Athens boy opens Italian ice stand

Little Jimmy’s Italian Ice sold by Reggio’s Pizza at the Taste of Chicago in the Snacks/Desserts Category– was named a 2011 Humana Healthier Choice-
Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat

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.

“When people come to the Taste of Chicago every year, they expect to try lots of Chicago’s best foods and have fun”

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).