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Transforming diabetes care with food as medicine

May 02, 2025
Nutrition Healthy Living
3 MINUTE READ

Imagine taking control of your health with meals that are not only free but tailored to your needs – and delivered right to your door.

For Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) members with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes, that’s not just a dream. It’s reality, thanks to the Feed Your Health program.

Why Feed Your Health exists

Blue Cross NC launched Feed Your Health with a clear mission: to use Food as Medicine. Chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes are on the rise, especially in North Carolina. Managing them means big lifestyle changes – but change is hard without support.

The Feed Your Health program reduces barriers and provides nutritious meals, personal coaching, and digital tools to help members take charge of their health.

It’s not just about lowering blood sugar. It’s about restoring dignity, independence, and hope! 

Real impact: Kim's story

Kim had been living with diabetes since 2019. Like many, she tried to ignore it. Her A1C – a key marker of diabetes – kept climbing until it hit 9.8. That’s when her doctor gave her a wake-up call.

Kim found Feed Your Health through her employer, Blue Cross NC.

She enrolled and was matched with a dedicated nutritionist from NourishedRx, the program’s vendor. Together, they reviewed Kim’s eating habits and crafted a plan. Kim made one thing clear: She doesn’t cook. So, the program delivered frozen, ready-to-eat meals to her doorstep – for free. Whole-wheat pasta, salmon, shrimp dishes – not only healthy but delicious.

With weekly support, Kim didn’t just eat better. She learned how to move more, snack smarter, and stay accountable. Over time, her confidence grew – and so did her skills in the kitchen.

“I should say I wasn’t a cook,” Kim shared. “I am now!”

After a month of frozen meals, Kim began receiving boxes of fresh food with simple recipes. She started cooking for her mom and niece. Her fridge, once a place of processed snacks, was now stocked with colorful produce.

Best of all? Her A1C dropped to 6.3 – a life-changing improvement.

[Kim speaking]

Anyone that knows me, knows, I don’t cook so I said, “what are you talking about?”

[music]

[screen text] Feed Your Health

[screen text] Kim, member since 2003

Feed Your Health changed my life because I was living in denial about my Diabetes.

It made, it empowered me, it provided me tools and an amazing nutritionist.

My A1C was 9.8. I wanted to have a knee surgery and my doctor said that I could not have a surgery.

No way, with an A1C that high.

[screen text] How it started

[Kim speaking]

Feed Your Health is a program that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina offers.

And I decided if I fit the criteria I have to go for it.

[screen text] How it’s going

I got free meals. What do you mean though, seriously? How much did you pay?

I said, laughs, I didn’t pay anything.

[Kim speaking]

I learned how to cook all these fresh foods that were delivered to my house.

Everything in that grocery bag, that’s fresh, I had a recipe for, and I know how to cook.

It encouraged us to eat better, to shop better, make better decisions.

One of the biggest one is really having that one on one connection with my nutritionist. Just to have someone to talk to, to encourage like on days that I didn’t feel that I could walk up this hill at my house with my dog.

She’s like, you know, I think you can do it. Laughs. Ok. Laughs

[Kim speaking]

She gave me the courage to walk to the stop sign. The inspiration? To go outside and breathe, get some fresh air.

And know that whatever challenging times that I was having, that I could work through it. She was really good.

[music]

I didn’t join Feed Your Health just for me. I did it for my family because they need me, and I need them.

That’s why I took control of my health. It is the best thing that I ever did. And especially to see my numbers now, it’s like wow!

I could tell when people were saying, “Hey Kim, you look good. You’re doing something different.”

I was like “yeah, I am. I’m on Feed Your Health Program, are you on it?” Laughs. Like you should be on it.

[screen text] Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

What the program offers

Feed Your Health isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s a high-touch, personalized approach to managing Type 2 diabetes. Eligible members (18+ with a recent A1C of 8 or higher) get access to:

  • Free prepared meals, meal kits and groceries for four months, curated for taste, nutrition, or cultural relevance
  • Weekly or biweekly sessions with a registered dietitian or wellness coach for six months
  • Support through a mobile app, including glucose tracking, motivational messages, recipes, and wellness lessons
  • Grocery guidance, helping members learn what to buy, how to cook it, and how to make sustainable habits stick

And it’s all designed to be simple. No complicated diets. No need to become a gourmet chef overnight. Just real food, real support, and real change.

Who can join

Feed Your Health is available to eligible Blue Cross NC members (some exclusions apply)1: 

  • Commercial members, including Individual Under 65 plan members and Fully Insured Employee Groups 
  • Blue Cross NC employees, spouses, and dependents covered by the employee health plan
  • Employers Groups who offer this program for their employees 

If you're managing Type 2 diabetes and have a clinical A1C of 8 or higher enrollment is easy – and the benefits are immediate. Visit the Feed Your Health website to learn more and see if you qualify.

More than a program – a movement

Feed Your Health is about more than blood sugar. It’s about transforming lives, one meal and one conversation at a time. It’s about helping people like Kim get their mobility back, cook with family again, and feel empowered in their own health journey.

authors photo

James LaCorte

James LaCorte

Social Media Manager

James is a social media manager and has been employed by Blue Cross NC since 2003. He has built his career working in a variety of areas across the company. When not working, you can find him kayaking a local river, photographing a nature scene or running around with his family.

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Disclosures:

  1. Must be currently enrolled in an eligible Blue Cross NC health plan and meet certain eligibility requirements. Some plan exclusions may apply. For information regarding eligibility call NourishedRx at 844-727-6670.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in its health programs and activities. Learn more about our non-discrimination policy and no-cost services available to you.

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