Lowering Total Cost of Care Begins at the Dinner Table

Cardiometabolic and cardiovascular strategy should start with the “young and healthy.” Helping families understand what ultra-processed means, how to avoid these foods, and gradually shift family culture around food is critical. One way to approach this is through a Total Rewards lens, by increasing relative compensation through benefits that support access to healthy, whole foods. Creating benefits that reduce the cost of nutritious options to levels comparable with ultra-processed foods can meaningfully reduce total cost of care. These benefits should be tied directly to the purchase of healthier choices. Rather than partnering solely with medical providers who reactively treat food-driven conditions, organizations should also engage food providers as key stakeholders. Food should be viewed as medicine, with either positive or negative side effects depending on what is “prescribed.” Expanding the healthcare stakeholder paradigm to include healthy food providers is increasingly important, especially as research shows that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods significantly increases the risk of prediabetes and insulin resistance in young adults (Li et al., 2025).

Li, Y., Costello, E., Rock, S., et al. (2025). Ultra-processed food intake is associated with altered glucose homeostasis in young adults with a history of overweight or obesity: A longitudinal study. Nutrition & Metabolism, 22, 135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-025-01036-6