Taste of Chicago 2014: Nearly Half of All Vendors Offering Humana Healthier Choices Items at Food Festival

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Humana Healthier Choices program is returning to the Windy City for its seventh consecutive year at Taste of Chicago. Working with a panel of local physicians, health and well-being company Humana Inc. HUM identified 52 healthy foods from 29 Chicago restaurants – the largest number of menu items in the program's history – representing 44 percent of all vendors at this year's food festival.

Health enthusiasts, those watching their waistlines and people with chronic conditions often want to enjoy festival treats but still need to be aware of the nutritional values of the foods they are eating. As the only resource at Taste that evaluates the calories, saturated fat, sodium and ingredients of festival foods, the Humana Healthier Choices program allows for guilt-free indulgence. The complete list of healthy appetizers, entrees and desserts, along with wellness activities and opportunities to win prizes, will once again be provided by the Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide.

“We're excited to see that Humana's commitment to health and well-being continues to flourish at this great event with 30 percent more healthier food options than last year for Taste-goers to enjoy,” said Bruno Piquin, Humana Senior Markets Vice President, Northern Division. “This year marks our largest and most diversified selection of Humana Healthier Choices to date, including Brazilian, Japanese, Mexican, Irish and Italian cuisine.”

The Humana Healthier Choices are indicated by a green apple on the menu boards at participating restaurant booths and listed in the Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide. Free copies of the Passport Guide can be found at the Humana tent, located on Columbus Drive between Jackson Boulevard and the Buckingham Fountain, and can be downloaded for free at the Taste of Chicago website and via facebook.com/TheTasteOfChicago. Taste-goers are welcome to beat the heat by enjoying a shaded seating area and free cold water in the Humana tent throughout the course of the five-day festival.

All of the restaurants participating in the 2014 Taste of Chicago were invited to submit menu items for consideration to be listed in the Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide. For an item to be considered, restaurants must submit nutritional details including calories, sodium content, saturated fat and the list of ingredients.

Humana Healthier Choices for the 2014 Taste of Chicago:

Appetizers/Starters – Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat

Roasted Corn on the Cob – Abbey Pub
Taste Portion of Mustard Fried Catfish – BJ's Market & Bakery
Taste Portion of Veggie Burger Bites – Beat Kitchen
Cocktail Shrimp – Lawrence Fisheries
Taste Portion of Malnati Salad – Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
Roasted Celtic Corn on the Cob – O'Brien's Restaurant
Taste Portion Beet and Apple Gazpacho with Ginger and Lemon – Brasserie by LM
Taste Portion of Acai Bowl – Brazilian Bowl Grill
Taste Portion of Crunchy California Roll – Kamehachi
Mini Chicken Taco – Taquero Fusion
Mini Veggie Taco – Taquero Fusion

Main Dishes – Less than 500 calories, 500 mg sodium and 4 g saturated fat

Veggie Burger – Beat Kitchen
Mustard Fried Catfish – BJ's Market & Bakery
Beet and Apple Gazpacho – Brasserie by LM
Acai Bowl – Brazilian Bowl Grill
Grilled Chicken Taco – Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill
Grilled Steak Taco – Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill
Smoked Alligator – Chicago's Dog House
Margherita Gluten Free Pizza – Connie's Pizza
Chicken Onion Pepper Lettuce Wrap – Gino's Steak House
Greens with Fried Plantains – Iyanze
Taste Portion of Jerk Chicken – Iyanze
Chap Chae – Jin Ju
Chicken Ke-bob and Curry Rice with Vegetables – Kasia's Deli
Crunchy California Roll – Kamehachi
Beef Yakiniku – Kamehachi
Malnati's Salad – Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
Turkey Leg – Manny's Cafeteria and Deli
Grilled Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Salad – Star of Siam
Farro Salad – The Savoy
Grilled Shrimp Po Boy – The Savoy
Pulled Chicken Mini Sandwich – The Smoke Daddy
Gourmet Chicken Taco – Taquero Fusion
Gourmet Veggie Taco – Taquero Fusion
Jollof Rice with Plantain – Vee Vee's

Desserts – Less than 320 calories, 300 mg sodium and 2 g saturated fat

Fruitti Di Bosco (Mix Berry Sorbet) – Caffe Gelato
Lemon Sorbet – Caffe Gelato
Pina Colada Gelato – Caffe Gelato
Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato – Caffe Gelato
Lemon Italian Ice – Franco's Ristorante
Watermelon Italian Ice – Franco's Ristorante
Bissap Sorbet - Iyanze
Seedless Watermelon – Mariano's
Southern Red Velvet Morsel of Love – Ms. Tittle's Cupcakes
Taste of Dream Cup – Original Rainbow Cone
Frozen Mango Kefir – Starfruit Café
Taste Portion of Frozen Mango Kefir – Starfruit Café
Frozen Original Kefir – Starfruit Café
Taste Portion of Frozen Original Kefir – Starfruit Café
Mango Sorbet – Star of Siam
Dark Chocolate Banana Baby – The Fudge Pot
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry – The Fudge Pot

A panel of top Chicago-area physicians with expertise in diet and nutrition collaboratively judged each item to assure that nutritional values were met. The panel included Neal Fischer, M.D., Humana Regional Medical Director, Medicare Operations, Great Lakes Region; Amy Hess-Fischl, M.S., R.D, advanced practice dietitian and program coordinator at University of Chicago's Kovler Diabetes Center; Brent Smith, D.O., chief medical officer at Edward Hospital; and Katherine Tynus, M.D., clinical associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University.

New! Walk, Run or Bike Taste to Donate to Nonprofits via the Charity Miles App

New to this year's Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide is the addition of the philanthropic exercise app, Charity Miles. Taste-goers can download the free app from iTunes or Google Play Store and wander the Taste of Chicago while giving back to their favorite charity. Humana will donate 25 cents for each mile biked, walked or ran to the national charity of the user's choice.

Humana's contribution will be open to anyone who logs into the app in the Chicago metropolitan area starting on Wednesday, July 9 until the close of the 2014 Taste of Chicago on Sunday, July 13. Users are also encouraged to share their progress during the festival through social media using #TasteOfChi and #HumanaWalkIt.

“As Humana works to improve the health and well-being of our communities, Charity Miles is a natural evolution for the Humana Healthier Choices program,” said Neal Fischer, M.D., Humana Regional Medical Director. “This app is a win-win for users, as it encourages physical activity and allows people to give back to a charity of their choice.”

Eat, Play and Stamp Your Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide to Win Prizes

The Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide will provide Taste-goers with a host of delicious well-being offerings. After picking up a guide from the Humana tent or by downloading it from the Taste of Chicago website, people can collect stamps by sampling any Humana Healthier Choices food items or participating in healthy activities at the Humana tent. Once Taste-goers receive eight stamps, they can drop off their passport at the Humana tent to be entered into random prize drawings.

Prize winners will be announced on Sunday, July 13 beginning at 8:00 p.m. CDT. Please review the Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide for official rules.

Humana Power Hour with WXRT - 93XRT 93.1 FM

To promote healthy activities at the Taste of Chicago, 93XRT will be hosting a Power Hour from noon to 1 p.m. CDT each day throughout the five-day event at the Humana Tent. 93XRT radio personalities will be on site to challenge people to “get off the couch” and participate in a Wii game, which will qualify players for a Humana Healthier Choices Passport Guide stamp.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company's strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people Humana serves across the country.

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