Live Your Best Life Longer: Recognizing the Value of Nutrition Through a Focus on Preventive Care

Zing founder and healthspan coach Sally Duplantier is on a mission to help people live their best lives longer. “Eighty percent of US healthcare costs are due to conditions that could be reversible or treatable by changes in lifestyle,” she says. “[We’re seeing] a shift from episodic to preventive care.”

“Technology can be used to help people have a more active role in their healthcare.”

— Sally Duplantier, Gerontologist and Healthspan Educator; Founder, Zing

It’s never too late to make improvements to support a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that while food insecurity is a leading public health concern, nutrition security may be a better target for disease prevention strategies.¹ The good news is that we can mitigate risks such as chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer, as well as health conditions related to changes in muscle and bone mass, such as osteoporosis – by eating nutrient-dense foods and maintaining an active lifestyle.

As a health or wellness professional, having a sound understanding of the science behind nutrition is crucial for giving clients and patients informed advice about longevity, vitality, and holistic disease management. This is why Sally decided to take the Nutrition Science online short course from the Stanford Center for Health Education, part of Stanford Medicine, while starting her second company. “I recognized that even though I had a foundation in nutrition and wellness, there was a big gap between my knowledge and what I felt was needed.” 

Embracing the future of healthcare

“What we’re seeing is a movement away from patients as passive participants to active participants. Having people take more charge of their healthcare and not just sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for a prescription,” Sally affirms. “There’s going to be a huge revolution around being able to deliver better care in homes. It’s going to be monitoring patients; for example, something as simple as wearables. We’re going to see an explosion of telehealth.”

Wherever we look in the healthcare industry, we can find new technology being used to fight illness, develop new vaccines and medicines, and help people live healthier lives. “If we start to think about digital transformation in healthcare, [we understand] how technology can be used to help people have a more active role in their healthcare,” shares Sally. 

Reforming healthcare through choice

“Instead of seeing the doctor because we’re sick, we’re able to use the technology to get information, monitor our behavior, change our behavior, and make better choices that keep us healthier.”

Healthcare delivery in the United States is transforming rapidly. As models shift from episodic, fee-for-service care toward population health and value-based responsibility, healthcare leaders need to focus on patient engagement as a key to driving down costs and improving results.² This means a fundamental redesign of the patient’s role – from that of a passive recipient of care to an active participant of positive outcomes.

“The healthcare industry spends way too much time fixing people who are already sick instead of preventing disease. I’ve found in working with people that feedback helps folks make better choices.”

Excited about the shift to prevention versus episodic care, Sally was able to use some of the course material to form the basis of a five-month health and wellness program called My Zing Life. “I’m passionate about making sure science supports the myriad of health claims various people and organizations make,” she says. “I care deeply that whatever advice I give to people about nutrition is grounded in scientific evidence.” 

The path to wellness is not one-size-fits-all; the journey is unique and different for each individual. “People are starting to question: what impact am I having? I realized that nutrition was going to be key to helping my clients be successful.” 

Challenge the way you think about the food you eat and the lifestyle you live