nutrition Archives - Food And Recipe

April 9, 2023

How Puerto Rico’s Food Culture Shaped This Nutrition Expert – Consumer Health News

THURSDAY, April 6, 2023 (American Heart Affiliation Information) — Prolonged in advance of she was a nutrition professional, Josiemer Mattei was a woman dwelling in Puerto Rico.

“I experienced the advantage and incredible encounter of rising up near a farm, the place I was capable to know the place my meals was coming from, how it is grown and how it ought to style,” claimed Mattei, now an affiliate professor of diet at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Community Overall health in Boston.

For “The Authorities Say,” a new American Heart Affiliation Information series in which specialists make clear how they apply what they’ve acquired to their possess lives, she talked about being pescatarian, the problems people make in pursuit of perfection, and her in general angle towards food items.

“Ingesting is anything that we do from the second that we’re formed right until the 2nd that we choose our very last breath,” she explained. “And it truly is something that we ought to consider as section of our complete very well-getting.”

In this article are highlights from the dialogue.

Is there a guiding basic principle driving what you try to eat?

I decide on my foodstuff centered on a mix of wellness benefits, benefit, moral challenges, style and cultural tastes, and also the business I’m acquiring.

I’m really mindful of the funds. I am also a pescatarian.

Did you normally take in this way?

No, I have not. I was a carnivore right until my early 20s. I grew to become a pescatarian for health and fitness and for animal rights and moral reasons, mostly environmental impression.

In my adolescence, I was ingesting speedy and processed meals because it was offered in the corner stores and institutions exactly where my friends were hanging out. My behavior were rather bad at that point.

The place did you grow up, and how does that have an affect on how you consume?

I grew up in Puerto Rico, and my loved ones meals were being really classic. A standard loved ones food in Puerto Rico would be sure, rice and beans – I know that is a tiny bit stereotypical, but it truly is legitimate. We also had a whole lot of root veggies. We had a large amount of fresh new tropical fruit and vegetables. I grew up mastering to love that flavor – mangoes, guava, pineapple, avocado, lemons, papaya – I signify, they grew in my backyard. I grew up near to the coast, so we would have fresh seafood usually. I can come across some Puerto Rican generate and seafood listed here, but I attempt to invest in area and in-time. It truly is more clean, low-price tag and sustainable.

We are a food items-centric lifestyle. I you should not indicate it in a undesirable way – I mean it in a really, very great way. You go to somebody’s property, you carry food items. Somebody’s sick, you deliver food items. You want to say, “thank you,” you provide food items. So it can be really a way of displaying really like.

And our meals is delectable. Actually, it is really certainly tasty.

When I arrived to the mainland U.S., I had to changeover my habits from the Puerto Rican delicacies to what was in this article. That was tough. But I was getting additional fascinated in diet mainly because I was observing what nutrition could do. I had relatives who have been having hypertension truly young, genuinely early on. Diabetic issues was beginning to come to be fairly rampant on the island at that time.

I switched to a pescatarian diet program and improved my routines general.

Stroll us through what you could possibly consume in a common day.

I do not have a perfect food plan. You can find no these point. You have to give by yourself some leeway.

So, with that introduction, I can tell you that a usual day for me would 100{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} start off with espresso. This is a very classic beverage from my tradition.

For breakfast I typically have either cereal with 1{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} milk, or oatmeal. I appreciate oatmeal. If I’m in a hurry, I skip breakfast, or I have a bagel with peanut butter.

My lunches are typically a sandwich – egg sandwich or tuna sandwich with no mayo. I undoubtedly choose a whole-wheat bread. I toss a whole lot of veggies on it. I also like salads. I put some protein on, like salmon or egg. I love beans on my salads, or chickpeas. Once more, if I am in a hurry, I may get a frozen meal or canned soup. If I do that, I make certain that these are very low-sodium.

Evening meal is typically my healthiest food of the working day. And it truly is usually our household meal with my spouse and two daughters. My little ones are also vegetarian or pescatarian. We have bean soups, we have chilis, we have rice and beans. I period with herbs and spices, incredibly minor salt. We make foods with eggs. The young ones like Puerto Rican foodstuff like tostones (fried plantains) and sorullos (corn sticks). I use healthful plant-primarily based oils to fry them. But we also appreciate global flavors like Japanese, Mexican and other Latino cuisines.

I do drink liquor a couple of situations a 7 days. I like my beers, and I do like my desserts. Absolutely the Puerto Rican desserts, which are wonderful. If I go down this rabbit gap, I may possibly by no means quit!

As a nutritionist, I advocate for mastering our having patterns. I consider I am fairly fantastic about recognizing my starvation and fullness cues. And if I snack due to the fact I am hungry, I eat yogurt or fruit.

If a person is seeking to alter their eating behaviors, how do they get to where you are?

I will not know if exactly where I am is the objective. Like I reported, there are no best practices. This is what performs for me, for my household, for my finances.

But if people are looking to improve to much healthier practices, I assume they should be conscious of their intention and why are they transforming – their determination.

To me, the solution to that is for greater perfectly-currently being and wellbeing. That is what healthful nourishment will reach. Fat loss, or hunting great, or things like that – individuals are temporary motivations.

What’s your most crucial nourishment suggestions?

At the end of the day, you might be going to try to eat food items you like. Obtain a thing that’s very good for your human body, very good for your thoughts and perfectly-getting and that aligns with your budget, culture and values. Eat wholesome foods, and avoid processed foods. This is in essence what the dietary recommendations convey to us to do for a balanced feeding on sample.

We all have our ups and downs and our distinct phases in our life. Taking in healthful is a long race. Just continue to keep at it, be form to yourself and get pleasure from the excellent food items that is out there.

American Heart Affiliation Information covers coronary heart and mind health and fitness. Not all views expressed in this tale reflect the official posture of the American Heart Affiliation. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Affiliation, Inc., and all rights are reserved.

By Michael Merschel, American Heart Affiliation News

March 27, 2023

Know the benefits of Cauliflower that make it a nutrition superstar!

At any time considering the fact that the planet started out creating healthier choices, individuals switched to nutritious meals alternate options. So, if you are on a quest to obtain much healthier foodstuff choices, wish to consider some thing new, or it’s possible even have a fresh new take on common food, your hunt finishes in this article! Let us introduce Cauliflower, a veggie that is a staple in just about every Indian kitchen but provides a lot of wellbeing advantages, and can be rightly named the nourishment superstar. Since it is gluten-cost-free greens, it can be fantastic for men and women identified with celiac disease. You must be on the lookout for gluten-totally free solutions. Or, you may possibly be considering to incorporate low carb alternatives to your perfect diet regime system.

If you are any of the previously mentioned, cauliflower is just what you are on the lookout for. This veggie is very adaptable as it can be eaten raw, roasted, cooked, grilled, or even baked to place on a pizza crust. Wait, there is far more! It also serves its goal perfectly by doing the job as the finest substitute for mashed potatoes. You can even make cauliflower rice and swap it for white rice.

To have an understanding of the relevance of cauliflower even improved, Healthshots obtained in touch with Avni Kaul, a nutritionist, to realize what tends to make Cauliflower a diet celebrity.

cauliflower a nutrition superstar — Say no to harmful fats and indeed to cauliflower for a nutritious liver. Image courtesy: Shutterstock.

Added benefits of cauliflower you have to know

Cauliflower, currently being a member of the cruciferous vegetable loved ones, is acknowledged to have a unique group of sulfur-that contains phytonutrients termed Glucosinolates. These nutrition inspire liver detoxification and produce antioxidants in the system.

1. Cauliflower has a high nutrient material

The expert states, “Cauliflower is regarded as a diet superstar because it is dense in vitamins and minerals. It has a superior fiber content material and vitamins like B and C. It also has a wealthy concentration of carotenoids (anti-oxidants) and glucosinolates. Even though the two these compounds have been recognised to clearly show anti-most cancers qualities, the glucosinolates have piqued the most desire in normal.”

2. Cauliflower as a dietary superfood

Cauliflower is once again perfectly-recognized as a dietary superfood that is high in vitamins, as aforementioned, minerals, and other nutritious molecules in spite of its pale-coloured appearance. At present, cauliflower is the great option to a number of carbohydrate-rich foodstuff like rice and pizza crusts.

3. It is obviously gluten-no cost

“Cauliflower is naturally gluten-totally free, however, pizza crusts produced utilizing cauliflower are not gluten-free of charge. Other variables that make cauliflower a nourishment celebrity are that it is rich in fiber, a fantastic resource of choline, and a very good supply of sulforaphane, which is regarded to aid in excess weight decline. Consuming Cauliflower leaves you with a fuller experience for a lengthy time, and therefore it can be a good addition to your pounds loss diet program system. Together with, it is also an alternative to lower-carb grains and legumes.

Also read: Weary of eating tedious salads? Give this creamy and nutritious cauliflower soup a shot

4. Fertility and other diet details

Now you know why cauliflower is a single of the stars when it arrives to nourishment. Aside from the specifics stated earlier mentioned, it is prosperous in nutritional vitamins like C and K, and it is also an great source of folic acid, which supports the development of cells in the system and is a will have to during being pregnant. Also, it is absolutely free from body fat and cholesterol. It also has small sodium material. A cup of cauliflower includes only 25 energy, 5 grams of carbohydrates, and just 2 grams of nutritional fiber.

February 1, 2023

Baby formula scare prompts FDA to create food safety, nutrition program

Remark

The Food stuff and Drug Administration will develop a senior placement to oversee meals security and nourishment just after recent foodborne-illness crises, which include a baby method shortage, uncovered significant flaws in the agency’s composition and culture.

The shift is section of Commissioner Robert M. Califf’s reorganization of the FDA’s foods coverage equipment. The agency’s responsibilities are break up involving pharmaceuticals and health care units on a person side and foods protection and nourishment on the other. But Food and drug administration leaders concede that its foods duties have obtained quick shrift, leading to avoidable basic safety problems and extensive-functioning unresolved debates above nutritional and labeling prerequisites.

“You’ve finished up with a sort of jigsaw puzzle that does not fit together,” Califf reported in an interview. “What we’re undertaking below is generating a unified application that has distinct strains of authority, apparent lines of reporting, a concerted effort and hard work to create performance, the enhancement of an organization-large details technological innovation method to aid the functions and a one leader to whom it studies.”

Califf will appoint a deputy commissioner for human meals, he declared Tuesday, who will handle an once-a-year price range of shut to $320 million and oversee the FDA’s Centre for Foods Basic safety and Applied Nourishment, as very well as the Place of work of Foods Plan and Reaction.

Food and drug administration foods protection official resigns, cites flaws in agency’s crisis reaction

Crucially, even though, the FDA’s substantial-run Business office of Regulatory Affairs — accountable for investigations, inspections, laboratory tests and import controls — will continue to be independent and serve features throughout the Fda, which include medicine and clinical equipment.

Some foods protection advocates say that holding regulatory affairs separate, together with the Center for Veterinary Drugs, which operates carefully with the human foods division, could considerably hinder the efficacy of a new food items czar.

“If there’s this sort of dotted-line tactic, that’s not really allowing for the deputy commissioner to be successful,” stated Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Customer Stories. “I imagine any individual who is effective in government can acknowledge that it’s immediate-line authority that has the most impression in conditions of the place means are directed. Just about anything small of that, it truly operates the risk of almost reinforcing the recent structural dynamics that brought on the infant components disaster.”

Califf’s moves occur months immediately after he requested a feel tank, the Reagan-Udall Foundation, to assess the FDA’s foods basic safety and nutrition programs. The company was contending at the time with the infant system crisis, in which allegedly tainted powdered components was blamed for sickening 4 little ones and killing at least two.

Justice Department opens investigation into Abbott in excess of baby formulation

A whistleblower criticism that flagged possibly catastrophic safety violations at an Abbott Laboratories formula manufacturing facility in Sturgis, Mich., went unseen by the FDA’s major food basic safety official for months. Frank Yiannas, the deputy commissioner for the Office of Food stuff Coverage and Response, blamed extensive-lamented conversation breakdowns for avoiding the allegations from achieving his interest.

Yiannas introduced his resignation final week. In a letter to Califf, he stated organizational flaws “significantly impaired FDA’s capability to operate as an integrated meals crew and guard the public.”

The formula disaster and shortage, which persists in some elements of the region, triggered congressional hearings and phone calls to split up the Fda into independent agencies in the Division of Health and Human Products and services: one particular focused on food stuff and diet and an additional on drug and clinical-machine approvals and basic safety.

The Reagan-Udall Basis proposed that approach, arguing that it would elevate the visibility of the meals method and deliver it with its personal funds. About $1.1 billion — or 18 p.c — of the FDA’s $6.1 billion spending plan in 2021 was expended on its foods software, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Services.

Of that total, the Reagan-Udall Basis described, $722.2 million was expended on regulatory affairs, a division with obligations spanning not only foodstuff applications, but also health care products and medicine and veterinary medicine.

Califf would not endorse splitting up the Fda, which would need congressional approval, but explained it “deserves some due consideration.”

“Food is not just about basic safety medical solutions are not just about protection,” he reported. “They’re also about, on the foodstuff facet, diet. And on the health-related product or service side, it is about efficacy, and the balance of advantages and hazards.”

Janet Woodcock, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner, mentioned dividing the Food and drug administration risked producing two modest organizations that would compete for assets and wrestle to obtain their missions.

“I never see how which is truly a deal with,” Woodcock explained.

But some food basic safety advocates say that Califf’s restructuring does not go much sufficient. Monthly bill Marler, a higher-profile foods basic safety lawyer, said the commissioner’s moves “just rearrange the deck chairs.”

A consortium of client rights and business teams identified as on Califf to unite regulatory and veterinary components less than the new food items deputy commissioner, expressing it would be “foundational to its operational results and important tradition modify.”

The Reagan-Udall report claimed the FDA’s foods method had “a lifestyle of indecisiveness and inaction and developed disincentives for collaboration.”

“Now is the time for true reform at Fda,” Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Unwell.) and Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter to Califf on Monday. “It is not the time for half actions or much more excuses.”

Laura Reiley contributed to this report.

January 31, 2023

4 Nutrition and Weight Loss Myths Debunked for a Healthier 2023

Two people preparing food. — Weight loss plans and nourishment tendencies are often sensationalized on social media to excite people today, but they typically aren’t sustainable for long-phrase health. Valentina Barreto/Stocksy

Numerous People in america refer to social media for wellbeing information and facts relating to diet programs and fat decline.
Being aware of how to decipher what is factual and secure from what is not can be difficult.
Professionals debunk 4 prevalent nutrition myths circulating throughout social media.

If you find on your own scrolling by way of social media for techniques to kickstart new health routines, you’re not alone. According to info from the on the web individual local community PatientsLikeMe, 11{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} of People surveyed explained they refer to social media for overall health info.

Nevertheless, while some information you appear across online could look practical and reputable – and some could possibly even come from medical professionals, registered dietitians, or other certified men and women – often, this isn’t the case.

“[A] whole lot of occasions what we see is anyone who did their possess bodyweight loss prepare or intestine cleanse, or fixed their have whichever it is, and they consider to implement that to everyone…Just since it labored for them does not imply it’ll work for everybody and that is where by it can get genuinely perilous,” Jen Scheinman, RDN, diet affairs manager at Timeline Nutrition, explained to Healthline. “[They] come across intriguing brief fixes that people want to imagine, but they aren’t backed by science and can be detrimental.”

Weight loss plans are frequently sensationalized on social media to excite men and women, included Dr. Rekha B. Kumar, associate professor of medicine at Cornell and Chief Health care Officer at Identified.

“If it ended up all unbiased and well balanced information, it would be in a scientific journal and not on social media,” Kumar told Healthline.

When social media can be utilized as a resource to educate and disseminate information, she included that articles “in regards to meal plans and nutrition might be posted by influencers who do not generally have all the facts, but very likely do have some facts.”

Scheinman agreed. She claimed a ton of eating plan myths start with a nugget of truth of the matter to make them compelling to consider.

“That nugget of fact can be exaggerated or misconstrued to then be clever for the populace,” she claimed.

Deciphering amongst what is factual or not can be hard. To enable relieve confusion, we requested overall health industry experts to debunk some of the most frequent nourishment myths staying shared on social media.

Whilst keto and very low carb taking in can induce fat loss, Kumar famous that these consuming styles are not suited for every person “either due to the fact of medical circumstances like diabetic issues that may make significant carbohydrate reduction perilous or [because] these programs really don’t match the biology of an specific (i.e. a unique eating plan would be much more efficacious).”

The forms of food items that are adopted on these diet programs – particularly the keto diet regime, which focuses on extra fat – also triggers concern, reported Scheinman.

“[What] I start out to see individuals doing is consuming lots of cheese and butter and tons of steak or bacon or lunch meats that are highly processed and limiting vegetables and complete grains and other significant nutrients, so they get an imbalance in their diet program,” she said.

Studies that appear at people who dwell the healthiest and longest life have uncovered that their meal plans are sustained on complete grains, beans, and legumes, she famous.

“Specifically beans and legumes are correlated with people residing extended, so when you cut these foods out [you have to wonder] what is happening in terms of well being,” stated Scheinman.

On top of that, sticking to a keto or reduced carb eating plan lengthy-expression is tough, and when folks get started such as carbs back again into their eating plan, Scheinman explained they really do not do so in a balanced way.

“[They’re] not concentrating on the full grains, the fruits, and starchy veggies. They are starting to go back again to all those easy carbs like white bread and sugar and white pasta, and they put all the weight back again on and then some, so it gets to be this cyclical yoyo style of encounter,” she stated.

Caffeine is a stimulant that makes the brain come to feel additional inform but does not technically supply the entire body with nourishment or strength, said Kumar. This is since caffeine does not lead to cellular output of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the natural and organic compound that presents vitality to the body.

“We have these parts of the brain that make us sleepy and caffeine aids to quiet those people neuropathways down. It’s definitely masking our minimal-vitality crisis by putting a band-aid on the remedy,” spelled out Scheinman.

Consuming caffeine can also lead to dependence, she explained. For instance, you may possibly depend on it in the early morning and eventually afterwards in the day. Having said that, when you drink caffeine later on in the day, it can affect your sleep, and when you do not slumber effectively, you wake up turning to caffeine yet yet again. From there, the cycle continues.

The resolution for upping vitality is presently in the system, Scheinman pointed out.

“We have these vitality-generating organelles inside of each and every mobile termed mitochondria, and when we nourish them and get care of them [with] nutritious lifestyle behaviors — like healthy diet plan, very good snooze, anxiety management — our bodies create electrical power that we need,” she explained.

Even though some famous people have been vocal about the body weight loss they accomplished with prescription anti-obesity medications, Kumar stated these injectables have been only studied in people with obesity or diabetic issues.

“There are regarded adverse effects, largely gastrointestinal side results, but we seriously really don’t know the long-phrase results of recreational use to just get rid of a several lbs . in the absence of metabolic sickness,” she reported.

Also, as soon as the shots are stopped, Scheinman reported bodyweight get can take place if feeding on and life style habits haven’t altered.

“There are medications that can be utilised for excess weight loss and so [these injections] could be an indication that will come out in the potential, but correct now it is only for being overweight and for individuals with diabetes,” she stated.

Nearly none of the cleanses or detox weight loss plans now are proven to be productive on brief or lengthy-phrase metabolic health or cardiovascular hazard, explained Kumar.

“A detox may well make some feel considerably less bloated in the shorter term, but these success really do not final and could possibly even guide to rebound water retention or constipation,” she mentioned.

Whilst there is some truth of the matter to the idea that there are extra poisons in the environment and that people today breathe in much more air pollution, eat far more sugar and junk food items, and therefore want to rid these from the system, Scheinman reported the system by now obviously removes toxic substances.

“[The] real truth is that our human body has a really complex method that is detoxifying us every single day — in our liver, kidneys, digestive method, and colon — all of this is how our overall body receives rid of harmful toxins,” she claimed.

To support the entire body in these procedures, Scheinman explained persons can concentration on wholesome nourishment, good quality rest, and limiting exposure to environmental contaminants when doable.

In conditions of challenges involved with cleanses and detoxes, she observed that food-primarily based detox systems that advise matters like consuming fruit and vegetable smoothies or a vegan eating plan for a restricted time are most probable harmless.

However, if dietary supplements are involved in these applications, they could be hazardous mainly because the nutritional supplements “may or may perhaps not be controlled and we’re not very clear what is in them.”

Psychological damage is yet another worry, according to Scheinman. The thrust for cleanses and to detox often comes just after the vacations and with the idea that you can take in what you want right until January 1 and then detox.

“[This] encourages an harmful connection with meals and that you require to clear your physique or punish your overall body for what you did to it on an pleasurable taking in spree,” she explained.

While traits related to eating plans, nourishment, and cleansing the entire body can guide to fat loss or experience much better brief-time period, Kumar explained they are tricky to adhere to extensive expression.

“Moderation and regularity are improved extensive-term tactics. If another person does opt for to embark on a trend or trend eating plan, there need to be a prepare to transition to some far more moderate approach after,” she said.

January 2, 2023

Cooking Spinach The Right Way! Tips To Keep The Nutrition Intact

Spinach greens are the favourites of a lot of. This versatile leafy vegetable can be incorporated into an array of dishes. Packed with diet, spinach is recommended as a superfood by many nutritionists and dieticians. Even so, it is just not about adding spinach to your eating plan to get the optimum added benefits a person need to follow the right cooking strategies

With the advent of wintertime, the marketplace receives enriched with contemporary eco-friendly leafy vegetables. Nevertheless it is readily available about the calendar year, the colder season provides the most effective ones. This storehouse of nutrition, on the other hand, requires one particular to observe a couple simple culinary suggestions to get its rewards to the fullest prospective. The top secret to finding the most overall health perks of these leafy eco-friendly 1 has to be mindful of their cooking approaches. The mobile partitions of the spinach greens split down through cooking, expanding its nutrients’ bioavailability. A person of them is iron, a needed mineral that supports our immune technique and tends to make it a lot easier for oxygen to transfer among cells. About .8 milligrams of iron are existing in 1 cup of raw spinach, although 3.2 milligrams are in 1/2 cup of cooked spinach.

Picking and cleansing rules

Fill a colander with fresh spinach leaves. Go by way of the leaves and take away any that are sticky or withered. Rinse the leftover spinach in cool water well. Although rinsing, shake the colander to stir the leaves and make sure all the dirt is cleaned out.

Spinach in colander, Graphic Resource: Pexels

Evaluate before cooking

Pay back awareness to how significantly spinach you intend to consume. It is suggested that you weigh it ahead of cooking. Fresh spinach leaves are cooked down to around 1/3 cup from a serving size of 1 cup. So, if you want to eat a cup of cooked greens, multiply the part by three instances.

Cooking with water and oil

To cook spinach with oil, drizzle a minor little bit of olive oil or your preference of oil in a incredibly hot skillet. The very best sticking resistance will come from oil, but it also adds energy and unwanted fat. Drinking water will also do the trick. To sauté the approved amount of spinach leaves, add them to the pan with the oil. Blanch them in h2o as an option. All through the cooking course of action, stir the leaves and then plate them. When spinach leaves produce a further shade of eco-friendly and start out to wilt, they are cooked. Overcooking makes it slimy.

Sauteed spinach in skillet, Impression Supply: Freepik

Gains of broth

You can incorporate spinach leaves into soups and stews towards the end of the cooking process rather than sauteing them in oil or boiling them in water. Any nutrients that leak out of the leaves will be absorbed by the broth utilized to cook them.

December 17, 2022

HCA Healthcare’s Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive donates record 878,000 meals to local food banks

Year round, HCA Healthcare colleagues support local food banks, pantries and soup kitchens through volunteer service, monetary gifts and in-kind donations. This holiday season, HCA Healthcare continues our efforts to fight food insecurity with the second annual enterprise-wide Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive.

During the month of November, HCA Healthcare and our colleagues provided 878,000 nutritious meals to food banks in the communities we serve by donating food or making financial contributions to help purchase perishable items such as milk, fruit and vegetables. By more than half a million meals, the amount eclipses the 370,000 provided in 2021.

Food insecurity — the lack of consistent access to enough food to have an active, healthy lifestyle — affects 1 in 10 American families. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that 13.5 million U.S. households were food insecure at some point in 2021. Nutrition experts advise that food insecurity and poor nutrition may lead to obesity – a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and many cancers.

The 878,000 nutritious meals provided to families in need included:

80,722 meals donated by colleagues
196,313 meals from colleague charitable donations
68,333 meals from division gifts
533,000 meals from $165,000 in grants provided by the HCA Healthcare Foundation to the winning facilities and divisions of a creative food sculpture contest

‘Sculpting’ healthier tomorrows for our communities

For the 2022 Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive, hospitals were encouraged to get creative and build sculptures with the donated food before transporting it to their local food banks. The prize? An additional grant to a food bank in the hospital’s hometown to make an even greater impact.

Thirteen HCA Healthcare divisions submitted food sculptures this year.

Lee’s Summit Medical Center in Missouri won top honors for their holiday tree of cans titled “Rooted in Our Values.” Each can of food that made up the mosaic of the roots was topped with a note that carried an individual colleague’s motivation for giving back and providing superior, patient-centered care. One of the notes read, “I care because I love making sure patients are treated like family when they are here.” Another note read, “I care because hunger has a ripple effect, and no one should go hungry.” Colleagues’ efforts were awarded $35,000 in grants to local food banks of their choice: Meals on Wheels of Lee’s Summit and Lee’s Summit Social Services.

Canned goods arranged in the shape of a tree. — HCA Healthcare’s Healthier Food For Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive first place winner was Lee’s Summit Medical Center for their sculpture of a holiday tree named “Rooted in Our Values.”

The Healthy Foods for Healthier Tomorrows initiative is one that truly aligns with our overall mission and shows how our colleagues’ commitment to the care and improvement of human life extends beyond the walls of our hospital. We are beyond excited to support a healthy community in such an impactful way, and Meals on Wheels of Lee’s Summit and Lee’s Summit Social Services are incredible organizations that never fail to step up and help ensure our community’s needs are met.”

John McDonald, Chief Executive Office of HCA Healthcare’s Lee’s Summit Medical Center

Meals on Wheels of Lee’s Summit was created to help ensure elderly and handicapped community members have access to hot, nutritious and delicious meals, which can help them maintain a healthy diet. The organization has served over 500,000 meals since its inception and currently serves over 350 meals per week. “We are humbled, honored and appreciative of this gift from Lee’s Summit Medical Center,” said Susie Newsam, board president for Meals on Wheels of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. “The longevity of our partnership not only strengthens our organizations but benefits our community.”

HCA Healthcare’s Regional Medical Center of San Jose achieved second place and earned a $20,000 grant to a local food bank of their choice for their sculpture of California’s Golden Gate Bridge. The sculpture included details like a firetruck performing a rescue of a baby and Alcatraz made of food cans.

Canned food organized in the shape of the Golden Gate Bridge — HCA Healthcare’s Healthier Food For Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive second place winner was Regional Medical Center of San Jose for their sculpture of the Golden Gate Bridge.

HCA Florida Citrus Hospital took third place and earned $15,000 in grants for their local food bank. Colleagues at the Florida-based hospital created a backpack as a symbol of their collection efforts to provide jelly for the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches going to children in their community for weekly “blessings in a backpack.”

Canned food organized in the shape of a backpack. — HCA Healthcare’s Healthier Food For Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive third place winner was HCA Florida Citrus Hospital for their sculpture of a backpack made out of jelly.

Get involved

At HCA Healthcare, we’re committed to improving more lives in more ways. Championing health and nutrition in our communities offers us so many different ways to do good. In addition to donating healthy food, you can volunteer at a local food bank or contribute to a nonprofit organization that helps provide healthy food in your community.

In addition, HCA Healthcare colleagues have the opportunity to track their volunteer hours online, and all benefits-eligible colleagues can double their impact with charitable gift matching and volunteer grants. Gift matching starts at $25, and colleagues can earn $200 for the charity of their choice by logging 10 hours of volunteer service.

Check out more photos from HCA Healthcare’s Healthier Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive below.