Food Is Medicine Coalition Featured in Gastropod

Hosted by Cynthia Graber and Nicky Twilley, this episode of Gastropod, “Prescription Dinner: Can Meals Be Medicine?” asks, how do medically tailored meals (MTMs) work? They explore the science behind the food and how nutritionally designed dinners can affect disease progression. They also take a deep look at the economics behind why taxpayers and insurers should invest in MTMs and the logistics of bringing prescription meals to the masses. 

In this episode, Alissa Wassung, Executive Director or the Food Is Medicine Coalition, covers healthcare policy and the future of building equitable access to medically tailored meals (MTMs).  

Fellow FIMC member agency Project Angel Food in LA was featured in the podcast, describing the powerful and unique intervention that is medically tailored meals. Project Angel Food’s CEO Richard Ayoub, Executive Chef John Gordon, Registered Dietitian Max Schroder, and Communications Manager Noe Garcia discuss the details behind a MTM and how mass distribution is achieved.  

Seth Berkowitz, Associate Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, and other researchers then discuss the evidence of the power of MTMs, and Job Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan, talks about healthcare’s role in nourishing patients. 

Listen now to “Prescription Dinner: Can Meals Be Medicine?” and learn more about what was covered below.