Nourishing Health Through the Delaware Food Farmacy with Eric Plautz and Alyssa Benjamin

Food advice is everywhere, but when you’re staring down a new diabetes diagnosis or trying to protect a healthy pregnancy, you need better advice than "just eat better".Nutrition is a major part of a healthy lifestyle, and ChristianaCare is continuing to enhance nutrition-focused coaching through the Food is Medicine Program. Community health workers Eric Plautz and Alyssa Benjamin join us to unpack how the Food is Medicine approach becomes real support: medically tailored groceries, weekly nutrition coaching, and hands-on skills that fit into busy lives.The discussion begins with the evolution of the Delaware Food Farmacy Program and why the team rebuilt it around a consistent, scientifically backed curriculum. You'll hear how the program centers around a five-phase path that starts with food fundamentals like storage, prep, and knife skills, then moves into chronic disease management, shopping and meal planning that respects culture and identity, behavior change strategies for triggers and real-world settings, and finally sustainability after the program ends. We also share a simple tool you can use right away: the four-step healthy meal formula to build balanced meals.First launched in 2022, the Delaware Food Farmacy has connected ChristianaCare patients with medically tailored groceries and support for managing chronic disease. The redesigned Food Is Medicine model keeps food access at the center while placing greater emphasis on nutrition coaching outside the clinical setting, culinary medicine, chronic disease self-management and long-term behavior change.If you want realistic nutrition coaching ideas, meal planning structure, and a clearer way to think about healthy eating for diabetes, heart health, or pregnancy, you'll get plenty to take home. Listen now, and start planning that first meal you'd like to make healthier this week.Links:ChristianaCare Food is MedicineChristianaCare News: Arlene Daniels Was Ready for Change. Food Farmacy Helped Her BeginChristianaCare Wellness Recipe: Turkey Taco Zucchini BoatsFor the Love of Health: Food is Medicine with Michelle Axe and Rob GurneeThanks for listening and subscribing! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.