Welcome to the February 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:
Food & Society at the Aspen Institute’s new Food is Medicine Community Action Plan
A new publication on child-level food insecurity and nutrition assistance programs
More information on Full Plate Living’s Shared Medical Appointment Program
This article, authored by Full Plate Living Program Director and AJLM Culinary Medicine Columnist, Amy Hanus, emphasizes how clinicians can utilize dietary interventions to improve patient well-being and mental health outcomes. “What we eat can directly influence mood by reducing inflammation, supporting healthier stress responses, and shifting gut signaling that interacts with the central nervous system.” (Source: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine)
This editorial suggests that now is the time for family medicine to “take the lead in articulating a renewed vision of whole person health care. Like the family medicine founders did in the 60s and 70s, we need to create a version of family medicine today that will embrace current knowledge, technology, and policy opportunities and show how this vision of care is essential and can be inspiring again.” (Source: American Family Physician)
This article suggests that protein was oversold and overvalued in 2025. “Protein is the bricks. Resistance exercise is the construction crew. You can deliver bricks all day long, but without workers and a blueprint, nothing gets built. When protein intake is increased to above deficiency intakes in people who are not performing resistance exercise, changes in lean mass are trivial or nonexistent. When resistance exercise is present, additional protein can (very) modestly enhance gains in lean mass and strength, but the effects are small and saturable. More is not endlessly better.” (Source: The Conversation US)
Grants
Food & Society at the Aspen Institute: Food is Medicine Convening Series and Community Action Plan
With grant support from AIH, Food & Society at the Aspen Institute hosted three food is medicine convenings exploring the critical intersection of nutrition and diabetes management, the momentum and fragmentation within food is medicine, and funding and reimbursement strategies.
As a result, the Food is Medicine Community Action Plan was created. “The Food is Medicine Community Action Plan builds on Food & Society at the Aspen Institute's Research Action Plan by translating the evidence for food is medicine into practical, community-driven strategies that improve health, strengthen local food systems, and advance equity.”
Massachusetts General Hospital: Parent Perspectives on the Interactive Role of Charitable and Federal Nutrition Assistance
With grant support from AIH, Massachusetts General Hospital recently published Parent Perspectives on the Interactive Role of Charitable and Federal Nutrition Assistance. “The experiences of pantry users with children underscore the need to reinvest in charitable and federal nutrition assistance programs, broaden the eligibility criteria, and alleviate the administrative burden associated with federal nutrition program access.”
Since 2014, AIH has granted over $21 million to Whole Health projects and initiatives. To learn more about AIH's granting work, click here.
Resources
Free Full Plate Living Shared Medical Appointment Program
Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) offer a scientifically proven, time-efficient method for promoting patient self-care and improving health outcomes. The free Full Plate Living SMA Program includes a scripted slide presentation, presenter notes, and patient handouts, making it easy to share Full Plate Living principles with your patients and bill insurance for your time. The program is available in 1-, 4-, and 8-session lengths (in English and Spanish).
In this workshop, Melyssa Allen explores goal setting for long-term success and tools to overcome perfectionism, boost confidence, and celebrate progress.
Can GLP-1s + Nutrition and Exercise shift the Metabolic Disease Curve?
Next Tuesday, AIH Medical Director, Dr. Jonathan Bonnet, and Dr. David Eisenberg will move beyond the headlines to explore what it actually takes to optimize health. Drawing on decades of research, clinical leadership, and frontline patient care, they will examine how medications, nutrition, movement, and teaching kitchen educational interventions can work synergistically to alter the trajectory of metabolic disease and improve health.
From Prescription to Plate: The Clinical Role of Food as Medicine
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is hosting a March 3rd webinar on the clinical role of food as medicine, led by Dr. Ron Stout, Dr. Jonathan Bonnet, and Amy Hanus. Participants will discover how integrating medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, and nutrition counseling can improve employee health and lower healthcare costs.
Join AIH at the 2026 Integrative Medicine Conference, hosted by the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. The conference will feature keynote addresses, interactive workshops, and dynamic sessions designed to advance whole person healthcare and clinical excellence.
Join AIH at Obesity Medicine 2026, hosted by the Obesity Medicine Association. This event brings together leading clinicians, researchers, and educators to deliver an advanced, practice-driven learning experience focused on bringing science to the heart of obesity care.
Join AIH at the American Occupational Health Conference, hosted by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. This event is the premier professional meeting for health professionals interested in occupational and environmental medicine. AIH will sponsor an invitation-only post-conference convening to identify priorities in workforce health, emphasizing consensus-driven initiatives to address lifestyle-related, modifiable health risk factors among workers.
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
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