The warm weather is here, and the city’s bikes are back! Residents and visitors of Portland are encouraged to celebrate World Bicycle Day on June 3 by pedaling through Portland on one of the 135 bikes housed at 35 stations across the city.

Launched in August of 2022, the bike share partnership with Tandem Mobility and the city of Portland was a rounding success in its inaugural year. Local health plan Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and its parent company, Point32Health, was one of the founding sponsors of the program, and a portion of the city’s fleet of bikes features the Harvard Pilgrim Pedals brand on the bike baskets and fenders.

“We are excited to help bring the bike share program back to Portland for another year,” said Bill Whitmore, VP of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in Maine. “This initiative supports healthy, sustainable habits for our community and encourages people to navigate and explore our city in a fun way.”

Ride your way to better health

Not only is bike riding a convenient way to get around, the health benefits of biking are also numerous:

• Physical. Great for cardiovascular health, bike riding strengthens your heart muscle, lowers your resting pulse and reduces blood fat levels. It can also reduce the risk of some cancers and health issues. Cycling is a great way to build muscle, maintain a healthy weight, strengthen your core and even improve your posture. Plus cycling is a low-impact exercise that’s easy on the joints. If you have arthritis or back pain, riding a bike may be a good option for you, though it’s always best to consult with your doctor first.

• Mental. Exercise in general, which releases endorphins, can be beneficial to those with depression, anxiety or stress. For outdoor cyclists, breathing in the fresh air as you pedal down a tree-lined bike path can feel almost meditative. As can indoor cycling be, for those who may choose to participate in a spin class that blasts a fast-paced playlist.

• Environmental. Not only are you avoiding the headache that car traffic can bring, but bicycles are better for the environment compared to cars. They don’t require gas, which means you won’t be releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere—good for the planet and for your own lungs. You’ll help to cut back on the chemicals used by a car, like antifreeze and other liquids. By replacing just a few car trips with bike rides, your neighborhood will also be quieter, helping to reduce noise pollution.

Whether you’re looking to add some movement to your day or make some steps toward sustainable changes, consider going outside for a bike ride this upcoming weekend. And for those in the Portland area, you can rent one of the Harvard Pilgrim Pedals bikes by downloading the app, Movatic.

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When it comes to health care decision-making, women often take on the role for their families. Read on for ways to support women and families in the workforce through health plan offerings.

Making medical decisions, understanding benefits and selecting the right health plan option can be a daunting process. From trying to grasp health insurance terms, like deductibles, out-of-pocket-maximums and copays, to understanding how these terms apply to personal health needs and coverage, it can feel like learning a new language.

Add in managing the health needs of children, spouses or older family members, and the stress amplifies—and when it comes to making vital health care decisions for the family, it is estimated that women bear the responsibility 80% of the time.

Here we’ll look at the challenges facing women in their role as health care decision-makers, as well as ways that support can be accessed when making these crucial decisions.

Challenges health care decision-makers face

Most caregivers are women, and in many instances, they’re asked to take a forward-looking view on potential health care decisions that have an impact on themselves as well as loved ones. These decisions run across the spectrum, whether it’s a pregnant woman looking at the year ahead with her spouse and soon-to-be newborn, a single mom of two choosing a plan for her family or a woman taking care of a sick parent. “Women are thinking about their utilization more, they’re estimating more, they’re planning for worst-case scenarios,” said Heather Rogers, director of customer success and implementation at MyHealthMath, a Portland, Maine-based company that supplies support services for health plan decision-making.

They’re also spending more on health care than men (upwards of 20%) and are more likely to struggle financially. “One in four women are having trouble paying their medical bills, and this is directly related to the pandemic,” said Rogers. According to Fidelity, the financial discrepancy continues through retirement, with women often having to spend more money than men on their own medical needs or on caregiving costs.

And it’s not just the complex health care system that women take on. Often they’re juggling other obligations like working, caregiving for their children or elderly parents (sometimes both), or running a household. These are all responsibilities that add to a woman’s mental load, which is the non-tangible, cognitive labor involved in managing any given task. Remembering to sign field trip forms, deciding what to make for dinner and considering how to present a topic in a meeting all contribute to mental overload. For anyone taking on too many of these non-tangible tasks, burnout can occur.

All these factors contribute to why it’s vital to provide education and support on health plan benefits and offerings available to anyone in a health care decision-making role. To help with this, Point32Health companies Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan partner with MyHealthMath to offer the decision support service to many of their employer accounts.

Talking through the “what ifs”

When making health care decisions, it’s important to have a comprehensive understanding of what services are covered through your health plan and what might require an out-of-pocket cost. One way to accelerate understanding, notes Rogers, is through coaching decision-makers to feel comfortable talking through “what if” scenarios. It’s these moments, when recognizing how to weigh the physical and financial impact, that empower an individual to drive to a decision.

“What happens if we’re on vacation and my child gets an ear infection?” According to Rogers, this is an example of a question that a woman caregiver might raise when working with MyHealthMath for plan selection support. “Children have a lot of unexpected medical services that pop up throughout the year. It’s about helping the parent plan for that by finding something that fits their needs and budget.”

MyHealthMath helps employees save $1,300 a year on average through plan selection support, and health insurers are also offering ways for members to manage out-of-pocket costs after coverage is selected. Cost savings tools, like Reduce My Costs and Estimate My Cost, improve cost transparency of medical services at different providers and facilities. These programs are available to eligible Harvard Pilgrim Health Care members for better health decision-making throughout the year.

HSAs, a powerful savings tool for women

One way to potentially reduce health care costs today while continuing to save for the future, especially for women with accruing medical costs, is through a Health Savings Account (HSA). Offered with certain high-deductible plans, HSAs allow employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars to use toward qualified medical expenses, with funds rolling over year after year. This is a powerful savings tool, and investing in an HSA now can set women up for financial success as they age and eventually retire.

“The gender pay gap and gender-based health disparities make it all the more important to help women access, understand and utilize health savings vehicles, like HSAs—because these impact both their health and finances,” said Rogers. However, HSAs aren’t always utilized, due to a lack of understanding as to how they work. And – women take note – this savings vehicle has benefits for multiple generations when it comes to financially planning for current and future health care costs, as well as retirement. Here are a few examples:

• For a typical “young and healthy” woman in the workforce with basic health care needs, choosing a high-deductible health plan with an HSA can help to minimize overspending on coverage. It can also be kept when switching health plans or jobs, which is likely to happen throughout a person’s career.

• For women who might decide to take some time away from the workforce for caregiving needs, there is the option to continue to invest tax-free dollars into an HSA.

• A woman is more likely to spend more on out-of-pocket health care costs during retirement than a man, as women live an average of five years longer. Because of this, taking advantage of HSA tax breaks can be of value now and in the future.

During open enrollment, MyHealthMath helps to educate employees on the value of HSAs so they can understand if an HSA-eligible plan is a good fit. Employers are also recognizing the need to communicate the advantages of HSAs throughout the year and encourage participation with employer contributions—something 83% of employers currently do.

The bottom line on female-made health care decisions

If you are the primary decision-maker on health care needs for your family, be sure to consider your own needs first. Prioritizing your own health (and health care needs) will put you in the best position to ward off feelings of burnout, and help with making decisions that are sustainable in the long term as you advocate for yourself and your family. While you may not have all the answers, be proactive in seeking out guidance and support, particularly around the “what if” scenarios that come to mind. And remember, through all the planning and stress, give yourself grace.

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GRAIL cancer screening program now available for eligible Harvard Pilgrim members.

February is National Cancer Prevention Month and for select Maine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care HMO members, taking the first step towards cancer detection just got a little easier.

Point32Health, the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC), and health care company GRAIL, are offering the multi-cancer early detection Galleri® test to eligible members at no cost to them. This groundbreaking test is performed on a blood draw and looks for a cancer signal across more than 50+ types of cancer, many of which are not commonly screened for today.

The Importance of Cancer Screening & Early Detection

It’s no secret that cancer screenings and early detection can greatly improve health outcomes, as it helps patients gain access to care at an earlier stage of illness. And for Maine, this hits particularly close to home; cancer is the leading cause of death in the state, and cancer rates are significantly higher than the national average, with 1 in 3 Mainers receiving a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.

“We know that cancer has a critical impact in Maine, with one in three Mainers facing a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime,” said Bill Whitmore, vice president for the Maine market at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. “This pilot will help facilitate early detection when treatment can be more effective and there is the potential for a cure.”

In addition to the pilot screening program, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care also recently provided a matching grant to the Maine Cancer Foundation to launch the Maine Cancer Blueprint to help better understand the current state of cancer in Maine. Through these initiatives, Point32Health and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care aim to support Maine in pursuit of better health and reduced disparities in cancer treatment and prevention.

Participating in the GRAIL Cancer Screening Program

The Galleri test is simple – member’s blood is drawn and tested. If a cancer signal is found, results are shared with the ordering health care provider who can guide next steps, which may include additional diagnostic tests. The Galleri test can point to where in the body the cancer may be located, better informing the health team on follow-up testing to determine if a cancer is present.

To be eligible, Maine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Plan HMO members must reside in the United States, have obtained their Harvard Pilgrim Health Care plan from either CoverME.gov or directly from Harvard Pilgrim, be age 50 years or older, not pregnant and not currently undergoing active cancer treatment. In addition, they must also meet at least one additional clinical criterion related to family or personal history of cancer, smoking history or BMI.

“Multi-cancer early detection tests, like Galleri, are the future because of their ability to find more cancers earlier, before symptoms appear, with a single blood test,” said Josh Ofman, MD, MSHS, president at GRAIL. “We are delighted to expand our pilot with Point32Health, the first commercial health plan in the U.S. to offer Galleri.”

There are multiple ways eligible Maine HPHC members can access the GRAIL cancer screening benefit. First, they can request the Galleri test online from a health care provider. There are also GRAIL blood draw events being held in Maine over the coming months, where eligible members can request the test and complete the blood draw at one convenient appointment.

The first GRAIL blood draw event is being held Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26 in South Portland. And as of a week prior to the event, all 240 registration spots were filled. Members who may be eligible for the Galleri test as part of this pilot program have received notification from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

Point32Health is a nonprofit health and well-being organization, guiding and empowering healthier lives for all. Together, our family of companies help our members and communities navigate the health care ecosystem through a broad range of health plan offerings and tools. And when it comes to residents of Maine, Harvard Pilgrim has you covered with a wide variety of medical and mental health benefits as part of its health plan coverage.

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Caring for an older family member can be emotionally challenging and time consuming, and the pandemic has made it more complex for families to support their senior loved ones. In fact, many adults have become caregivers for the first time during the pandemic — one global survey of caregivers found that 20% are new to this role as a result of COVID-19. This role has only become more challenging over the past year with one in four older adults reporting increased anxiety or depression as a result of prolonged isolation due to the pandemic.

With COVID-19 concerns still prevalent and restrictions constantly changing, navigating the various aspects of elderly caregiving remains difficult for families. Here are some ways you can physically and emotionally support older adults while also staying connected and keeping them safe:

1. Find ways to stay connected and social.

Older adults are at greater risk of experiencing severe symptoms if they get COVID-19, and as a result, many are socially isolating and spending less time with their family and friends to protect themselves.

While keeping your distance from others is still recommended, it can contribute to loneliness, which can also lead to depression and other mental health challenges. Staying connected to your elderly loved one(s) can help them feel supported and less isolated.

Here are some ideas to stay engaged with your older family members during the pandemic and in the future: 

Plan for in–person visits (if possible). Social contact is important and visiting older adults in person can help keep spirits up and make them feel supported. If it is possible to visit your elderly loved one safely, ensure you follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and take the proper precautions during the visit.

Maintain consistent contact. Sometimes it’s not possible for families to regularly visit older adults. Maintaining an open communication line—whether it’s via phone, email, snail mail or video chat—can help engage seniors and keep them up to date. It also allows families to know what’s going on in their senior loved ones’ life and better recognize if they are starting to experience any mental health related issues such as stress, anxiety or depression.

Send a care package or provide contactless food delivery. Consider sending a care package to your loved one filled with items they like such as baked goods, pictures of grandchildren, enriching activities such as Sudoku or crossword puzzles, yarn for knitting or beads to make jewelry. Ensure that the care packages you send are thoughtful and support your elderly loved ones’ interests.

Depending on the area, contactless food delivery options may be available. These services are a great alternative for seniors that may not feel comfortable going to a grocery store or running errands. They’re also another way to show older adults that you care.

Encourage socializing with others. While in-home visits are not always an option, encourage older adults to get creative when it comes to their social interactions with others. Do they have a neighbor they can go on a socially distanced walk with or play a card game with outside? For more tech-savvy seniors, encourage them to have a video call with another friend or take an online course to help them embrace a socialized activity such as baking or crafting.

Even older adults who remain social and active (and especially those who don’t) may still need additional support for their own mental health and well-being. Ensuring they have access to behavioral health resources is critical. Check what type of support is available under their health insurance coverage and look at options for remote support (such as telehealth) as a tool to leverage.

2. Know what support options are available.

Gen-Xers are typically the chief decision makers in their households and are also responsible for the health needs of their aging parents. However, even without the added restrictions of a pandemic, many families can’t always be emotionally present and care for their loved ones around the clock. With the aging population rising, the demand for at-home health care and caretaking is at an all-time high, which has the U.S. actively working to address this shift.

Depending on your elderly loved ones’ health and living situation at home, they may need help with certain tasks such as monitoring health conditions and medications, managing outside care and assistance with shopping or housework. While you may be able to help, either in person or from a distance if you live far away, there is professional help that you can utilize to provide additional physical support. If your elderly loved one needs assistance with daily activities, such as bathing or preparing food, families should consider at-home care options. At-home care services can give families peace of mind, knowing that their elderly loved one has someone to care for them and help with routine tasks.

Many health insurers, such as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, give members access to various professional help services that can assist families with care for their elderly loved ones. Specifically, Harvard Pilgrim and Landmark Health are working collaboratively to provide complex care coordination services for members with special health care needs and guide them to better health outcomes. Through this collaboration, members eligible for the Landmark program have access to 24/7 care, including weekends and holidays. Physical house visits are also available to older members which enable providers to come in and assess social determinants of health and provide guidance for future care.

“The Landmark care model delivers medical, behavioral, social and palliative care to individuals, where they reside and when they need it,” says Sara Raposo, senior manager for Medicare Stride Care Manager for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan. “Their multidisciplinary care team is supported by physicians, advance practice nurses, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, behavioral health clinicians and dietitians. Landmark’s holistic approach to care ensures members with complex health and multiple chronic conditions receive the appropriate care and support to manage their individual care needs.”

3. Take proper precautions and follow CDC guidelines.

Even if you and your loved ones are fully vaccinated, it is still important to follow CDC guidance. The CDC recommends that individuals understand the level of risk before deciding to go out and ensure that people at increased risk of getting COVID-19 are taking proper precautions. A few considerations to keep in mind include how many people you will be interacting with, the location of the event (indoors or outdoors) and if you will be able to socially distance.

A few key steps to follow if you decide to visit your elderly loved one include:

Wear a mask and social distance. If you or your loved one aren’t vaccinated, make sure you wear a face mask that covers your mouth and nose, and keep six feet apart when possible if you are gathering indoors. The CDC recently updated its guidance for vaccinated individuals so ensure you know what guidelines to follow prior to your visit. 

Stay home if you have possible COVID-19 exposure. Avoid visiting if you or anyone in your household hasve symptoms of COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days. If infection rates are high in your area, consider delaying or cancelling your visit.

Wash your hands frequently. During your visit, ensure everyone washes their hands for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

The CDC has issued updated recommendations for visitations at nursing homes. If you’re planning to visit your loved one in a nursing home, check with the facility beforehand to understand their current visitor guidelines.

4. Ensure you and your loved ones are vaccinated.

All COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. are safe and effective based on clinical trial results. While these vaccines are important for everyone who is eligible, they are especially critical for older adults. As people age, their immune systems weaken and it can be more difficult to fight off infections, which is why the CDC highly recommends individuals 65 years of age or older get the vaccine. In fact, COVID-19 hospitalizations among older Americans have dropped over 70% since the start of 2021, and deaths rates have also decreased, showing that U.S. vaccination efforts are working.

Right now in the U.S., anyone 16 years of age or older is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. If you plan on visiting your elderly loved one, it is important that you are vaccinated to help stop the spread of COVID-19. As a reminder, immunity doesn’t happen instantly after you are fully vaccinated. Individuals are considered fully protected two weeks after their last dose of their vaccine.

There are several ways to find a vaccination location near you, including visiting your local health department’s website or using Vaccine Finder, so be sure to routinely check these resources as appointments become more widely available. 

Taking on the role of caregiver for an elderly loved one can be mentally and emotionally draining, which is why caregivers also need to ensure they are taking care of their own mental health and well-being. Seek out support if the role begins to feel overwhelming, and if you’re a Harvard Pilgrim Health Care member, you can learn more about the mental health resources that are available to you by visiting here.

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Healthy eating is important at any age. But, during the aging process, diet can play a surprisingly major role in one’s vitality and longevity—perhaps even more so than genetics.

In partnership with the National Geographic Society, author Dan Buettner set out to find hot spots of longevity, known as “Blue Zones.” The hot spots had high concentrations of individuals over 100 years old, as well as clusters of older people who didn’t have health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or cancer.

Cultures identified as Blue Zones were spread throughout the world, with vastly different geographical and cultural attributes in each region. However, common denominators between food philosophy and consumption point to the intriguing idea that food and diet could be the prescription for a longer life. Here are some of their shared eating habits, and why these habits should provide food for thought for how to approach one’s diet during the aging process. 

Focus on healthy, plant-based meals

Your mother was right with her encouragement to “eat your vegetables.” Plant foods are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, including polyphenols, carotenoids, folate, and vitamin C. In fact, after reviewing clinical trials and epidemiological studies* on aging, researchers found that people who ate plant-based foods were up to 50% less likely to develop chronic diseases that are more likely to present themselves during the aging process, including Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

This of course isn’t particularly new information—as cited by the review, there is robust existing research that has found eating more plant-based foods is associated with a lower risk of mortality and fewer instances of chronic diseases. In many of the world’s Blue Zones, meat consumption happens sparingly, as a side dish or used during special occasions. However, if you crave more than just plants on your plate, don’t despair. Fish can be a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that are crucial to both brain and heart health, and can provide a flavorful protein addition to your meals.

*The editorial was authored and funded by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit research and advocacy organization that favors plant-based eating.

Choose whole, unprocessed foods

Research shows that eating ultra-processed foods can speed up the aging of your cells. Much of this is due to ultra-processed foods often containing a high amount of hydrogenated oils, which are full of trans fats and can promote the chronic inflammation that hastens the breakdown (or aging) of your cells. Not surprisingly, all Blue Zone diets place emphasis on real food consumption: raw, cooked, ground, or fermented—with recipes that carry an ingredient list of six items or less, a nod to the concept that food, not pills or commercial drinks, is the best source of nutrients.

Go nuts

Nuts are a terrific whole-food snack to replace more processed, unhealthy snack choices that can hasten the packing on of pounds which happens naturally during the aging process. An added bonus of these powerhouses is that nuts packed with omega-3 fatty acids may be able to improve focus and decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Be creative with your calcium and fiber sources

Calcium helps maintain bone strength and keep bones healthy during older age, while fiber can help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease—and both are key nutrients to include in your diet as you age.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean running out and purchasing special chews and drinks that are often marketed to older-age adults is the answer. For a calcium-rich boost, include dairy products such as milk, cheese, or yogurt in your meals. And if dairy digestion is an issue, give goat’s milk versions of these products a try; they’re often considered easier to digest. If dairy is not your thing, a surprising amount of calcium can be covered through plant-based food sources such as seeds, beans and lentils, and leafy greens. A bonus: these foods can do double duty in not only providing calcium, but a healthy dose of fiber as well, which can aid in digestion and satiation and help cut LDL (also known as “bad” cholesterol).  

Stay hydrated

A simple but vital player in one’s health, water is needed for almost every bodily function including digestion, maintaining body temperature, and circulation. However, what many don’t realize is that the body loses water as we age—and along with that, unfortunately, we also lose our sense of thirst. To combat this loss, sip on water throughout the day, aiming for 8 glasses. Or, if you like to mix up your liquids, antioxidant-rich green tea may also enhance memory and mental alertness as you age.

Coffee and red wine in moderation

Moderation is key here; however, both coffee and red wine can play a complimentary role in a healthy diet for aging adults. Both beloved beverages contain antioxidants, which are known to boost the immune system. In addition, these beverages are known to promote blood flow and could potentially increase life span. In addition to being good for you, there are also feel-good benefits to both coffee and red wine. Some research shows that both could play a role in helping to reduce the risk of depression, and caffeine has been researched to work in tandem with a compound in coffee to boost brain health and potentially help prevent brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Avoid overeating and consider intermittent fasting

As we age, our metabolism slows—a process that likely starts as early as the age of 40. While healthy eating and exercise habits adopted early can help to combat weight gain associated with this slowing down of our system, another option is to be more mindful of when, and how, you structure your caloric intake. Evidence is accumulating that eating in a 6-hour period and fasting for 18 hours (commonly known today as intermittent fasting) can trigger a metabolic switch from glucose-based to ketone-based energy, with increased stress resistance, increased longevity, and a decreased incidence of diseases, including cancer and obesity. Blue Zone populations will often eat their largest meal early on in the day (known as their “break fast” meal) and will moderate food consumption as they move toward the evening hours, when the body, and metabolism, naturally begins to slow down.

How you eat can also be as important as what you eat. “Healthy eating habits are important at every age, but they can make a big difference as we get older and our nutritional needs change,” says Karen Voci, president of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, whose Healthy Food Fund focuses on increasing access to fresh foods for all generations in the New England region’s communities. Voci encourages the physical and psychological benefits of multi-generational food sourcing and preparation. “Preparing delicious meals using fresh, local produce is fun and healthy at every stage of life, and can help us feel better and improve our health and wellbeing.” The populations known for being longest-lived also have a tendency to enjoy their meals with family and friends, and they often express gratitude before consuming their meals—a recipe for health, happiness, and hopefully–longevity.

The post The Science of Food and Aging appeared first on Harvard Pilgrim.

When hearing the term “healthy eating,” most imagine the familiar, colorful food pyramid of years past. Almost a decade ago, that pyramid shifted into a plate, giving far more real estate to vegetables and healthy proteins. Regardless of its size and shape, everyone knows that a well-balanced, nutritious diet is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. But for many, it can be a lifeline too, as nutrition has a direct impact on the overall health and risk for chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and certain cancers.

It’s especially beneficial to adopt healthy eating habits early in life. Proper diet, exercise and sleep can help children grow and avoid the development of long-term health issues down the road. Yet even for a developed country like the United States, poor nutrition is a major issue. According to the CDC, 16% of pregnant women and 14% of children aged 1-2 are deficient in iron, and fewer than one in 10 adolescents and adults eat enough fruits and vegetables. At the same time, 19% of young people under 19 and as many as 40% of adults are categorized as obese.

In our current culture, limited time and resources can prevent many people from getting the right foods on their plates. Fresh, nutritious foods can be expensive, and hard to access for families living in food deserts—low-income expanses in urban and rural areas with few or no grocery stores. Multiply these factors with the current pandemic and it’s easy to see the challenge behind getting a balanced meal on the table—especially with remote learning, as typically 22 million children rely on free or reduced-price lunch at school. With healthy eating so closely tied to lifelong wellness, it’s never been more important to examine the foods we eat as essential medicine for our bodies and to understand how we can prioritize them as such.

From health care providers to Congress, more and more organizations are moving to formally recognize the significance of nutrition in overall health. In 2018, a bipartisan initiative led by Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts founded the Food is Medicine Working Group, a coalition to support research and legislation that partners food access with public health. For example, the Group explores how government-sponsored food programs can address hunger, while curbing the Medicare costs from complications due to chronic diseases. This year, the Group introduced the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meal Demonstration Pilot Act of 2020, allowing medically compromised seniors to have doctor-tailored meals delivered to their homes. 

Food delivery is also a helpful perk of Foodsmart by Zipongo, a digital nutrition platform and new partner of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. By taking a simple quiz, users are given nutrition recommendations and personalized support. Based on their location and profile, the app also sets up smart grocery lists and online ordering through familiar services such as: Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Walmart Pickup and Grubhub, so that fresh, healthy food is always accessible. The goal of this partnership is to improve nutrition and health care costs for members with nutrition-sensitive conditions, from hypertension to autoimmune diseases.

Members can access a variety of services through the Foodsmart app, such as:

Healthy recipes: Access a database full of recipes for every palate, schedule and budget.

Personalized meal plans: Get help planning tasty meals generated to match for preferences.

Local coupons: Discover daily and weekly deals from your local grocery stores.

Online grocery ordering: Start shopping for your digital grocery list and have items delivered.

Meal kit delivery: Opt for pre-portioned meal kits and heat-to-eat meals, delivered to your doorstep.

Restaurant guidance: Let the app help you find healthy options at all your favorite restaurants.

On your own, it’s not always intuitive to find a meal plan that’s right for your health needs. With so many trending diets and methods, it can be hard to know where to start or what works best for your specific body. Talking to a nutritionist or doctor can help point you in the right direction and give greater insight into your relationship with food. Along with healthy foods, there are also healthy eating habits that can assist with everything from proper digestion to fueling your next workout.

From nationwide, public legislature to personalized, doctor-designed meal plans, we’ve come a long way from the food pyramid days. Not only is proper nutrition necessary for a fulfilling lifestyle, but it can also help prevent health issues down the line, making our plates as important as prescriptions. To ensure you’re on the right track when it comes to healthy eating, start by talking with your primary care physician and health care provider to find out what resources are available to you. In the meantime, here are some tips to get you started improving your daily diet:

Don’t shop on an empty stomach: When you’re hungry, you’re more likely to grab more food than you need and give in to unhealthy choices.

Stick to your grocery list: Settle on your recipes before you hit the store, and only grab what you need—including lots of fruits and vegetables.

Avoid highly processed or instant foods: These items can be packed with sugars, hidden fats and empty calories, and are unlikely to keep you full.

Drop the salt shaker: Try to avoid adding additional condiments and extra salt to your food. Mustard, pepper or lemon juice are great alternatives.

Substitute where you can: Eating better doesn’t mean letting go of the foods you love. Try some of the following:

• White rice > Brown rice, or even cauliflower rice
• Mashed potatoes > Mashed cauliflower
• Pasta > Squash or zucchini noodles
• Instant oats > Steel-cut oats
• Sour cream > Plain Greek yogurt
• Full-fat cheeses > Parmesan cheese
• Ground beef > Ground turkey
• Wheat flour tortillas  corn tortillas
• Dairy milk > Unsweetened almond milk
• Soda > Flavored seltzer

While healthy eating isn’t the only component of staying healthy, it is an important—if not essential—piece of it. Diet, exercise and proper sleep work together for overall physical and mental well-being. To learn more about these keys to health, and to start focusing on your own, check out Harvard Pilgrim’s Living Well at Home fitness classes and health and wellness webinars, available to all.

The post Nutrition and Health: Can Food Be an Effective Prescription? appeared first on Harvard Pilgrim.

“I don’t like it when somebody passes me. I mean, I guess I’m still a competitor … I was passed on a bicycle the other day and I didn’t even like that—and cycling isn’t even my sport, but I still take it seriously,” says Joan Benoit Samuelson.

At age 64, Samuelson continues to embody the competitive spirit of an athlete. Her list of accolades as an elite marathoner—including six marathon wins, one of which brought her a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics—is extensive, yet she wonders if her proudest running achievement may not have happened yet. “I would like to say it is yet to come because I’m so much of a storyteller. If I could run a fast marathon in my sixth decade, that would be really cool,” she says.

Having already run sub-3-hour marathons in five different decades (the only woman to do so), Samuelson’s intense drive to achieve the same in a sixth decade underlies her quiet demeanor. Her grit, determination and, of course, competitive spirit keep her going, though she attributes her successful career to what she refers to as the four Ps—passion, patience, perseverance, and persistence.

These attributes were developed during her upbringing and experiences growing up in Maine. The coastal town of Cape Elizabeth was home to Samuelson, along with an island off the coast of Maine, where the family would spend a few weeks each summer. In her autobiography, “Running Tide,” Samuelson says that her time there during childhood helped shape her. “The island, the mountains, the little school I attended, and, especially, my family—these were my nurturers. Within my early experiences were the lessons I needed to prepare me for life as an athlete,” she wrote.

The mountains she mentions were the site of her first brush with athletics. Skiing was a family activity, as her father had served in the Tenth Mountain Division during World War II. Prior to becoming a runner, Samuelson was a skier with dreams of making a career out of it—which included competing in the Olympics. It was after a ski injury in high school though that Samuelson switched gears to running, using it as a way to rehab an injured leg.

She remembers first being interested in running for its affordability and accessibility, but especially liked not needing to go to the mountains with expensive equipment to participate. “I could just run outside our front door and run to my heart’s content,” she says. Running brought Samuelson strength, happiness, and self-esteem, but only after it brought initial embarrassment. She used to pause on her run if cars passed by, hoping to hide her tomboy image by pretending instead to look at flowers. Eventually, she realized that she enjoyed running far too much to care what others thought.

At the time, competing as a female runner in what was considered a men’s sport had its challenges, but Samuelson was never one to run from a challenge (both literally and figuratively). She broke boundaries—and records—throughout her career while remaining focused on herself as an individual runner, only paying attention to other runners to help with her own skills. As a senior in high school that meant practicing with the boys’ track team for more competition.“Each runner dictates their own course of action among a larger population all seeking the same goal. It is such an individual, but collective event,” she says. In her book, she even stated that the 1979 Boston Marathon was a “private test, Joan running for Joan’s sake.” She won the marathon that year, which was to be followed by five additional marathon wins in the ‘80s.

Even today, Joan compares herself to the fastest runners at events—both women and men. And not only that, but she looks at the best runners overall, regardless of age, even those just graduating college. Running in her sixties is much like it was in her teens, still a daily part of life. Her recoveries may take longer as she’s gotten older, but age (and wisdom) has evolved the way Samuelson trains.

Health and wellness are the heart of her training philosophy. Cross-training with other sports like cross-country skiing, cycling, and swimming is part of her physical routine, but mental wellness is just as important. Samuelson appreciates finding balance in life through meditation and other activities like gardening and spending time with her family. Despite all her success, Samuelson admits she is still trying to master one critical mental health piece: relaxing. “I don’t relax well, and I think that’s something I need to learn how to do,” she admits.

Samuelson finds time with her family and community are often just what the doctor ordered. She has run marathons with both her children—special memories that she cherishes. Samuelson has also found ways to remain active in the New England community, including founding the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in 1988 (a race in her hometown that attracts elite runners each year).

It’s likely her physical and mental training philosophy will continue to evolve, as opportunities and challenges that come with age are ones to embrace. “Some years will be better than others, and others will be more challenging, but unless we embrace where we are at that moment in time, then I think we’re just cheating ourselves,” she says. For her part, she’s doing her best to slow down—just a little.

In addition to being an elite marathoner, Joan Benoit Samuelson is also a long-time Harvard Pilgrim Health Care member and a spokeswoman for the local health plan. For more details on becoming a Harvard Pilgrim Health Care member through employer-sponsored, individual and family, or Medicare plans, visit Harvard Pilgrim’s website. And for the latest on healthcare trends and topics, visit Harvard Pilgrim’s content hub, the HaPi Guide.

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Aging can be a difficult reality to accept as an older adult. Day-to-day aches and pains become the norm, and a slowing down of the body combined with increased fragility may hold you back from doing the things you could easily achieve when you were young. Not to mention the physical changes that occur in the brain from age, which can cause memory loss and memory disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

These changes aren’t just physical, though; they have psychological effects on an older person, too. A 68-year-old needs her daughter to read the menu to her at a restaurant because she forgot her glasses; a 75-year-old needs help balancing her checkbook when she begins forgetting if she’s paid her bills; an 84-year-old man can no longer drive after having a stroke and needs his grandson to take him out to run errands; a 90-year-old’s family decides to move him to a nursing home when they are unable to accommodate his need for around-the-clock care. As a result of these physical changes, many older people are finding themselves suddenly needing help, and typically from those who used to need them.

No matter how fast or slow that need for help arises, it’s a jarring experience—one that can make an aging adult question their own value and place in the world, and even more so in cultures that don’t respect elders. In fact, according to a 2016 World Values Survey conducted by WHO regarding discrimination and negative attitudes towards older adults, 60% of those surveyed felt that older people are not respected. With so many negative stereotypes about the older population (e.g. feeble, slow-moving, forgetful), that percentage is, unfortunately, not shocking. Naturally, all of this affects an aging person mentally—particularly when it comes to their own perceptions, cognitive abilities, and social relationships—and demonstrates why mental sharpness is crucial to successful aging.

Happiness is everything to successful aging

Robert J. Havighurst, an expert on human development and aging, is often attributed to coining the term “successful aging,” noting in 1961 that there are two theories to aging successfully. One of these theories is the disengagement theory, which is the “acceptance and desire for a disengagement from active life.” Then there’s the more widely accepted theory, the active theory, which is the “maintenance as far and as long as possible of the activities and attitudes of middle age.” When looking at successful aging, Havighurst focused primarily on happiness and satisfaction.

Happiness is everything when it comes to successful aging. In UCLA psychology professor Alan Castel’s book, “Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging,” he discusses a study that analyzed diary entries written by Catholic nuns in their 20s. Determining their levels of happiness based on the entries, the finding 50 years later was that the happier nuns lived 10 years longer than those who seemed unhappy. This finding further supports the research-based fact that happy people live longer.

Though there are negative stereotypes or feelings about getting older that affect self-perception, Castel says that doesn’t have to be the standard. In his book, he appears to support the active theory by stating: “Successful aging involves being productive, mentally fit, and, most importantly, leading a meaningful life.” He goes on to cite various examples of well-known individuals—Maya Angelou, Claude Monet, and Mark Twain, for example—who found happiness and/or success when they were older as a result of their chosen activities and lifestyles.

Impact of activities and social connection

The quality of life in older adults is usually centered around health and finances, but there are other factors to consider. According to PsychologyToday.com, “second and third careers, lifelong learning, leisure pursuits, voluntary work, and caregiving can also contribute, positively or negatively, to future quality of life.”

Another study Castel mentions in his book found that those between 75 and 85 who actively danced, read, and played board games and musical instruments, had fewer cases of dementia compared to those who didn’t do any of those activities. People who speak a second language are also less likely to get dementia.

It’s also important for aging adults to maintain an active lifestyle socially, considering loneliness can increase a person’s risk of dementia by 40%. Loneliness, according to Castel, “poses as large a risk to long-term health and longevity as smoking cigarettes, and may be twice as harmful for retirees as obesity.”

Tips for longevity

Nearly 10 million people are going to be 85 or older by 2030, so staying active, both physically and mentally, is essential. With the increased probability of health issues in older adults, it’s easy to feel like it’s an inevitable part of life—but there are things you can do to help improve your quality of life (and even prolong your life) as you age:

Stay physically active

Most older adults do not get enough exercise, but exercise can improve certain diseases and disabilities, prevent or delay others, and improve mood or depression. Consult with your doctor if you’re concerned about how much physical activity you can handle, but walks, bike rides, dancing, and even doing chores around the house are good ways to get moving.

Find the right balance

Not only can balance exercises help prevent falls, but a 2014 British study also showed that those who were able to get up and sit down in a chair 30+ times in a minute were likely to live longer and not as likely to get dementia compared to those who couldn’t..

Discover new hobbies

As mentioned previously, those who danced, read, played board games, and played musical instruments were at a lower risk of getting dementia. Participating in an activity you enjoy can bring happiness, but also helps keep your mind sharp. Try reading, working in the garden, doing a puzzle, or even playing a game of chess.

Engage with others

Maintain social connections with those around you to avoid the damaging effects loneliness can cause. It’s easy to stay social while exercising or participating in your favorite hobby. Go on regular walks with a family member, play a weekly game of Scrabble with a friend, or join a book club.

Maintain a balanced diet

This is beneficial throughout your life, but especially as you get older. Certain foods are best for staying healthy and even living longer, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish.

Get enough sleep

Studies have shown that insomnia can be connected to early onset dementia, so maintaining a regular sleep schedule (and avoiding naps when possible) is vital. A solid 7-9 hours of sleep per night is recommended.

Create achievable goals

Be precise. “Eat more vegetables” may be a goal, but the lack of detail makes it difficult to measure success. “Eat a serving of vegetables during two meals per day,” however, provides a clear plan on how you can achieve your goal.

Practice mindful meditation

Mindfulness meditation at any age is shown to improve the capacity to manage stress and relate to physical and emotional pain with more ease and less reactivity. “One of the unique benefits of mindfulness that stands out as it relates to older adults is increased acceptance of the challenges of aging,” notes Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s Mind the Moment program manager, Tara Healey.  “Overall, one’s resistance to the realities of aging and all the challenges that come with it have the potential to decrease. This attitude of receptivity and acceptance of mind supports greater appreciation for all the joys and sorrows of life.”

On the positive side, recent research shows that older adults today are reportedly healthier than older adults in the past—a likely pattern in the future for those who successfully age (and, of course, thanks to medical advancements).

Ultimately, the best rule to follow to age successfully is to do what makes you happy, since happiness increases our lives by four to 10 years. As an older adult, surrounding yourself with people who bring you joy and spending your time doing the things you love can only be beneficial to your overall health and well-being.

For the latest on healthcare trends and topics, visit Harvard Pilgrim’s content hub, the HaPi Guide.

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