Why Can't My Doctor Prescribe Groceries? The Payment Barrier in Food as Medicine

Chef and PhD Public Health Nutritionist, Dr. Deborah Kennedy, joins Dr. Falquier to explore the evolving role of food as medicine programs in healthcare, what current financial structures support these programs and what funding mechanisms need to change. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, policymaker, or simply passionate about nutrition and wellness, this episode offers valuable insights into what systemic shifts are necessary to make nutrition-based healthcare more accessible and sustainable.

In this episode you’ll hear:
2:50 – Difference between food as medicine and culinary medicine
5:45 – What happens when medically tailored meals or produce prescriptions come to an end?
6:45 – How can culinary medicine outcomes be measured to show clinical and cost effectiveness? 11:00 – Who’s funding food prescriptions, medically tailored meals and nutrition education?
16:45 – Are there food as medicine programs outside the U.S.?
23:00 – Who pays for culinary medicine coaching?
24:30 – The future of culinary medicine
28:00 – Book series: Culinary Medicine From Clinic to Kitchen
31:00 – Dr. Kennedy’s Food Coach Academy

Resource

Health Affairs Journal, April 2025 I Food, Nutrition & Health

Credits:
Host – Dr. Sabrina Falquier, MD, CCMS, DipABLM
Sound and Editing – Will Crann
Executive Producer – Esther Garfin

©2025 Alternative Food Network Inc.

Show Topics Include: Nutrition, Food as Medicine, Microbiome, Metabolism, Weight loss, Gut health, Healthy recipes, Lower cholesterol naturally, Reverse heart disease, Health, Inflammation, Mediterranean Diet, Longevity, Turmeric benefits , Cortisol Stress, Blood sugar, Protein, Magnesium, Sleep quality, Immunity, Hormone balance, Sunday meal prep, Medically tailored meals (MTM), Produce Prescription (PRx), ROI of Food as Medicine programs, Healthcare cost reduction, Prevention nutrition, Culinary medicine program curriculum for hospitals, Teaching kitchen, Health equity, Evidence-based nutrition interventions