Mom’s Meals aims to help seniors eat healthier by delivering chef- and dietitian-designed meals right to their homes.
Adults who eat healthier live longer and have a lower risk of obesity and disease, but as we age eating a healthy diet can become challenging. A lack of mobility, social isolation, and changes in our overall health are some reasons why a recent study found that 61% of older adults experienced poor diet quality.
Rick and Barb Anderson saw this problem firsthand when their own mothers struggled to eat a healthy diet. Rick and Barb realized they couldn’t be there every day to prepare meals for their parents — and that they weren’t the only people dealing with this problem. That’s why they were inspired to found Mom’s Meals to ensure that aging Americans have access to nutritious food no matter their living situation or overall health status.
Mom’s Meals
Mom’s Meals is a fully prepared meal delivery service that brings high-quality, delicious meals to seniors, as well as people of any age with a desire to make eating well easy. It launched in a small kitchen in Nevada, Iowa, with the entire Anderson family pitching in to package the chef- and dietitian-designed meals. Today the company operates kitchen and fulfillment facilities in several states and delivers meals nationwide.
Each delivery is designed to meet individual taste preferences — clients can choose every meal from a broad menu — but most importantly, every meal is designed to help people get the right nutrients and portion sizes to manage chronic conditions like diabetes. The meals are delivered right to the client’s home and can be refrigerated for up to two weeks from delivery.
Healthy eating, healthy life
As we age the number of chronic conditions we potentially deal with grows, along with the cost to deal with them — the United States spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world. But studies have shown time and again that we can positively affect our health by eating a sensible diet. Mom’s Meal takes that a step further: Their meals aren’t just nutritious, but can be customized for a client’s specific health needs.
For example, Mom’s Meals recently partnered with UPMC Health Plan to deliver meals to individuals with complex health needs for 13 weeks. The meals were designed to be nutritionally complete and clinically appropriate for their specific conditions. The results were clear: Participants spent 36% less on their overall care and visited the emergency room 31% less. A separate study suggested that a key factor is that meals are not just nutritious, but that they be clinically appropriate — that is, tailored to their specific health needs.
It’s also well-established that a healthier diet can help control chronic conditions. For example, for people living with diabetes, lowering their A1c levels can reduce the risk of nerve damage and heart disease among other problems. A diet lower in carbohydrates and higher in fiber and other nutrients can lower your A1c level.
But many seniors — especially those living in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods — live in “food deserts” without easy access to supermarkets, while many others find preparing and cooking meals to be a challenge. Making a healthy diet as easy as possible by having meals delivered right to a senior’s home can improve their quality of life, their overall wellness and spare them the complications from chronic conditions – which in turn could lower their healthcare expenses significantly.
Delicious meals
Of course, one reason people fail to eat healthily is a lack of appealing choices, which is why it’s vital that Mom’s Meals offers a wide variety of tasty menu choices, including Chicken Tikka Masala, Korean Style BBQ Meatballs, or Mushroom Risotto, as well as satisfying comfort foods like Homestyle Meat Loaf and Cheese Lasagna. Mom’s Meals delivers to any address nationwide and may be covered by some Medicare Advantage or Medicaid plans, as well as some Older American Act programs (eligibility varies by state and program). They also offer an affordable self-pay option for those who don’t qualify for these programs. If you want to see if you or a loved one is eligible for a program, or to purchase direct, you can get more info at https://www.momsmeals.com/our-food/how-it-works/.