Utah’s Food Pharmacy program focuses on health by prescribing food as medicine

Editor’s note: This story has been edited to reflect that the pilot program in question is available to U of U Health patients.

SALT LAKE CITY — A pilot program for University of Utah Health patients in Salt Lake is making better diet and food choices more accessible by prescribing food as medicine.

The Food Pharmacy is a program run by the University of Utah promoted by a national “Food is Medicine” movement. It opened in 2020 when the university noticed a great demand on the state’s food resources.

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Officials with the program operate a mobile trailer. Inside are healthy food options ready to be distributed to patients with a prescription.

Doctors can refer patients with a food-related illness, like heart disease or diabetes, to the pharmacy where they can pick up foods specific to their health needs. Each referral gives patients six visits.

Ellen Maxfield, associate director of clinical operations for the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Utah, said the program also provides follow-up visits where they coach patients on what a healthy diet looks like for them.

“I think the thing that’s really interesting about Food Pharmacy is that it is pairing that nutritious food as well as the coaching and the education to really help make them make those lifestyle changes.”

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Maxfield said there are many different diseases caused by food insecurity or unhealthy food options.

“I think people probably immediately think about diabetes and high blood pressure. But, additionally, gestational diabetes—so that type that develops during pregnancy—is impacted. Individuals with heart failure, individuals with a BMI, or body mass index that is very high or very low, obviously can be impacted by food,” Maxfield said.

“We know that what we eat and what we put in our bodies really has an impact on our health. And so by making some of those choices to really fuel our body in the best way possible, we’re going to be able to have the best health.”