Understanding Medically Tailored Meals with Seattle Sutton's

Medically tailored meals are specially prepared meals that are designed to meet the specific dietary needs of individuals with certain medical conditions. These meals are carefully crafted to provide the right balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are necessary for symptom management, improved disease outcomes, and optimal health.

Oftentimes, these meals are prescribed by healthcare professionals as part of a comprehensive treatment plan to manage and improve health conditions that require specific nutrition intervention. Meals are made with fresh, high-quality ingredients to ensure both taste and nutrition and meet specific nutrition guidelines for different conditions. 

Seattle Sutton’s Approach to Healthy Eating

Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating is a comprehensive program that focuses on providing healthy, balanced meals. The program takes a science-based nutrition approach with tailoring meals to meet the nutrition guidelines from the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. By following these guidelines and the basics of the Mediterranean Diet our meals can be used in the nutritional management for a variety of chronic health conditions such as:

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Chronic Kidney Disease/End-Stage Renal Disease
• COPD
• Diabetes
• Malnutrition

Each meal is portion- and calorie-controlled, making it easy for individuals to manage their overall health, get adequate calories, and decrease the need for determining the amount and type of foods to eat.

In addition to meals, Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating provides educational resources and access to Registered Dietitians to help individuals learn the importance and basics of making proper food choices for their specific health needs and to assist them with making informed food choices. 

Nutritional Benefits of Medically Tailored Meals

Medically tailored meals offer several benefits that can contribute to improved health and well-being. These meals are designed to provide the right balance of macronutrients and micronutrients and tailored to promote digestive health, stabilize blood sugars, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

These programs can be considered culinary medicine because they aim to improve nutritional quality, reduce the risk of malnutrition, and provide convenience due to reduced need to shop and prepare meals when an individual has fatigue, a hectic schedule, or other physical limitations to healthy meal preparation.

Impact on Health Conditions

Medically tailored meals can have a significant impact on managing and improving health conditions. For individuals with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease, these meals can help improve lab work, improve symptoms, and reduce the risk of complications. Medically tailored meals can also provide necessary nutrients to support their immune system, promote healing, and maintain a healthy weight.

By addressing specific nutritional needs, medically tailored meals can play a crucial role in managing and improving an individual’s care and quality of life. Research has supported a significant positive impact of these meals on many aspects of health and quality of life including:

• 50% improved medication adherence
• 50% less visits to Emergency Rooms
• 50% fewer hospital admissions
• 37% shorter hospital stays
• 28% cost savings
• 20% more likely to be discharged home rather than to nursing home
• Decreased hospital readmission rates
• Decreased social isolation
• Improved self-management of condition and satisfaction

Evidenced-Based Meals Plans for Optimal Health

Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating offers free consultations with our Registered Dietitians to help you pick the plan that will best align with your nutritional and personal needs. In these consultations we will learn about your individual medical needs, food allergies, cultural or religious dietary restrictions, and goals and tailer our recommendations to best support your optimal health.

By providing meals that meet specific evidence-based guidelines and offering ongoing support, we aim to empower individuals to take control of their health and improve their well-being. Each of our meals are fully prepared and requires no grocery shopping, meal planning or preparation, and cooking so you can focus on taking care of other aspects of your life.

Insurance Coverage for Medically Tailored Meals

Insurance plans are starting to acknowledge the benefits of using nutritionally designed, prepared meals to help keep people healthier, reduce hospitalizations and lower overall healthcare costs. Some plans are starting to provide coverage for these programs. We encourage you to reach out to your insurance provider and inquire if they provide any benefit for Medically Tailored or healthy meal programs. Benefits can be triggered by a recent hospital stay or diagnoses which will be approved for a certain time. While other insurance programs provide a monthly allowance towards healthy food programs that meet specific standards. A simple call to your insurance company may pay off big time by making meals that are designed to help manage your condition and convenient more affordable.