Diet Adherence in Medically Tailored Meals: Rethinking What "Food Is Medicine" Really Means

Description

Learning Objectives

• Identify behavioral, sensory, and systemic factors influencing patient adherence to medically tailored meal prescriptions.
• Evaluate evidence-based strategies that improve consumption and satisfaction within Food-as-Medicine and medically tailored meal programs.
• Apply practical frameworks to integrate adherence-enhancing interventions into clinical nutrition counseling and care coordination.

Performance Indicators

• 10.6.2 Applies a variety of counseling theories, psychological methods and strategies that empower clients/patients to make changes.
• 11.3.5 Establishes and implements nutrition care plans, defining the time, frequency, and duration of interventions.
• 9.5.1 Plans and designs nutritionally sound meals, menus and meal plans that promote health and disease management and meet client needs.

Speakers

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  Stephen Lupe

  Section Head, Behavioral Health in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cleveland Clinic

  Dr. Stephen E. Lupe is a clinical health psychologist and recognized leader in digital health. He is the Section Head of Behavioral Health in the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition where he established and directs an internationally recognized integrated behavioral medicine program, and has expanded it to include nine psychologists, four dietitians, and a digital health partner to improve access to care. This model has become a blueprint for scaling whole-person, team-based care. As co-inventor of the Ayble Health Digital Care Platform, Dr. Lupe is at the forefront of developing digital innovations and collaborative care models that expand access, improve patient outcomes, and reduce costs for individuals with chronic health conditions. He also advises multiple industry partners, helping to shape the future of high-quality, whole-person digital and in-person care delivery. He consults on several food-as-medicine projects and works with several food-as-medicine partners.

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  Tara Schmidt

  Lead Registered Dietitian, Mayo Clinic

  Tara Schmidt, M.Ed., RDN, LD, is a lead registered dietitian and instructor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. With more than a decade at Mayo, she advances evidence based nutrition programs that bridge clinical research and real world application. Tara specializes in translating complex nutrition science into practical, patient centered strategies that support sustainable behavior change and improve health outcomes. Tara is the host of Mayo Clinic On Nutrition, a podcast where she explores current nutrition research and actionable approaches to healthy living. She also serves as Medical Editor for the Nutrition & Fitness channel at Mayo Clinic Press, helping deliver trusted health information to a broad audience.

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Moderator

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  Rebecca Sarac

  Project Manager - Medically Tailored Meals, CookUnity

  Rebecca Sarac is a Registered Dietitian on a mission to prove that food can be medicine, not just in theory, but at scale. She began her career bringing nutrition to life through community cooking programs, hands-on culinary education, and consumer-facing work in the meal kit industry, where she developed expertise in recipe development, nutrition analysis, and making healthy food feel genuinely approachable. Today, she channels that same passion into a different kind of kitchen, leading Medically Tailored Meal programs and clinical research partnerships, where food isn't just nourishment; it's a healthcare intervention. With 12+ years spanning food technology, CPG operations, and healthcare program management, Rebecca brings both the RD lens and the real-world operational experience to today's conversation.

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