Nourish
Move over, drive-thru
At La Soupe, we are on a mission to keep people healthy and out of the hospitals. We believe food is medicine, but it doesn’t have to taste like it. Our creative chefs work closely with our on-site Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) to use nutrient-dense ingredients that help prevent, manage, and treat disease and protect health while simultaneously tasting delicious.
Food insecurity has caused a health crisis.
A staggering one-third of greater Cincinnatians have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or both, which are linked to heart disease and stroke. Eighty-six percent of healthcare spending can be attributed to diet-related health conditions. Lower-income communities are particularly at risk where plentiful, healthy, and affordable foods are not as easily accessible.
DID YOU KNOW? Our meals meet the national healthy food and beverage guidelines by the American Heart Association!
The goals of the Nourish initiative are:
Provide our neighbors with access to food options that encourage healthy eating and fight chronic illnesses. By converting 20% of La Soupe’s total production to meet our Nourish standards, we can bring this healthy option to more share partners looking for nutrition intervention.
Promote health by bringing nutrition and healthy behavior topics into existing and new Culinary Education Programming
Inspire partner organizations to address nutrition security and promote wellness through employee benefits, preventative care models, and nutrition education.
What does the green “Nourish” label mean on your La Soupe meal or soupe?
La Soupe has introduced Nourish soupes and meals in partnership with registered dietitian Lisa Andrews of Sound Bites Nutrition. Based on the DASH diet, these meals and soupes are portion-controlled, plant-forward, and prioritize whole ingredients, lean proteins, and whole grains. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is often recommended to prevent or treat high blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, and support a generally healthy diet. Our Nourish menu focuses on adequate vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber while limiting harmful saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.
In addition to the Nourish meals, our operations also cater to cultural and health needs such as no pork, vegetarian, allergies, dairy-free, gluten-free, and reduced sodium. You will see these designations on the ingredient label when applicable.
Click here for the full description of the Nourish cooking and nutrition standards.
Why is this important?
Through our work, it has become increasingly apparent that food security is highly linked with health equity. Healthy options are often not accessible to all communities and often come with a hefty price tag. Additionally, simple culinary skills and a little bit of knowledge can allow for healthy eating habits that can affordably nourish multiple generations. This is why the Nourish initiative is about not only creating access to healthy meals, but also inspiring healthy eaters, and chefs.
We hope that our Nourish products will reach our partners who are looking to prevent or manage diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. We plan to grow this product line to offer more choice, knowledge, and empowerment to the families we serve through both our Share network, retail, and healthcare partnerships.