Humana also sponsors Race to Taste and Senior Pavilion at nation’s largest food festival
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- More Chicago restaurants than ever are committed to providing food options at this year’s Taste of Chicago that are both healthy and delicious. Showing that it is possible for Taste-goers to munch on foods that are low on calories but still high on taste, 20 items from 17 different Chicago restaurants have been designated as Humana Healthier Choices – the most robust listing the program has ever offered.
For the fourth straight year, Humana (NYSE: HUM) will publish the Humana Healthier Choices food guide for the 2011 Taste of Chicago to showcase low-calorie, healthy appetizers, entrees and desserts available at the festival and direct Taste-goers to the restaurant vendors that are serving the 20 healthy foods. The guide is available for free and can be found at www.humana.com/tasteofchicago, on www.facebook.com/humana.tasteofchicago, or during the Taste at the Humana Senior Dining Pavilion, Humana Race to Taste or from the Healthier Choices Apple Man mascot, who will roam the grounds of Taste. The guide will also be accessible via the official Taste of Chicago application, available for iPhones and Android devices.
“When people come to the Taste of Chicago every year, they expect to try lots of Chicago’s best foods and have fun,” said Deborah Gracey, president of Humana’s Medicare Great Lakes Region. “By mixing health and wellness components into the festival, such as the Humana Healthier Choices guide, Humana Race to Taste and activities at the Humana Senior Pavilion, we are helping Taste-goers realize that it is possible to have fun and be healthy at the same time.”
All of the Humana Healthier Choices meet nutritional calorie, sodium and saturated fat standards established by a panel of top Chicago-area physicians with expertise in nutrition and diet, including Amy Hess-Fischl, MS, RD, dietitian/diabetes educator at The University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center; Brian O’Leary, M.D., vice president of DuPage Medical Group; Katherine Tynus, M.D., internal medicine specialist with MacNeal Physicians Group; and, Fredrik Tolin, M.D., vice president for Humana’s Illinois Commercial market. The expert panel reviewed nutritional information provided by the restaurants and identified foods that met the criteria. Each appetizer and dessert has approximately 320 calories, 300 milligrams of sodium and 2 grams of saturated fat or less; each main entrée has approximately 500 calories, 500 milligrams of sodium and 4 grams of saturated fat or less.
All restaurants participating in the 2011 Taste of Chicago were given the opportunity to be considered for the Humana Healthier Choices guide. Humana asked interested restaurants to submit nutritional information for their healthier menu item(s), including calories, sodium content, saturated fat and ingredients, which were then evaluated by the physician panel. Restaurants that did not provide complete information were not reviewed by the physician panel.
“The increased number of Chicago restaurants that applied to be included in this year’s Humana Healthier Choices was wonderful to see, especially given the growth in interest in healthy food options at the festival over the years,” said Dr. Fredrik Tolin.
At the Taste, the Humana Healthier Choices items will be designated with green apples on the menu boards of the participating restaurants. Updates about all of Humana’s offerings at the Taste can be found on the Humana at Taste of Chicago Facebook page (www.facebook.com/humana.tasteofchicago).
Humana Healthier Choices for the 2011 Taste of Chicago:
Appetizers/Starters – Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat
Taste of Malnati Salad (chopped) – Lou Malnati’s Pizza
Celtic Corn on the Cob – O’Brien’s
Corn on the Cob – Dominick’s
Taste of Quinoa Salad – Texas de Brazil
Taste of Fresh Carrots, Celery & Ranch – Timothy O’Toole’s
Main Dishes – 500 calories or less; 500 mg sodium or less; and less than 4 g saturated fat
BBQ Turkey Tips – BJ’s Market & Bakery
All Natural Chipotle Chicken Sausage – Bobak Sausage Company
Taste of Fire Roasted Veggie Taco – Carbón
Taste of Gluten Free Pizza – Connie’s Pizza
Taste of Harvest Salad – Home Run Inn Pizza
Crawfish Boil – Lagniappe - Creole Cajun Joynt
Turkey Leg without BBQ sauce and with skin removed – Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen
Crab Cake Nuggets (baked) – Polo Café and Catering
Turkey Sausage Pizza on Wheat Crust – Reggio’s Pizza
Grilled Chicken Mozzarella Sandwich – Tutto Italiano
Snacks/Desserts – Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat
Cherries, Pineapple Bites, Red/Green Seedless Grapes, Water Melon Slice – Dominick’s
Italian Lemon Ice – Franco’s Ristorante
Red, White & Blue Italian Ice – Reggio’s Pizza
Flavored Frozen Kefir – Starfruit Café
Lemon-Lime Ice – Tutto Italiano
Relaxation, classes, cooking demo offered for seniors
Seniors can stop by the Humana Senior Pavilion, located at Buckingham Fountain, where they can participate in free fitness classes, offered by Humana Silver Sneakers instructors, and various health and wellness programs, as well as enjoy musical entertainment and prizes. Seniors can also pick up complimentary water, relax under the shaded tent and get some tips on how to lead healthier lifestyles.
Humana will also host a cooking demonstration with Chicago chef Patsy Bentivegna at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 27, Senior Day at the Taste. On stage, Bentivegna, who teaches cooking classes and formerly provided live cooking demonstrations for PGA TOUR Media, will prepare a Fiesta Salad using ingredients that seniors can easily prepare.
Humana Starts The Race
For the second straight year, Humana shows the importance of staying fit while having fun as the title sponsor for the annual Race to Taste in 2011. The 19th Annual Humana Race to Taste 5K Run/2-Mile Walk will take place on June 26, starting at 9 a.m. at Columbus and Balboa streets, and will follow a course along Chicago’s Grant Park and lakefront.
Some of the Humana Healthier Choices restaurants will be on hand after the race to provide free samples of their healthy food options. All participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt and a complimentary strip of Taste tickets once they finish the race. Interested participants can register online until Tuesday, June 21.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom the company has relationships.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders;
- Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
- Most recent investor conference presentations;
- Quarterly earnings news releases;
- Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls;
- Calendar of events (including upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors);
- Corporate Governance information.
CONTACT:
Humana Corporate Communications
Lindsey Minella, 312-441-5549
[email protected]
www.humana.com/tasteofchicago
www.facebook.com/Humana.TasteofChicago
KEYWORDS: United States North America Illinois Kentucky
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Seniors Health Fitness & Nutrition Restaurant/Bar Professional Services Insurance Retail Food/Beverage Consumer Family General Health Managed Care
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