Food and medicine were essential for survival during the Middle Ages. All people must eat, and this fact was no different in the Middle Ages. The types of food consumed have completely changed from the Middle Ages to the present day. During the Middle Ages, you couldn't just go get a cheeseburger or open and eat a bag of chips. During the Middle Ages, it was a struggle to grow food and hunt to feed numerous hungry people. Nowadays we take food for granted; however, food was highly prized in the Middle Ages as it was arduous to maintain and grow. Food was important as it provided people with energy and was also necessary for survival. It was said that "if one eats well he will not get sick", based on a writing from the Middle Ages. This quote ties into medicine during the Middle Ages. When there was no food or people didn't eat healthily, that was one way to get sick. Many people became ill and it was necessary to use medicine. Without medicine, sick people would not have received treatment and this can lead to death. Food and medicine are closely related when it comes to the Middle Ages. The diet and health of the Middle Ages were different from those of today because during this period a person's diet depended on the class of the individual, food and medicines were grown and produced differently, and different foods and medicines were consumed compared to today. , a person's diet in the Middle Ages depended on an individual's class. If you were part of a wealthier class, there was a wide range of foods available. According to Gerald Harvey, "Geese, turkeys, fish and chickens were generally available to the wealthy and their family." Fish would be... in the center of the paper... species such as swans, spoonbills, cranes and eagles are considered to be included, those that we would not eat today. Raw vegetables were considered unhealthy and rarely eaten, but eating was permitted except for known poisonous plants (Streissguth 58). Medieval diets lacked vitamins A, C, and D and were not high in calories. The only good thing about these diets was that they were somewhat "heart-smart"; low in fat and rich in fiber. But the medieval world was usually very hungry (Hackett 12). Furthermore, medicine and healing methods during the Middle Ages were vastly different than the medicines we see and use today. Headaches were treated with sweet-smelling herbs, such as rose, lavender, sage, and bay. Coriander was used to reduce fever (Van Winter 42). Vinegar was also widely used as a cleaner as it was believed to kill diseases.