SEATTLE — 'Tis the season of giving, and it's never too late to give back to your community! HomeTeam Harvest is Washington's largest food drive, and this year Kaiser Permanente is lending a helping hand, investing over half a million dollars in grants and sponsorships supporting healthy food for the community.
"We're excited to be sponsoring the state's largest food drive this year as we recognize that many members in our community have food insecurity and that food is really medicine," said Cardiologist Dr. Rachel Wyman. "Having access to healthy food helps people heal."
Despite how wealthy the state is, 1 in 5 kids in Washington is going hungry. To help in this area, Kaiser Permanente has Community Resource Specialists in each of their medical centers who connect patients with access to healthy food, job help, and housing stability if they need it.
Wyman shared the story of a patient of hers, Mike, who was diagnosed with heart failure a year and a half ago. Hospital visits and procedures used up all of his vacation days and even drained his 401K. "He recently saw his primary care doctor and shared with her that after he paid his rent, he only had a little over a dollar left despite having a full-time job."
Mike's physician linked him up with a Community Resource Specialist who was able to get him vouchers through a program called Fresh Bucks so he could buy fruits and vegetables.
Wyman sees many patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Instead of medications, she would like to focus more on the importance of diet when treating disease. "There're many studies that show that by eating 5 to 7 servings of vegetables a day, we can lower our blood pressure about as much as one medication. That, in addition to lowering our salt intake to less than 2,000 milligrams a day, can be quite powerful."
Foods such as beans, leafy greens, and berries are good choices for lowering cholesterol. These foods contain soluble fiber which binds cholesterol in the stomach and makes it easier to get out. "When we eat a diet that's high in soluble fiber, we can reduce our cholesterol as much as 20 %, which is similar to what people get with a low dose of statin medication."
Wyman encourages people who are taking multiple medications and want to reduce the amount to try a plant-based diet. "Once people start eating a more healthy plant-based diet, they really find that they feel better."
Join us for HomeTeam Harvest! Kaiser Permanente volunteers will be accepting donations with the KING 5 Evening crew at the Everett Safeway on Dec. 7th.
Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Segment Producer: Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Segment Ideas? Feedback? Contact Us.