The Case For Medically Tailored Meals

The "Food is Medicine" approach is central to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention because diet directly shapes key risk factors, making nutrition a powerful, modifiable intervention. Medically tailored meals (MTMs) are fully prepared, condition-specific meals prescribed to meet the clinical needs of patients with chronic disease. Evidence shows that MTMs can improve health outcomes, enhance diet quality, and reduce hospitalizations and costs. Together, prescribing food as part of care highlights a scalable strategy to improve individual health and drive meaningful public health impact.

In this interview, Matthew W. Martinez MD, FACC and Laurence S. Sperling, MD, FACC discuss "Prescribing Meals, Not Just Meds: The Case For Medically Tailored Meals".