How Does Eating Healthier Help People Avoid Emergency Room Visits?

Preventable diseases, illnesses, and injuries cost communities billions annually. Individuals often bear the brunt of the financial burden in addition to managing chronic or acute health issues. According to Health.gov, “Many hospital stays and emergency department visits are preventable.” The Health.gov website states that taking steps to “connect people to a primary health care provider, promote healthy behaviors, and create safe environments are key to reducing hospital visits.” Disease prevention education helps people better understand how the food they eat may affect their likelihood of experiencing a preventable disease. LifeSpring Home Nutrition offers nutritional education and medically tailored home-delivered meals to support eating healthier and reducing healthcare costs.

Benefits of Eating Healthier

Emergency room (ER) visits are expensive, may not be fully covered by insurance, and are often the result of preventable health issues. The cost of emergency department (ED) visits has risen substantially in the last several decades. According to Cureus, “It is estimated that preventing unnecessary ED visits could provide a cost savings of approximately $4.4 billion annually in the United States.”

Many people who visit the ER experience preventable health conditions, including:

• Stroke, heart attack, or complications of heart disease
• Unspecified chest pains
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Obesity and conditions caused by significant weight gain
• Mental health disorders
• Substance abuse disorder (SUD)
• Chronic pain due to preventable health issues

Individuals who could be seen at clinics or family providers strain emergency room staff and services by choosing to go to the ER instead. Many individuals with avoidable health issues are unaware of how their diet and other lifestyle choices may impact their health. Communities must provide comprehensive health education to ensure people make informed decisions about their health. People who understand how their diet affects overall health often have fewer preventable ER visits.

What Does Eating Healthier Mean?

Eating healthier means making necessary dietary changes to ensure meals are nourishing and meet the daily recommended balance of food groups. To improve overall health, people may need to change when they eat, portion sizes, and the types of food consumed. According to the journal Nutrients, “Dietary changes recommended by WHO include balancing energy intake, limiting saturated and trans fats and shifting toward consumption of unsaturated fats, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, and limiting the intake of sugar and salt.”

Everyone has a unique relationship with food. Eating healthier often means addressing any unhealthy habits and doing the following:

• Paying attention to body sensations, including hunger and fullness cues
• Creating a personalized nutritional plan
• Becoming more self-aware of portion sizes and the types of food eaten each day

The meals offered by LifeSpring Home Nutrition ensure that people have access to nutritious meals throughout the week. Individuals who eat nutrient-rich foods and adhere to a healthy diet are less likely to require emergency services for preventable diseases.

Diet Is One Part of a Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy diet is only one part of establishing a healthy lifestyle. People must consider their physical, psychological, and spiritual needs. Social, religious, and cultural factors also play an important role in a person’s overall health and wellness. According to the Iranian Journal of Public Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that “60% of related factors to individual health and quality of life are correlated to lifestyle.”

People are more likely to avoid emergency room visits if they make changes to multiple areas of their life, including:

• Staying physically active
• Building strong social connections and developing a support system
• Avoiding self-harming or risk-taking behaviors
• Practicing daily self-care
• Getting quality sleep each night
• Staying properly hydrated
• Setting realistic and achievable health goals

LifeSpring Home Nutrition understands that a whole-person approach to care is the best way to ensure people avoid preventable emergency room visits. Home-delivered meals help people make changes to their overall health and wellness.

How Does LifeSpring Home Nutrition Help People Begin Eating Healthier?

Eating healthier takes time and a willingness to adopt new habits and routines. Many people who would benefit from home-delivered meals need additional social support. Delivery drivers provide wellness checks and healthy social interactions. According to the Administration for Community Living (ACL), “For those who are homebound, delivery of these meals by nutrition staff and volunteers provides an opportunity to see a friendly face.” The weekly check-in also allows people to create a schedule they can use to build healthier habits. Many people benefit from the additional support they receive when participating in home-delivery services.

Following a Meal Plan

Creating a weekly schedule allows people to more effectively follow meal plans prescribed by a doctor, nutritionist, or registered dietitian (RD). Meal plans are essential for building a healthier lifestyle because they provide guidance and accountability. Also, people are more likely to eat healthy food when it does not require them to take additional steps to buy or prepare it. The meals provided by LifeSpring Home Nutrition are premade and flash-frozen to ensure they are ready to enjoy.

Preventable diseases make up a large portion of emergency room visits each year. Millions of people can save money by eating healthier and reducing their risk of developing preventable diseases. Healthy lifestyle changes also make it easier for people to manage the chronic conditions impacting their health. A person’s mental and physical wellness is directly influenced by their diet. LifeSpring Home Nutrition provides people in the community with nourishing home-delivered meals. People often have fewer emergency room (ER) visits and pay less per year in healthcare costs if they change their lifestyle to support healthier habits. To learn more about our meal delivery options and service areas, contact our office today at (800) 798-5767.