In several US cities, patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity received prescriptions from their doctors for free fruits and vegetables. The approach worked: patients’ blood sugar and blood pressure went down and their weight stabilized. The results were published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Some US clinics are testing “Food Is Medicine” programs that give patients free healthy food, sometimes for a year or longer. With a doctor’s prescription, people can get apples, broccoli, berries, cucumbers and other produce at no cost. Patients choose their own stores or markets and pay with electronic cards or vouchers. The typical allowance was about $65 a month, provided for 4-10 months.
Most of the roughly 4,000 participants had low incomes and poor cardiometabolic health or were at risk. During the program they ate more fruits and vegetables and generally ate healthier. Their health improved, something that had previously taken medication.
Doctors say most Americans, whatever their income, don’t eat a healthy diet. Research shows, though, that people with low incomes tend to eat food that is somewhat worse for their health than people who can afford to spend more.
