A visit to the doctor typically involves checks for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, followed by some general advice about diet and exercise.
It is sound advice. We all have a general idea that we should eat better as a pathway to better health. But it can be challenging when neither provider nor patient has a good understanding of what might be missing or what might be in excess in their diet. Remembering to take medication is easy when the instructions are on the prescription label. It’s more difficult to know, “What changes to my diet will be enough to correct the problem.”
Cheri Granillo is the Translational Nutrition Program Manager and NC State Extension associate at NC State’s Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI) in Kannapolis. Her goal is to help providers and patients understand the diet component of disease treatment and embrace diet as a means to improve general health.
She can authoritatively explain the benefits of a healthy diet. She holds a biology degree with a concentration in nutrition from NC State, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing from Johns Hopkins University. Her knowledge base is enhanced by the research done by the scientists at PHHI.
“The principal investigators at PHHI are researching phytochemicals — the naturally occurring compounds found in plants — what these chemicals do for the human body, and how they can improve health,” Granillo said. “We already know that fruits and vegetables are good for you. We are looking to the science to better inform us about how these compounds can treat and prevent disease.”
Granillo wants to use that knowledge to benefit North Carolinians through a pioneering program called PhytoRx. It is based on phytomedicine — the science of medicines from plants for preventive and therapeutic outcomes.
“I’m taking the research and translating that into something medical practitioners can use to improve the health of their patients,” she said.