Ep 28: Food as medicine with Matt Pieper
What is the relationship between food and health? Can food be medicine? This week, we invited Matt Pieper from Open Hand Atlanta to talk about food, nutrition, and community health. We discuss research showing the effectiveness of medically-tailored nutrition interventions, we examine the ways social enterprise can support nonprofits and other socially conscious missions, and we mix it with great music including “TV Dinners” from ZZ Top and “Peaches” from The Presidents of the United States.
So that we can play the music of the 80s/90s right in the episode, we are releasing our podcast on Spotify. Get Spotify Premium to listen along with the music mid-episode.
Key Takeaways
“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food” - Food is not just a means to provide calories, but it is a medical intervention. Research shows that nutritious meals can be a cost-effective intervention to help people, particularly those with chronic disease.
Social enterprise can be an effective means to raise and diversity funds for nonprofit missions. Open Hand Atlanta partners with Good Measure meals to accomplish this through providing some meals at market rates to help fund efforts to provide foods through the nonprofit model.
There are many food deserts throughout Atlanta and Georgia as a whole. Often, food security and nutrition isn’t so much about supply but rather access and distribution. Nonprofits like Open Hand Atlanta work to solve this distribution problem by connecting those in need of nutritious meals and education programming with resources to help.
A “Ditch the diet” approach that emphasizes portion control and healthy eating may be an effective approach to health and weight management in comparison to “fad” diets.
Social workers and case managers should consider how they can connect clients to nutrition services just as they provide services in more traditional areas like employment, education, and housing.
Resources and Links
Berkowitz, S. A., Terranova, J., Randall, L., Cranston, K., Waters, D. B., & Hsu, J. (2019). Association between receipt of a medically tailored meal program and health care use. JAMA Internal Medicine, 179(6), 786-793.
Palar, K., Napoles, T., Hufstedler, L. L., Seligman, H., Hecht, F. M., Madsen, K., ... & Weiser, S. D. (2017). Comprehensive and medically appropriate food support is associated with improved HIV and diabetes health. Journal of Urban Health, 94, 87-99.
Gurvey, J., Rand, K., Daugherty, S., Dinger, C., Schmeling, J., & Laverty, N. (2013). Examining health care costs among MANNA clients and a comparison group. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 4(4), 311-317.
Our Guest
Matt Pieper has dedicated his career to empowering people to live healthier lives with dignity. As Executive Director for Open Hand Atlanta, he advances the organization’s pursuit to provide delicious, nourishing meals and nutrition education to thousands of people who are home-bound or too sick to cook for themselves. Open Hand Atlanta serves seniors, children and families, and neighbors who are at risk for or have a disability or illness. Open Hand empowers people to live healthier lives with dignity. All clients--whether paying or not--receive the same nourishing, delicious meals, because everyone deserves love, dignity and nutrition.
