Dining with a Conscience
Thanks to the establishment of the Doctor’s Order program, local diners can still enjoy a night out without feeling that they are veering off course. Launched in 2014 , the program has grown out of a community health initiative led by the physician-owned Western Reserve Hospital. Internist and Vice President of Quality at the hospital, Dr. Gary Pinta has spearheaded efforts alongside his team for the past three years. “We thought of something novel: to get restaurants involved in making the community healthier,” says Pinta .
In reviewing the menus of local restaurants, Dr. Pinta and his team evaluate and select the entrée that is most closely associated with the Mediterranean diet. “I say ‘closest’ because sometimes it might be hard to find something purely healthy, but we wanted to give the best choice,” he says. Based on the low-carb end of the spectrum, this specific diet emphasizes fish, vegetables, some fruits, nuts, and oils. Clinically, the doctor advises, the Mediterranean nutritional regimen is the healthiest lifestyle to follow. “We try to find the menu item that incorporates this kind of philosophy.”
The process of partnering with area eateries has been a combination of reaching out on both ends. The hospital began with popular restaurants in the Cuyahoga Falls area as early participants, and now has seen others joining the program. With the number of restaurant participants growing, the program’s heart-shaped stethoscope logo is on its way to becoming a customary part of the local dining experience.
“I would like to see if they would ever come to us and say, ‘we’re coming up with a menu and we’d like to consult with you’ before they do it, and try to collaborate on that level. That might be an opportunity for us to grow, to actually help develop a menu from the ground up,” says Pinta. Currently, an in-house protein bar has developed as an extension of the Doctor’s Order program. There is a desire to expand the program to fit the different health concerns of groups from the general public to those with heart disease and diabetes.
“As an internist, a large portion of my practice is diabetes. As we know, that is an epidemic. The Mediterranean diet is low-carb, so it’s excellent for diabetics,” Pinta says. The hope is to have some influence on people when they go out, seeing as that’s when many disregard their diet. “We thought we could help to bring down the hemoglobin-A1Cs in the community, and just bring awareness to eating out.”
The community-based approach to promoting healthy lifestyles is what makes the program so distinctive—and readily effective. “In the exam room, I can tell the patient everything I think is best,” explains Pinta. “But if they have so many other influences out there that are leading them astray, it’s much harder to get health care controlled than if everybody does it. If all the different influences are on the same page, it will work a lot better.”
Commitments to working within the public sphere and alongside local partners show a dedication to the well-being of our communities. “There are restaurateurs, hospitals, doctors’ offices, the city—if we work with all the different components, then it’s kind of like a big team trying to influence folks in the right direction,” says Pinta. Teamwork makes the dream work, especially when that goal is a healthier, happier way of life for all.
Some Participating Local Restaurants
Craft Beer Bar
Cuyahoga Falls
Dontino’s
Akron
Hudson’s Restaurant & Catering
Hudson
Leonardo’s Pizza
Fairlawn
Moe’s Restaurant
Cuyahoga Falls
Papa Joe’s
Akron
Sarah’s Vineyard
Cuyahoga Falls
The Tavern of Stow
Stow
The Office Bistro
Cuyahoga Falls