For decades throughout the United States, food has been treated as a lifestyle choice rather than a medical necessity. Depending on the vast cultures that encapsulate America, your diet is often defined by your culture, but more recently on the vast amounts of fast food and other restaurants near you. Yet chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension are linked to a poor diet. A recent movement known as “Food as Medicine” is a program seeking to change how the healthcare system and people approach their individual nutrition. The end goal is treating food as a central part of disease prevention and treatment. Specific programs that can prescribe or even deliver healthy food as part of care can be promising in promoting patient outcomes, reducing costs, and promoting overall health equity. However, there are substantial challenges these programs must first overcome, ranging from funding, policy, and trust in the community, before they can become standard parts of health care and American society.

Food as Medicine, which can be abbreviated as FAM, refers to the program providing nutritious foods to patients as part of their medical treatment. According to the National Governors Association, FAM programs are defined by including medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, and grocery support designed specifically for patients with chronic disease, differing from the broader food aid programs like SNAP and WIC because they are provided by medical professionals targeted toward people with health conditions related to diet.

A growing number of sites show that FAM programs can improve both health and financial outcomes for patients in the system. A 2024 Health Affairs survey found that poor nutrition causes more than 600,000 deaths each year in the United States and costs over 1 trillion dollars in medical expenses and lost productivity. Despite the obvious impact of diet on health, less than half of the patients involved said their doctor gave them meaningful guidance on food, while most agreed they would be interested in participating in a food prescription or nutrition support program.

Clinical studies show results that patients who receive these FAM meals often experience better control of blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure, with some research also linking these programs to fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits, meaning it can save significant costs. One review found that if medically tailored meals were expanded nationwide, the country could save 27 to 48 billion per year.

In recent years, both federal and state governments have shown interest in expanding Food as Medicine programs. The Department of Health and Human Services launched a national initiative to integrate food and nutrition into their individual healthcare policies, with the goal being to coordinating group efforts among agencies to reduce diet-related chronic diseases, with hospitals and insurance companies looking and experimenting with adding FAM benefits to their coverage plans.

The Food as Medicine movement is a challenge that fights against the long-lasting divide between healthcare providers and nutrition. By being able to directly prescribe healthy foods alongside traditional treatments, doctors can help not only deal with disease but also prevent it. The evidence shows that food intervention not only improves health outcomes but lowers costs overall. Yet to reach full potential, these programs still need more time to flourish, coming up with reliable funding, being integrated into the medical system, and gaining nationwide policy support. If these conditions can be met, Food as Medicine could become one of the most effective tools for improving public health in the United States.

Works Cited

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “Food Is Medicine: A Project to Unify and Advance Collective Action | Odphp.health.gov.” Health.gov, 2022, odphp.health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/food-medicine.

‌Houghtaling, Bailey, et al. “Implementation of Food Is Medicine Programs in Healthcare Settings: A Narrative Review.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, 25 Apr. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-08768-w.

‌Ronit Ridberg, et al. “Food Is Medicine in the US: A National Survey of Public Perceptions of Care, Practices, and Policies.” Health Affairs, 12 Mar. 2025, https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2024.00585.

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