Healthy Foods for Preventive Medicine

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Food has long been used to maintain a healthy diet, and a healthier lifestyle, but the same is true when it comes to an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. Food plays a huge role in determining the future health of an individual. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, approximately 7.9 million children live in food-insecure households in 2014.

Knowing the importance of healthier foods, ProMedica Health and Wellness Center, is working to treat 1,500 patients a day. This new company is the first pharmacy of it’s kinds, opening their doors to the idea of food as a preventive medicine. Patients who enter the pharmacy are offered fresh, frozen and canned foods, as well as nutrition education, healthy recipes, and referrals to community programs.

Since April 2015, ProMedica providers began screening adult and pediatric patients for food insecurity, 1,200 of the patients screened were referred to their food pharmacy with prescriptions for food to supplement their overall treatment plan. ProMedica is a non-profit, mission-based and nationally recognized healthcare organization serving in 13 hospital systems.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending that pediatricians screen all children for food insecurity, as higher adverse health risks are associated with food insecure families. Latino children are more likely to live in neighborhoods with little to no access to fresh foods, and also less likely to have access to healthier foods in schools.

Offering food as a preventative medicine in neighborhoods where underserved families are food insecure may help families have more access to healthier foods and address future health issues associated with foods, like obesity and diabetes.

To learn more about ProMedica, click here.