Humana to present healthy mocktail challenge featuring WXRT DJ Mary Dixon and ‘Check, Please!’ host Catherine De Orio on July 9

Health and well-being company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) will showcase its largest ever list of healthy food items through its signature Humana Healthier Choices program at Taste of Chicago 2016, the world’s largest food festival.

The Humana Healthier Choices – selected by a panel of physicians and nutrition experts based on calories, saturated fat, sodium and ingredients – allow Taste-goers to indulge in the foods they love without stressing over their health and well-being. This year’s Humana Healthier Choices list features 75 healthy food options – the most in the program’s nine-year history – from 29 Chicago restaurants, which represent 40 percent of the total restaurants participating at the year’s festival.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in its 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, states that everybody – including companies and organizations – has a role in creating and supporting healthy eating patterns for the communities they serve. For the second year, the Humana Healthier Choices list will include 49 vegetarian options – nearly two-thirds of the list – to cater to a larger sampling of health-conscious attendees. The program will once again promote six gluten-free options from Dia De Los Tamales.

“Taste of Chicago is both a local and national institution, and it is important for Humana to provide attendees the opportunity to eat healthy while still enjoying themselves,” said Neal Fischer, M.D., Humana Regional Medical Director. “Great things are ahead of you when your health is ready for them. The Humana Healthier Choices program shows Taste-goers and the local Chicago community that there are easy ways to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle.”

The Humana Healthier Choices food items will be identified with a new logo for 2016 – a green “H” with a circular arrow around it – that can be found on the menu boards at participating restaurant booths. The Humana Healthier Choices list will be handed out at the Humana tent, located on Columbus Drive between Jackson Boulevard and the Buckingham Fountain. The list can also be downloaded at the Taste of Chicago website, via facebook.com/TheTasteOfChicago and through the newly established Taste of Chicago app.

The personal story of John Falduto, owner and partner of Carbón Live Fire, shows the effect that the Humana Healthier Choices program and its emphasis on healthy living can have on individuals. Carbón will have menu items included in the program for the sixth consecutive year. While participating in a Humana-hosted event at the 2015 Taste of Chicago, Falduto, whose job makes it important for him to continually sample and eat various foods, was inspired by others’ stories of rejuvenated health and weight loss.

“Since I work in the food business, I tend to get very busy, which makes it difficult to prioritize exercise and healthy living,” Falduto said. “I’ve made it a priority over the last year to eat healthier, get to the gym frequently and start hiking again, which has helped me to lose 25 pounds and feel better. The stories of health and well-being at last year’s Taste of Chicago and Humana’s healthy living message have motivated my progress over the past 12 months.”

All restaurants participating in the 2016 Taste of Chicago were invited to submit their menu items for consideration for the Humana Healthier Choices program. For an item to be considered, restaurants must submit nutritional details, including calories, sodium content, saturated fat and the list of ingredients.

Humana Healthier Choices for Taste of Chicago 2016 (vegetarian options noted by a V):

Appetizers/Starters
Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat
Taste Portion of Seaweed Salad (V) – Arami
Taste Portion of Buta Hara – Arami
Taste Portion of Veggie Burger (V) – Beat Kitchen
Taste Portion of Mustard Fried Catfish – BJ’s Market
Taste Portion of Grilled Chicken Taco – Carbón Live Fire Mexican Grill
Taste Portion of Chicken Sambussa – Demera Ethiopian Restaurant
Taste Portion of Vegetarian Messob Misir Wat and Tikle Gomen (V) – Demera Ethiopian Restaurant
Taste Portion of Doner Box – Doner Men
Chili Lime Watermelon (V) – Farmer’s Fridge
Taste Portion of Chili Lime Watermelon (V) – Farmer’s Fridge
Taste Portion of Avocado Toast (V) – Farmer’s Fridge
Taste Portion of Chicken Sandwich (without cheese) – Gino’s Steaks Truck
Ginger Garlic Wings – Iyanze
Taste Portion of Chap Chae (V) – Jin Ju
Taste Portion of Chicken Tacos – La Cocinita
Taste Portion of Malnati Salad (V) – Lou Malnati’s
Taste Portion of Cauliflower Salad (V) – nana
Taste Portion of Avocado Fries (V) – nana
Celtic Corn on the Cob (V) – O’Brien’s Restaurant
Sweet Potato Potato Salad (V) – Pork & Mindy’s
Taste Portion of Bao to the Pork – Pork & Mindy’s
Taste Portion of Pulled Chicken Slider – Pork chop
Taste Portion of Reverse Coney (V) – Taco in a Bag
Main Dishes
Less than 500 calories, 500 mg sodium and 4 g saturated fat
Veggie Burger (V) – Beat Kitchen
Mustard Fried Catfish – BJ’s Market
Grilled Steak Taco – Carbón Live Fire Mexican Grill
Grilled Chicken Taco – Carbón Live Fire Mexican Grill
Taste Portion of Smoked Alligator – Chicago’s Dog House
Taste Portion of Smoked Rattlesnake with Rabbit – Chicago’s Dog House
Taste Portion of Chicken Sambussa – Demera Ethiopian Restaurant
Vegetarian Messob Misir Wat and Tikle Gomen (V) – Demera Ethiopian Restaurant
Donër Box – Donër Men
Avocado Toast (V) – Farmer’s Fridge
Chicken Sandwich (without cheese) – Gino’s Steaks Truck
Vegetarian Greens and Plantains (V) – Iyanze
Jerk Chicken – Iyanze
Chap Chae (V) – Jin Ju
Chicken Ke-Bob Curry Rice with Vegetables – Kasia Deli
Black Bean & Cheese Arepa with Salsa Verde – La Cocinita
Chicken Taco – La Cocinita
Malnati Salad (V) – Lou Malnati’s
Avocado Fries (V) – nana
Cauliflower Salad (V) – nana
Pulled Chicken Sandwich – Pork chop
Taste Portion of Grilled Chicken Satay – Star of Siam
Taste Portion of Pot Stickers – Star of Siam
Taste Portion of Pad Thai Noodles – Star of Siam
Reverse Coney (V) – Taco in a Bag
Taste Portion of Grilled Cheese (V) – The Fat Shallot
Taste Portion of Plantain and Jollof (V) – Vee Vee’s African Restaurant
Desserts
Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat
Taste Portion of Lemon Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato
Lemon Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato
Taste Portion of Blood Orange Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato
Blood Orange Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato
Taste Portion of Pineapple Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato
Pineapple Sorbet (V) – Caffe Gelato
Taste Portion of Peanut Butter Brownie (V) – Caffe Gelato
Dinky Donut (2) (V) – Dinky Donuts
Italian Lemon Ice (V) – Franco’s Ristorante
Taste Portion of Italian Lemon Ice (V) – Franco’s Ristorante
Italian Watermelon Ice (V) – Franco’s Ristorante
Taste Portion of Italian Watermelon Ice (V) – Franco’s Ristorante
Lemon-Lime Paleta (V) – La Mexicana
Mango Paleta (V) – La Mexicana
Strawberry Paleta (V) – La Mexicana
Taste Portion of Strawberry Paleta (V) – La Mexicana
Watermelon Paleta (V) – La Mexicana
Taste Portion of Watermelon Paleta (V) – La Mexicana
Southern Red Velvet Morsel of Love (V) – Ms. Tittle’s Cupcake
Mango Sorbet (V) – Star of Siam
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry (V) – The Fudge Pot
Frozen Mango Kefir (V) – The Lifeway Kefir Shop
Taste Portion of Mango Kefir (V) – The Lifeway Kefir Shop
Frozen Original Kefir (V) – The Lifeway Kefir Shop
Taste Portion of Original Kefir (V) – The Lifeway Kefir Shop
The following six items from Dia De Los Tamales do not meet the Humana Healthier Choices nutrition criteria but provide options for Taste-goers with gluten-free dietary restrictions:

Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Tamale with Cuban Fricase
Taste Portion of Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Tamale with Cuban Fricase
Spicy Black Bean & Corn Tamale with Salsa Roja (V)
Taste Portion of Spicy Black Bean & Corn Tamale with Salsa Roja (V)
Buffalo Chicken Tamale with Blue Cheese, Shredded Carrot and Celery
Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Tamale with Red Pepper Crema (V)
A panel of five top Chicago-area physicians and nutrition experts with expertise in diet and nutrition collaboratively judged each item to assure that nutritional values were met. The panel included: Kathleen Duffy, M.S., R.D., Diabetes Nutrition Educator, Rush Oak Park Hospital Diabetes and Endocrine Care Center; Neal Fischer, M.D., Humana Regional Medical Director, Medicare Operations, Great Lakes Region; Amy Hess-Fischl, M.S., R.D, Advanced Practice Dietitian and Program Coordinator at University of Chicago’s Kovler Diabetes Center; Donna Perisee, M.D., Ph.D., Humana Medical Director, Medicare Great Lakes Region, Health Services Organization; and Donna Prost, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, Adult Diabetes Education Manager, Amita Health Diabetic Education Services.

Humana Healthier Choices Rewards Program

The Humana Healthier Choices Rewards Program will once again provide Taste-goers with incentives to participate in a host of well-being offerings. After receiving a free Humana Healthier Choices tag, which comes with a lanyard for a hands-free and convenient experience, participants can collect stamps by sampling any Humana Healthier Choices food item or participating in healthy activities at the Humana tent.

 

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