Welcome to the April edition of Whole Health Digest — featuring the latest research and practical tools for advancing whole health, provided by the nonprofit Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH).

In this newsletter, you will discover:

• A new white paper from Open Source Wellness, exploring the role of community-based organizations in enabling whole person care​
• How Loma Linda University Health implemented a therapeutic whole food plant-based menu for patients
• A free, validated global screening tool that quickly assesses health behaviors
• And more

News and Journal Highlights

​Whole Person Health Care: A Way Forward​

“The time has come for health care organizations, practitioners, and patients to unite behind a clear, compelling message of healing as the organizing principle of our health care system, and take concrete steps to make that message routine in everyday practice.” This article, co-authored by AIH Trustees and staff, proposes action steps for organizations committed to making whole person care a powerful force in American health care. (Source: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine)

​The Smoothie as a Clinical Tool: Integrating High-Fiber Plant Protein for Active Adults​

This article, authored by Full Plate Living Program Director and AJLM Culinary Medicine Columnist, Amy Hanus, introduces the smoothie as a culinary medicine vehicle that clinicians can utilize to help patients integrate high-fiber, nutrient-dense protein sources—such as legumes and seeds—into a daily routine that supports an active lifestyle, metabolic health, and chronic disease prevention. (Source: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine)

​What If The YMCA Is The Missing Link In America’s Health System?​

This white paper from AIH grant recipient, Open Source Wellness, explores how community-based organizations can strengthen prevention, connection, and whole person well-being. “While hospitals and clinics treat illness, the YMCA helps prevent it by strengthening the everyday conditions that shape well-being—physical activity, connection, belonging, and access to supportive community. With deep roots in communities across the country, the YMCA helps extend health beyond the walls of healthcare and into people’s daily lives.” (Source: Open Source Wellness)

​American Heart Association Provides New Nutrition Guidance​

“New nutrition guidance from the American Heart Association advises getting protein from plants rather than meat, choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy and using olive, soybean and canola oils instead of beef tallow and butter… The AHA report notes research that shows that diets higher in beans, peas and lentils—and lower in red and processed meat—are associated with a lower risk of heart disease.” (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Grants

Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Utilizing Full Plate Living Shared Medical Appointments in an Employer Health Setting

In 2025, Vanderbilt University Medical Center received grant funding from AIH to deliver and evaluate Full Plate Living Shared Medical Appointments in an employer health setting at Metro Nashville Public Schools. Targeting educators, school staff, and their family members, this intervention emphasizes increased dietary fiber intake through a whole-food, plant-predominant approach, complemented by nutrition counseling, health coaching, and peer support. These components aim to foster sustainable behavior change and improve health outcomes in a high-burnout, underserved workforce.

​Click here to learn more and read the stories shared from intervention participants.

Research to Radicchio: Process Implementation of a Therapeutic Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) Inpatient Menu Within a Large Academic Healthcare System

Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an alert to hospitals to upgrade patient meals, prioritizing fiber-rich whole grains and minimizing processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.

With grant support from AIH, Loma Linda University Health now serves therapeutic meals to inpatients in the adult Medical Center. “It makes no sense for a doctor to perform a stent for a cardiac patient and then give that patient a burger and fries for their next meal after the procedure. We’re trying to take the latest evidence-based findings of nutrition to the next level of implementation so patients don’t have to come back to a hospital,” says April Wilson, Chair of Preventive Medicine.

​Click here to read the 2024 publication exploring how to implement system-wide changes to align nutritional evidence with clinical practice.

See also: LLUH offers new expanded whole food plant-based therapeutic menu​

Since 2014, AIH has granted over $23 million to Whole Health projects and initiatives. To learn more about AIH's granting work, click here.

Resources

Free Validated Global Screening Tool: Lifestyle Medicine Assessment

The Lifestyle Medicine Assessment (LMA), developed by AIH CMO, Dr. Jonathan Bonnet, is the validated global screening tool that quickly assesses the most impactful health behaviors based on current evidence. Each item within the tool represents a modifiable behavior. They are all evidence-based and mapped to specific research demonstrating benefit to health and well-being.

Learn More

Recording Available: Strategic Nutrition: Pleasing Picky Eaters

In this expert workshop, Lauren Chandler explores practical ways to boost fiber and nutrients while staying true to the flavors and textures that picky eaters already enjoy. Participants will leave with realistic strategies to help their family reach fiber goals, making healthy eating more flexible, stress-free, and enjoyable for everyone.

Access the Recording

Events

The Sleep Gap: An Integrative Approach to Exhaustion in Perimenopause and Beyond

In this expert workshop, sleep specialist Valerie Cacho, MD, will explore why sleep becomes harder during midlife and how shifting hormones, lifestyle, and stress play a role. Participants will discover research-based tools and achievable steps to promote rest and restore energy. Register to join below or share the workshop details with your patients, employees, or community members.

Learn More and Register

From Ripples to Waves: Unlocking the Wellbeing Effect

In this expert workshop, Dr. Seth Serxner will explore how to rewrite the wellness playbook. Participants will witness how purpose, hope, and micro‑practices outperform willpower, how culture and community drive healthy outcomes, and why collective well-being is critical to sustainable well-being. Register to join below or share the workshop details with your patients, employees, or community members.

Learn More and Register

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We hope you found today's newsletter informative and inspiring. We'll be back next month with another edition of Whole Health Digest.

Sincerely,

The AIH Team

P.S. This newsletter is offered by Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH), a nonprofit dedicated to improving people's health through the power of Whole Health. If it was forwarded to you by a friend or colleague, and you'd like to receive it regularly, subscribe here.

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