsweetened, organic varieties of milk, yogurt, and kefir. If you have a dairy allergy or are sensitive to dairy products, you can choose dairy alternatives like almond, oat, hemp, or coconut milk, and coconut or soy yogurt and kefir.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are both excellent sources of healthy fats and protein, but they also provide micronutrients like magnesium, selenium, zinc, and vitamin A. On the Core Food Plan, choose unsweetened, unsalted, and organic almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hazelnuts, hemp seeds, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and their butters.

Healthy Fats

Healthy fats are a source of energy for the body, but they’re also vital for cell structure, healthy brain function, and the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Unsaturated fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) have been found to improve lipid levels, lower blood pressure, support brain health, and decrease inflammation. The Core Food Plan recommends minimally processed, cold-pressed, organic, non-GMO varieties of avocado, butter, coconut milk, ghee, and cooking oils like coconut, grapeseed, extra virgin, rice bran, and sesame. It also recommends salad oils like almond, avocado, canola, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, high-oleic safflower and sunflower, and walnut. Dark chocolate, olives, and unsweetened mayonnaise also fit into the healthy fat category.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables have a variety of micronutrients and phytonutrients that promote health and decrease your risk of chronic disease. The Core Food Plan encourages nine to twelve servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Choose organic and non-GMO when able, and try to include as much color and variety as possible. It’s also important to eat vegetables raw, lightly steamed, or sautéed over low to moderate heat to preserve their nutrients.

The majority of your fruit and vegetable servings each day should be non-starchy vegetables with special emphasis on cruciferous varieties like kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage. Starchy vegetables like acorn and butternut squash, beets, plantains, all varieties of potatoes, parsnips, rutabagas, and yams can be included. However, if you have diabetes or metabolic syndrome, it’s recommended to limit starchy vegetables to one to two servings per day. A serving equals ½ cup of cooked or raw vegetables except for green leafy vegetables, where one serving equals 1 cup.

You can include two servings of fruit per day, but eat it with a meal to minimize the impact on blood sugar. Whole fruits are preferred, but you can also choose unsweetened versions with no added sugar.

Grains

Grains provide a variety of micronutrients, fiber, and protein. However, many of the grains in the standard American diet are refined, which removes the majority of their health-promoting nutrients.  Organic, non-GMO whole grains are encouraged on the Core Food Plan, but should be limited to two servings per day (serving sizes vary based on the type of grain). In addition, some patients may feel better when they avoid gluten, which is a protein found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley. Individuals with celiac disease must strictly avoid gluten, but there are other people that may have a gluten sensitivity.

Gluten-free grain options include amaranth, buckwheat, millet, oats, quinoa (not technically a grain), rice, sorghum, and teff. Gluten-containing grains include barley, bulgur, couscous, kamut, spelt, whole-grain cereals, bread, granola, pasta, and tortillas.

Herbs, Spices, and Beverages

Herbs and spices provide phytonutrients that impart medicinal benefits. The Core Food Plan encourages the use of a variety of organic herbs and spices. Particularly medicinal options include basil, bay leaves, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cayenne, celery seed, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, dry mustard, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and turmeric.

Hydrating with a variety of beverages will help with detoxification, metabolism, hunger, and stress resilience. The Core Food Plan encourages the use of filtered water, sparkling or mineral water, fresh fruit or vegetable juice, coconut water, teas (green, herbal, and black), and coffee.  

Functional Medicine Labs to Test That Can Be Ran During Core Food Plan Protocol to Customize Nutritional Needs

The Core Food Plan is appropriate for anyone hoping to optimize their health. It’s sometimes important to have more information about your current state of health in order to tailor the food plan, though. This is where some functional medicine labs may come in handy. Here are a few that can help inform your practitioner about your nutritional status and chronic disease risk.

Organic Acids Test

The Organic Acids Test from Mosaic Diagnostics provides information about nutritional status. Organic acids are by-products of cellular metabolism, food digestion, and gut microbiome metabolism. Routine serum tests may provide evidence that a nutrient is present, but it doesn’t give an indication of whether that nutrient is doing its job in the body. The presence of high amounts of organic acids in the urine can indicate a nutrient deficiency. For example, high levels of the organic acids xanthurenate and kynurenate indicate a vitamin B6 deficiency. With this information, the provider could tailor the Core Food Plan to include more vitamin B6-rich foods like poultry, fish, potatoes, and fruit.

Diabetes Testing

Higher than optimal blood sugar levels are very common; in fact it’s estimated that up to 96 million American adults have prediabetes. Markers, like glucose, insulin, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are valuable for diagnosing and monitoring blood sugar levels.If these numbers are higher than they should be, the number of servings of grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, and fruit can be adjusted accordingly on the Core Food Plan to help bring these values back into balance.

Cardiac Health Panel

In the U.S., cardiovascular disease is the number one killer. The Heart Health Panel from Ayumetrix combines the Lipid Profile, Apolipoprotein Profile, Inflammation Panel, Myocardial Stress Panel, and Lipoprotein Markers Panel to analyze a person’s current heart disease risk. If these tests indicate elevated risk, practitioners can educate patients on the need to be very diligent about avoiding refined grains, added sugars, and inflammatory fats on the Core Food Plan.

Food Sensitivity

The Array 3X test from Cyrex Laboratories is a serum or blood spot test that detects antibodies to wheat peptides to detect wheat and gluten-related disorders, intestinal permeability, celiac disease, and gluten-related autoimmunity. If the results of this test indicate a gluten-related issue, the Core Food Plan can be modified to remove gluten.

Lactose Malabsorption

The Lactose Malabsorption Breath Test from Commonwealth Diagnostics International can help to detect lactose malabsorption and maldigestion. If a dairy sensitivity or intolerance is identified, the Core Food Plan can be modified to exclude dairy products.

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Summary

The foods you eat regularly play a significant role in overall health. Consuming whole foods like lean proteins, whole grains, and vegetables tends to promote great health, while others, like ultra-processed foods, added sugars, and inflammatory fats, tend to create an environment in the body that promotes disease activity.

Functional medicine providers use food as medicine to prevent and/or treat the root causes of dysfunction in the body. While there’s no one-size-fits-all nutrition plan, the Core Food Plan is a wholesome option that’s appropriate for kids, pregnant women, and adults of all ages. This food plan encourages the intake of a wide variety of nutrients and phytonutrients, the use of high-quality foods, and mindful eating, all of which make it a great tool for health promotion and disease reversal.