When you hear the phrase “Food as Medicine”, do you think of doctors prescribing fruits and vegetables to patients? Or perhaps you envision a well-balanced meal being delivered to someone’s house? Perhaps you think of a food pantry – someplace where nourishing food is easily accessible? All the above impressions are correct. Food as Medicine is the concept of using food to not just fuel our bodies, but to help our bodies stay healthy and fight diseases. So what is this “Food as Medicine” that is likely all over your newsfeeds, and why as an employer should you take notice?
Not all food is created equally – the connection between what we put in our bodies and how it impacts our health (for better or worse) is not a secret. The Western diet – characterized by consuming too much sugar, fat, salt, and processed food, which most people in the U.S. (and increasingly globally) are subjected to – has been linked to higher risks of developing chronic conditions, cancers and even Alzheimer’s disease.1 To put it bluntly, we as a society are repeatedly feeding our bodies with foods that are hurting our health. In the US, more than two-thirds of adults (ages 20+) are either overweight or obese.1 For this reason, many groups, providers and employers, are realizing that food itself should be part of any chronic condition prevention/management strategy. That’s where the Food as Medicine concept comes into play – using healthy food to prevent poor health outcomes and better manage well-being.
Unfortunately, access to healthy food is also not equal, which means that people experiencing food insecurity will often have higher rates of chronic disease such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, hepatitis, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and kidney disease.2 As pandemic relief measures continue to phase out and food costs continue to rise, food insecurity is becoming increasingly prominent. Approximately 33.8 million people currently live in food insecure households and 12.5% of those households include children.3 An even greater number, 44.2 million people in the US, said they could not afford to eat at some point in 2022.4
With the important and concerning situation outlined above, the good news is that employers have the opportunity to incorporate the Food as Medicine movement into their overall health and well-being strategy. By considering the “EAT” approach, employers can increase access, improve quality and remove cost barriers to nutritious foods. Here’s how:
Making it easier for employees to access quality food will not only address possible food insecurity issues, but also help with the prevention and management of chronic conditions. Programs such as these can help improve access to nutritious foods and the quality of food that employees are choosing to consume:
Creating a work environment conducive to healthy eating and nutrition can help employees build healthy habits that last a lifetime.5 Employers can encourage the consumption of healthy foods through:
Strategic plan design changes can support employees trying to reduce chronic condition risk factors and those actively managing chronic conditions. Since food insecurity increases the probability of chronic disease, employers can examine these possible health plan modifications2,7:
The Food as Medicine movement is actually quite simple and straightforward; use food to help better manage health. The above “EAT” approach does just that – by helping to increase food security and making healthy food easily available, which ultimately decreases the risk and costs of chronic and other poor health conditions. So, as an employer, if you are hungry for a better way to help manage your employees’ health, remember to EAT.
With co-author Gina Julian as she gives more details and real-world examples about the “A” in “EAT”.
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1. Global Impacts of Western Diet and Its Effects on Metabolism and Health: A Narrative Review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10302286/
2. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/84467/err-235.pdf?v=9081.9
3. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics
4. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=107702
5. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/food-service-guidelines/strategize-and-act/appliedstrategies.html
6. Food as Medicine: Nutrition Interventions for a Healthier Workforce | Business Group on Health (businessgrouphealth.org)
7. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/84467/err-235.pdf
8. https://www.fimcoalition.org/our-model
9. https://tuftsfoodismedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Tufts-Food-is-MedicineInstitute_2023-FIM-Fact-Sheet.pdf