La Soupe Is Certified With the American Heart Association

Written by John Hahn

One of the biggest problems with food insecurity is the lack of access to fresh and nutritious food. This can leave people with health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, especially vulnerable. In order to address this problem, La Soupe created its Nourish program in 2021 to ensure that people with health conditions requiring a certain diet are able to access heart-healthy foods.

Through its work, the Nourish program was able to earn a certification with the American Heart Association (AHA). The AHA requires that meals are heart-healthy and provide reasonable portion sizes. Sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat are reduced and processed foods are avoided. Along with this, more fruits and vegetables are incorporated and whole grains are emphasized. Healthy unsaturated fats, such as those in avocados, are also important to maintaining a healthy diet.

In order to receive this certification, Food as Medicine Director, Hannah Griswold, signed the AHA Healthy Food and Beverage Pledge declaring that La Soupe meets these nutritional requirements and wants to create a culture of health and well-being. This certification will allow La Soupe to promote its products, both with its own green Nourish label and through a credible source in the AHA. “I have a great relationship with the American Heart Association. I was able to get in contact with the Community Impact Director who came to our open house last August. We thought that would be a good opportunity for us to explore because our Nourish program is heart-healthy and they’re all about promoting heart health,” said Griswold. 

Another part of creating healthy and nutritious meals is making them taste good. While La Soupe’s Nourish meals and soups are low in sodium and fat, our transform chefs are able to work their magic through the use of spices, herbs, and different styles of cooking that can add flavor. 

In 2023, La Soupe set a goal to turn 20% of La Soupe’s transformed food (food that is prepared by our chefs) into heart healthy “Nourish” servings. In 2024, La Soupe hopes to increase that even further by creating heart-healthy desserts. By using fruits that would otherwise go to our farmers and their animals, such as brown bananas, La Soupe is able to transform more of its rescued food. Packing vegetables into unexpected places is another way to increase the nutritional value of dessert.

“Suzy (Deyoung) made an amazing sweet potato chocolate cake. No one would guess it has vegetables in it, but it’s going to provide a good source of vitamin A and  fiber. We want to support the fact that people are human and have cravings for sugar, but show them that they can do it in a way that is also going to benefit their body,” said Griswold.

Through its partnership with Meals on Wheels, La Soupe will soon begin providing desserts in addition to its Nourish meals. Eventually, the hope is that Nourish desserts will be added to the offerings provided in the Food as Medicine  pilot programs. These pilot programs provide 10 Medically Tailored meals per week to patients with chronic illnesses. Nourish desserts will also be sold to the public at La Soupe’s retail stand.

One of Nourish’s biggest challenges is acquiring lean proteins. Items such as poultry, lean beef, and even low-fat milk or greek yogurt can be hard to come by and are often in high demand. By increasing rescue partners (organizations that provide food donations to La Soupe) who can provide these nutritious foods, Griswold thinks Nourish could easily expand its offerings.

La Soupe also hopes to increase awareness on what its green “Nourish” labels mean. These are heart-healthy meals and soups that are not only good for you, but taste good too. At an event at Adventist Avondale food pantry, La Soupe asked if people knew the difference between its brown label and its green Nourish label, “Many of them said no. And, when we explained that it is heart and diabetes-friendly, they said ‘Oh, that’s perfect. I’m watching my sodium or my doctor said I need to watch myself or my fat intake,  so I’m going to start looking for that green label,’” said Griswold.

People with health conditions that require certain diets often fall to the wayside, especially if they’re food insecure. Through its nutritional guidelines and the credibility of its AHA certification, La Soupe will continue to provide for those in need.