Nov. 22, 2016
Ashley Logan is a second-year medical student in MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and the co-founder of the nonprofit organization Lettuce Live Well. She also serves as the vice president and as a nutritional counselor.
Lettuce Live Well is a group dedicated to providing access to the education and resources that individuals need to lead happier and healthier lives.
Logan explains that the backbone of Lettuce Live Well is very similar to osteopathic medicine.
“Integral to the osteopathic profession is the partnership between patient and provider, where providers build a relationship with their patients and teach them how to achieve and maintain health. This is exactly the type of relationship we promote through Lettuce Live Well’s nutritional counseling program,” Logan says.
The more she worked with Lettuce Live Well, the more she realized that the socioeconomic demographic that was most in need of nutrition education and resources did not have the means to access it.
“Lettuce Live Well was born to provide these resources free of charge in an effort to change the face of health through preventative care,” Logan says.
With the financial support of the Blue Cross Blue Shield, the American Health and Heart Association, Sparrow Hospital, McLaren Hospital, the YMCA and various other large health organizations they are able to accomplish that goal.
In 2015, Logan and other members of Lettuce Live Well launched an online tracking system to help participants track their diet, physical activity, body mass index, cholesterol and blood pressure.
Currently, there are 3,500 active participants using the system. Together they have lost 13,000 pounds and have recorded almost a half a million miles of activity.
The organization also offers a number of personalized health resources including free fitness classes, community events, grocery store tours and nutritional coaching.
“One of the biggest misconceptions regarding health is that you have to be wealthy to be healthy,” Logan says. “Our grocery store tours were designed to overcome that, teaching people below the poverty line how to shop healthy on a budget in a hands-on integrative workshop.”
During these tours participants are shown how to identify foods containing healthy fats, low sodium and heart healthy grains.
Upon graduation from medical school, Logan aspires to serve as the medical director for Lettuce Live Well and expand their free services to include comprehensive screenings and blood tests.
She is passionate about pediatrics and wants to implement specialized programs focused on building healthy habits from a young age.
“Lettuce Live Well was founded for the same reason I decided to become an osteopathic physician,” Logan says. “Because I believe that preventative medicine and caring for the whole person, both in and out of the office, is foundational to achieving true and lasting health.”
Written by Sumaira Hai, a journalism student in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and an Osteopathic Medical Scholar in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.