Before I got connected with Food For Thought through my health care provider, I was doing everything wrong.
For about 15 years, I ate nothing but fast food. This lifestyle was terrible for my health. I have congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and poor kidney function. I’ve battled serious medical conditions as well as drug addiction for years and I’ve ended up in the hospital many times. Most of my doctors have told me it’s important to eat healthy food, but that was hard to do, especially when you are the only one in the house trying to make healthy choices.
I have been on FFT’s Medically Tailored Meals Program (MTM) for about a month now. The program has made it much easier for me to stay on track. I like the meals. They taste good and take the guesswork out of food choices.
I also really like the educational information included in the
program. FFT provides one-on-one nutrition counseling and healthy eating tips. I really like spicy food and often put a few dashes of hot sauce on my meals, but many brands have lots of salt. I’ve learned that Tabasco® sauce, which is low in sodium, is a good choice for adding flavor to food if you are on a sodium-restricted diet.
I’ve also discovered healthy grain options like quinoa. Food For Thought’s client services team has been incredibly supportive. The first meals that I received included strips of meat. I have some dental issues that make it difficult for me to chew so I let Food For Thought know and they began sending me meals including ground meat and other soft food ingredients.
I really appreciate that FFT’s team is so responsive and concerned for my health and wellbeing. In just a month, I’ve gone from weighing 204 to 197 pounds. I haven’t been back to the doctor since starting the program, but I am starting to feel better.
Pulmonary hypertension makes it difficult to breathe and losing weight can help. I have a device at home that monitors my oxygen levels, and I can already see an improvement. Oxygen levels are so important to overall health, so I am happy to be breathing better.
The MTM program does require discipline on my part. I know that I can’t lapse into unhealthy eating habits, but with FFT’s help I feel like I have support and the opportunity to learn how to make better food choices. I also have a personal motivation: I really love my son and want to be there for him. I don’t want to miss seeing him grow up.