Food Is Medicine: Bringing Nutrition to the Center of Healthcare

Diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease remain leading contributors to preventable illness and rising healthcare costs. Food Is Medicine programs offer evidence-informed strategies that integrate nutrition into healthcare to prevent, manage, and treat these diseases. Approaches include medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, and nutrition counseling, which are designed to improve health outcomes and reduce long-term healthcare costs.

Because diet-related chronic diseases arise from a combination of behavioral, genetic, and environmental factors, Food Is Medicine programs can serve as a complement to broader food and nutrition policies, rather than replace them. When strategies such as federal food assistance and school meal programs align with Food Is Medicine, they can more effectively prevent and manage diet‑related conditions for Americans.

Multiple federal agencies are advancing Food Is Medicine programs:

• State Medicaid programs can offer benefits under Section 1915 and 1115 waivers and through managed care authorities.
• Medicare Advantage plans may include food-related supplemental benefits and Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy guidance prioritizes improving human health through precision nutrition and food quality, reinforcing the importance of tailoring nutrition interventions and enhancing food quality to combat chronic disease.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Nutrition Research’s strategic plan emphasizes studying the impact of Food Is Medicine programs on individuals, healthcare systems, and food production.

Westat’s Capabilities to Support Food Is Medicine Programs

“Early evaluations of Food Is Medicine programs show promise, including reduced hospitalizations and improved health outcomes for participants,” noted Westat’s Meg Tucker, MS, a Principal Research Associate. “However, additional research is needed to identify which interventions work best and to assess costs and savings at scale.”

Westat brings decades of experience in program evaluation, policy administration, and dietary analysis for large-scale health and nutrition initiatives. Our expertise makes us a strong partner to help agencies implement and assess emerging Food Is Medicine programs.

• Assessing policy effects. We help agencies assess the potential effects of nutrition policy options by analyzing administrative and survey data and strengthening analytic tools used in program planning and evaluation.
• Identifying nutrient gaps. We analyze dietary intake data to assess alignment with guidelines and uncover nutrient deficiencies. Our work supports evidence-based strategies to improve diet quality and inform nutrition policy.
• Evaluating health models. We conduct multistate evaluations for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine whether innovative models improve health outcomes and reduce costs.
• Supporting waiver and demonstration projects. We can help agencies administer complex waiver and demonstration projects. For example, we assisted a client agency in improving the implementation and monitoring of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) demonstration projects and analyzed Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) waiver use.

“Food Is Medicine programs have the potential to transform healthcare by addressing nutrition as a core component of treatment,” said Stacy Gleason, MPH, a Westat Associate Vice President. “Westat is ready to partner with federal and state agencies to evaluate these programs and to assist them in their mission to deliver measurable health and cost benefits.”

Learn More About Westat’s Capabilities

Services

Health Services Research and Health Policy—Westat

Food and Nutrition—Westat

Insights

Leveraging WIC EBT Data for In-Depth Program Analysis—Westat