You may have heard us talk about “Food is Medicine” before (in fact, probably many times) and thought, “What exactly does that mean?” So, we would like to provide more details on this topic. “Food is Medicine” (FIM) is both a concept and a movement that recognizes the link between nutrition and health.

The U.S. Department of Health defines it as, “Food is Medicine encompasses a broad range of approaches that promote optimal health and healing and reduce disease burden by providing nutritious food, with human services, education, and policy change—through collaboration at the nexus of health care and community.”

FIM focuses on the provision of medically appropriate nutrition to improve the health outcomes of individuals with chronic or critical illnesses, as well as those at risk of developing these illnesses. Medically tailored meals (MTM) and medical nutrition therapy (MNT) – like the services Mama’s Kitchen provides – are models that fall under FIM. Other models that fall within FIM include medically tailored groceries and prescriptive produce (intended for those well enough to cook for themselves but without the knowledge or means to procure healthy ingredients). 

While most food assistance programs in the U.S. focus solely on food insecurity, FIM focuses on nutrition insecurity. The largest assistance program, SNAP, determines eligibility/need based on income and both SNAP and community food bank and pantry programs are not required to consider the nutritional quality of food. This is where FIM differs. Services, like medically tailored meals, that operate under FIM, are driven by nutritional guidelines. Menus and diet plans are overseen by registered dietitians and individuals who participate receive the appropriate nutrition for their medical and lifestyle needs. 

The pyramid below depicts the different levels of nutrition intervention, with the top level serving individuals with the highest level of specialized needs.

 

Source: Food is Medicine Coalition member organization, Community Servings

 

The History of Food is Medicine

While there are some noted instances of Food is Medicine practices throughout history, including a Mississippi community clinic that offered food prescriptions to families with malnourished children in the 1960’s, the current movement found its roots in the 1980’s when nonprofit organizations (including Mama’s Kitchen) began providing medically tailored meals to individuals living with HIV/AIDS.  

Over the years, organizations providing MTM emerged across the country, and it quickly became clear that individuals facing other critical illnesses could benefit from this type of nutritional intervention. Therefore, Mama’s Kitchen and other organizations expanded to serve other critical illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease. In 2012, a group of MTM-provider nonprofit organizations from across the country came together to establish the Food is Medicine Coalition, which provides collative advocacy efforts, collaboration, and progression for the MTM movement. 

As the experts in FIM, many of these community organizations contributed to research and case studies on the effectiveness of FIM on improving health outcomes and decreasing healthcare costs. In 2018, Mama’s Kitchen and five other California medically tailored meal nonprofits participated in a four-year DHCS pilot studying the impact of MTM on patients battling congestive heart failure.

Food is Medicine – Making Progress

Today, the promising data from research showing improvements to health outcomes and healthcare spending has policymakers, payers, and healthcare professionals considering Food Is Medicine as a clinically effective and cost-effective way to address diet-related chronic health conditions in the healthcare setting.  

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, impact an estimated 133 million Americans — more than one-third of the total U.S. population — and cost the United States $1.1 trillion per year (equivalent to what the U.S. spends on food itself). 

Modeling on medically tailored meals shows that investing in FIM programs could save an estimated $32.1 billion a year in healthcare spending while saving lives and improving quality of life! 

In 2022, the White House recognized the value of FIM and included it as a pillar of its White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health – the first conference on this subject to be held in 50 years. The Food Is Medicine Coalition and its member organizations, including Mama’s Kitchen, participated in “listening sessions” organized by the White House to contribute to the planning of the conference and the National Strategy, which included a priority focus on FIM.  

After the conference, the White House announced a commitment of $8 billion to the “food is medicine” movement, and an additional 100 private and public sector companies jumped on board and offered funds and services to progress FIM. Some of these companies committed to progress FIM include Elevance Health, Kaiser Permanente, the American Heart Association, Tufts University, and The Rockefeller Foundation.

Our Commitment to Food is Medicine

As one of the founding organizations of the current FIM movement, Mama’s Kitchen is proud and elated to see the national progress and recognition of this movement. Our organization will continue to provide FIM and medically tailored meals to the San Diego County region and advocate for increased access and coverage of these services.