NBC NEWS – If doctors prescribed fruits and vegetables like medicine, could people improve their health through diet alone?
That’s the theory behind a growing number of programs in the U.S. that deliver free produce.
These so-called produce prescription programs aim to combat heart problems and obesity-related diseases by either preparing free bundles of fruits and veggies for participants to pick up on a regular schedule, delivering fresh batches of produce to people’s homes or giving them money to buy produce.
Carol Grand, a 63-year-old retiree in Tulsa, Oklahoma, joined one such program in late 2022 after she was diagnosed with diabetes. Her doctor prescribed her medication, she said, but she didn’t want to rely on it forever.
“I said, ‘Well, this can’t possibly be the way I’m going to live my life,’” Grand said. “If there was another alternative, then I was there for it.”
“The prescription, instead of going to the pharmacy, goes to the farm.”
Grand signed up for FreshRx Oklahoma, a nonprofit food prescription service for people with diabetes.
The yearlong program distributes bags of locally grown fruits and vegetables, along with recipes, every two weeks. Participants also receive free health screenings every quarter.
Grand said her blood sugar dropped to nondiabetic levels and she lost 50 pounds.
Before the program, she said, she regularly ate junk food because it was more affordable:
“My diet was horrible: anything quick, anything loaded with sugar.” Now, Grand said, she cooks recipes like sauteed tofu and sweet peppers.
Recent studies support the benefits of these programs.
New research presented Wednesday at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions in Chicago analyzed the impact of a program called Recipe4Health, which delivers 16 weekly batches of free produce to people’s doorsteps in Alameda County, California.
Participants also attend group medical visits that teach them about nutrition and physical activity …
