How Medically Tailored Meals Help People With Chronic Illness
Reading Time: 3 MinutesLast Updated: May 1, 2023
At God’s Love We Deliver, we have spent years developing our medically tailored meal (MTM) intervention program, which provides MTMs and nutrition counseling and education. We have studied how MTM intervention impacts individuals who are living with chronic or severe illnesses that prevent them from shopping and cooking for themselves. Good nutrition habits can save lives.
MTMs are tailored to the medical needs of the recipient by a Registered Dietician Nutritionist. They are designed to improve health outcomes, lower cost of care, and increase patient satisfaction. Through our program, MTMs are delivered to people living with severe illness through a referral from a medical professional or healthcare plan.
Consider the case of Kelley, one of our MTM recipients. Kelley spent 10 days in the hospital due to severe pain and exhaustion and was ultimately diagnosed with congestive heart failure. When Kelley came home from the hospital, she was unable to shower, cook, or lift anything, and needed a cane for support. During her recovery, God’s Love We Deliver provided Kelley with MTMs specifically tailored to her needs. Today, Kelley has regained enough strength and energy to graduate from our meal program.
Kelley’s progress illustrates the effectiveness of our MTM program. So many could benefit from improved access to nutrition support and meals that help treat chronic illnesses. God’s Love We Deliver serves people who have one or more of over 200 chronic or life-altering illnesses. These include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, renal failure, COPD, HIV/AIDS, and more.
What types of MTMs do we serve? For example, clients with:
- End-stage renal disease will receive meals that are lower in phosphorus, potassium, and fluid than what other clients may receive.
- Restrictions on acidic foods will receive milder entrees (such as winter beef stew rather than Beef Bolognese).
- Fish allergies will receive high-quality chicken entrees, such as coconut chicken, in place of fish.
Other medically tailored modifications include low-sugar, low-fat, no dairy or acid-bland, as well as textured modifications such as minced and pureed. We also create specific menus for clients living with certain conditions, such as renal disease and gestational diabetes.
The research demonstrating the effectiveness of MTMs is clear. Access to MTMs can lower healthcare costs and reduce hospitalizations by allowing people to remain in their homes, where they are more comfortable. MTMs play a key role in managing or preventing the onset of costly and pervasive chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, COPD, HIV, and, in many cases, cancer. Meanwhile, Americans spend $3.4 trillion on healthcare costs associated with treating and addressing these types of chronic conditions.
We are at a pivotal moment in the “food is medicine” movement. Last year, the White House convened the second Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. The conference provided a platform to highlight the Food is Medicine Research Action Plan.
We have the power to address chronic illnesses on a large scale, through MTMs and nutrition counseling. We need to listen to the people who deal with illness and champion these programs at both the state and federal levels.
Please visit our website to volunteer, refer yourself or a loved one, and learn more. You can find a food and nutrition services organization on the Food is Medicine Coalition website.
You can also watch actress Jane Krakowski give a tour of God’s Love We Deliver from kitchen to delivery in our video here.
Our posting of this blog does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any non-Social Security organization, author, or webpages.
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James
It is a wonderful blog. Thanks. http://www.fooddoz.com
Desain R.
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katherine
why are you advertising your business on this website? This is a discussion of special diets for special people.
Ellen Y.
I could not find a phone number on your website in case I find I need your services, which in the past I have but was unaware of this program, which seems wonderful. I am a Type 1 diabetic and when I am unable to cook it is not a good thing for my blood sugars.
Thank you,
Ellen
Desain R.
67+ Contoh Desain Rumah Minimalis Terbaru, minimalist home design is one of the trends in home architecture that is currently popular. For those of you who want to build a minimalist home, the following aksarana media summarizes several examples of home designs as inspiration for you.
Edna R.
Me encantaría ser parte de su equipo de trabajo. Vivo en el Estado de Utah. Alguna oportunidad ser parte de su equipo como lo haría. Quedo atenta a su respuesta
Ann C.
Hi, Edna. Thanks for visiting our blog. For information in Spanish, please visit us at http://www.segurosocial.gov, http://www.facebook.com/segurosocial, or http://www.twitter/segurosocial. For Social Security information in other languages, please visit us at http://www.ssa.gov/multilanguage. Thanks!
E J.
How do we check for availability?
c. l.
are you serving floryda ?
Dana G.
are these meals available in my area 91773
Ann C.
Hi, Dana. Please visit the God’s Love We Deliver website for more information. Thanks!
Ann C.
Hi, E J. Please visit the God’s Love We Deliver website for more information. Thanks!
Beth R.
Unfortunately, it looks like this particular service is only available in New York City and Hudson County, New Jersey. Not terribly helpful to the rest of the country.
Cheri R.
Thanks. That’s good to know.
Samuel L.
I have type 2 diabetes and also on a low sodium diet.
Can your program help me?
H. T.
I have Type one diabetes can your program help me to?
Ann C.
Hi, H. Please visit the God’s Love We Deliver website for more information. Thanks!
Ann C.
Hi, Samuel. Please visit the God’s Love We Deliver website for more information. Thanks!
David
Currently I have no stomach to eat 3 meals daily, so I need assistance on meals that prevents extreme dumping syndrome. Each episode I’m down for nearly an hour to two hour waiting for the event to end. I have the episodes two to three times daily. It’s becoming a challenge for me to prep meals to prevent the dumping as well as the cost.
Is there any help I can seek with your coalition. I live on Oahu, HI
Ann C.
Hi, David. We are sorry to hear about your condition. Please visit the God’s Love We Deliver website for more information. Thanks!