Innovations in Food is Medicine through centering cultural connections and local food systems

The MUTTON-HF (Medically Utilized Tailored Traditional Foods to Optimize Nutrition in Heart Failure) pilot feasibility trial by Eberly and colleagues fills a critical gap in the growing literature on addressing the burden of cardiometabolic conditions and food and nutrition insecurity through Food is Medicine (FIM) interventions. Using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, the authors assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a culturally informed Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) program among American Indian adults with heart failure living in Navajo Nation. The MUTTOM-HF pilot feasibility trial demonstrated high levels of acceptability (mean acceptability of implementation score: 16.9 out of 20) and feasibility with 90% of weekly meal boxes successfully delivered across an 80-mile radius. Notably, participants reported statistically significant improvements in food insecurity, cultural connectedness, and physical and social limitations from baseline to postintervention.