PRODUCE WITH A PURPOSE
PRIORITIZING FOOD AS MEDICINE WITH DISEASE STATE PRODUCE BOXES
PRODUCE WITH A PURPOSE
PRIORITIZING FOOD AS MEDICINE WITH DISEASE STATE PRODUCE BOXES
FRESH PRODUCE BENEFIT
Our fresh produce wellness boxes filled with fruit and vegetables, aimed at improving your members physical health and total wellness, reducing your insurance costs, and providing a better quality of life for your members. Disease State Produce Boxes are delivered free to your members doors.
WHY FRESH PRODUCE?
Vegetables and fruits are an essential part of any well-balanced diet, especially for older adults. Aging is linked to a variety of changes within the body, including nutritional deficiencies, decreased quality of life and poor health outcomes. To prevent deficiencies and other age-related health issues eating nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables play an important role in reducing the risk of developing chronic health conditions.
THE PROBLEMS OF HUNGER ARE MASSIVE, BUT SOLVABLE
Worthy Flavors is working with managed care organizations and nonprofit corporations to get fresh fruits and vegetables into areas that have barriers of accessibility, affordability, and quality fresh fruits and vegetables, especially in food deserts. This is more prominent in low income areas that lack major grocery chains local farms and green markets.
DISEASE STATE PRODUCE BOXES
CHOLESTEROL LOWERING WELLNESS BOX
About 38% of American adults have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, putting them at risk for heart disease and stroke, the two leading causes of death in the United States. Research has shown that soluble fiber, in particular, from fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and whole grains, may help to lower unhealthy (LDL) cholesterol. While insoluble fiber has long been associated with reducing overall cholesterol.
In addition, unsaturated fats, which can be found in avocado, olives and nuts may help prevent and manage high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol levels. Lastly, polyphenols also found in fruits and vegetables help to maintain heart vessels and decrease inflammation in the arteries, also reducing risks of blood clots.
This wellness box will include fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C, magnesium and folic acid which may reduce the risk of damaging and hardening of your arteries as well as dietary fiber to help lower overall cholesterol.
KIDNEY/RENAL SPARING WELLNESS BOX
Kidneys are the body's natural filter of toxins making them critical for maintaining good health. However, more than one in seven American adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease (CKD). A number of conditions can result from dysfunctioning kidneys including anemia (low number of red blood cells), increased occurrence of infections, low calcium levels with bone disease, depression, loss of appetite and high levels of potassium and phosphorus in the blood. As of 2019, treating Medicare beneficiaries with CKD cost $87.2 billion, and treating people with End Stage Renal Disease cost an additional $37.3 billion.
Preventing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its complications is possible by managing risk factors and treating the disease to slow its progression and reduce the risk of complications; part of which is focusing on a healthy diet. To keep kidneys healthy, it is important to control risk factors like the foods you eat. Encouraging your members or patients to have a diet low in potassium will help spare kidneys and prevent additional complications.
This wellness box will include fruits and vegetables that are low in potassium and rich in vitamins,
minerals and antioxidants.
DIABETES WELLNESS BOX
More than 34.2 million Americans are living with diabetes and even more are at high risk for developing prediabetes or progressing from prediabetes to Type 2 diabetes every day. And, although in the past decade the annual rate of new cases of diabetes in the US has been going down overall, complications related to the condition have continued to increase. In addition, the rate of new cases among children and adolescents continues to grow as well.
Diabetes is the most expensive chronic condition in our nation as $1 out of every $4 in US health care costs is spent on caring for people with diabetes. A cost so considerably high that the CDC is now partnering with multiple lifestyle changing organizations to come up with more effective solutions than medication alone. One of those solutions is creating healthier attitude towards patient's managing their diet.
This wellness box will provide fruits and vegetables with lower impacts on blood sugar, good amounts of fiber and rich in antioxidants to help reduce sharp increases in blood sugar which is what leads to further complications including blindness, neuropathy and kidney disease.
IMMUNE BOOSTING WELLNESS BOX
Within the last decade more research has been done to better understand the body's immune response. Especially with the recent COVID pandemic, those who are immunocompromised have required additional resources to be spent researching and protecting this population group. People with primary immunodeficiency (PI) have an immune system that does not work correctly making them more likely to get and become severely ill from infections. This population tends to have past medical histories including ear and sinus infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, meningitis, skin infections, and severe infections often requiring multiple medications or hospitalizations. People with PI are also more likely to have autoimmune disorders and certain blood disorders including cancer.
Until we understand more about genetics and the body's immune response, it is important your members or patients are taking steps to prevent infection by ensuring they have a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
This wellness box will be full of nutrients that support immune health including
antioxidants, vitamin C and D, zinc and folate.
60+ WELLNESS BOX
As we age, it is important to focus on nutrition in three major areas for optimal health; protecting brain health and memory, preventing eye damage that can lead to blindness and preventing issues related to bone and blood health like anemia and bone fractures.
Having a diet rich in iron, vitamin c, folic acid and anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals can protect the aging body from varying levels of macular degeneration of the retina and reduced vision, combat against inflammation of the joints and lining of the cartilage surrounding bones and helps maintain memory and brain health.
This wellness box will focus produce rich with iron and folic acid as well as vitamin C, which helps with overall iron absorption to prevent issues related to bone health and anemia.
GUT HEALTH WELLNESS BOX
IBS is a broad term used to describe a number of gastroenteral conditions that can include a range of symptoms for bloating to inflammation damage. The use of prebiotics and probiotics are consistently attributed to better gastrointestinal outcomes. Probiotics are live microorganisms (specific types of bacteria and yeast) that provide health benefits when you consume them in the right amounts and prebiotics are naturally occurring, non-digestible food components that are linked to promoting the growth of helpful bacteria in your gut.
While research is ongoing, both prebiotics and probiotics are good bacteria promoters which may help improve gastrointestinal health as well as potentially enhance calcium absorption. Helping patients focus on replenishing vitamins and nutrients that may be lost with long term abdominal and gastrointestinal conditions should be the main nutrition focus. A diet rich in vitamin A, B6, calcium, folate, antioxidants and iron/zinc are necessary for optimal health.
This wellness box includes produce focused on replenishing vitamins and nutrients that may be lost with long term abdominal and gastrointestinal conditions. vitamin A and C, B6, calcium, folate and iron/zinc are the focus of this box.
CANCER SUPPORT WELLNESS BOX
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease. While cancer prevention and post treatment are still being researched, we do know the chances of developing cancer can be affected by lifestyle choices and research shows that as many as one-third of all cancer deaths are linked to diet and physical activity. There is also ongoing research on the potential cancer chemo preventive properties of particular vegetables and fruits, including dark-green and orange vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (ex:, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), soy products, legumes, allium vegetables (onions and garlic), and tomato products that may indirectly influence cancer risk through effects on energy intake or body weight.
The 2020 American Cancer Society Guideline on Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention developed a list of general guidelines to help reduce cancer risk through eating right which includes eating plenty of fruits and vegetables to lower risk of certain cancers. The general guideline is for patients to fill half their plate each meal with a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.