Vitality’s total health approach encourages focusing on many aspects of wellbeing: movement, stress management, social connection, sleep, and of course, nutrition. The quality of one’s diet is dependent on many factors, including convenient access to healthy foods and often the transportation to acquire such resources. Proximity impacts whether someone is capable of planning and consuming a healthy diet, as does cost. It’s estimated that 2.8 billion people cannot afford nutritious foods across the globe. These nutrient-poor diets put people at risk for chronic disease, overweight, and a shortened lifespan.
To impact a person’s diet quality, quality food access, cost, time and food preparation skills must all be considered. Vitality has intentionally integrated solutions and support for these factors that impact healthy eating.
- Nutrition focus areas educate members about healthy eating, giving tips to incorporate whole foods into their day. These focus areas also include skill-building videos to build confidence in the kitchen.
- Personal health coaching provides support as members work toward wellbeing goals. Nutrition is impacted by stress, time management, food access and budgeting, all of which can be better managed with the guidance of a coach.
- Food access partnerships offer tech-enabled solutions to barriers to getting healthy food in one’s home. Both Tangelo and Instacart offer grocery and meal kit delivery, including to areas designated as food deserts.
Although realizing a healthy, nutritious diet is sometimes complicated, progress is possible with the right resources and support. Food is the third basic human need behind air and water, and every human deserves to be fed enough and fed well. With smart solutions that meet people where they’re at, Vitality is proud to be part of the movement to solve for better nutrition.
Are you curious about what businesses and organizations can do to impact the global effort? Visit this resource from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for tips for the private sector.
Sarah VanEerden is a Registered Dietitian and a Marketing Specialist with Vitality. She earned her B.S. at Michigan State University and has a passion for making the healthy choice the easy choice. She’s an experimental cook and a terrible baker, and she loves diving into home improvement projects and music in her free time.
