Steak is Medicine

Prime Future 224: the newsletter for innovators in livestock, meat, and dairy

I have a dream. 

A dream that someday I will be able to use my Flexible Spending Account, associated with my health insurance, to pay for a steak dinner. New York Strip. Choice. Medium rare. 

A recent report laid out the objective of the emerging Food is Medicine movement in the US:

“Over the past few years, Food Is Medicine (FIM) has accelerated as a method to address the significant burden of diet-related chronic diseases in the US, as well as to advance food and nutrition security.

Around half of all adults in the US have one or more preventable, diet-related chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and overweight or obesity.

FIM includes a range of nutrition interventions intended to prevent, treat, and manage diet-related health needs along a continuum of care, leveraging the healthcare ecosystem to incorporate the power of nourishing food into care plans.

Evidence has been building to support the efficacy of FIM interventions in improving health outcomes in ways that benefit patients, payers, and the healthcare system at large. FIM is associated with lower hemoglobin A1C levels, increased fruit and vegetable intake, decreased food insecurity, lower rates of cardiovascular events, and reduced overall health-care expenditures.”

While the movement is still early in proving that the concept works, let's imagine a world in which FIM becomes mainstream and how that might impact the animal protein industry.