Doctors Prescribe Vegetables In Place of Pills

In an effort to curb the obesity epidemic in America, doctors at the Harlem Hospital Center are trying something different. Instead of simply asking overweight and obese patients to eat more fruits and vegetables, doctors are making it possible for them to do so through the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, or FVRx.

The program was created by the non-profit organization Wholesome Wave and receives funding and support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. Rather than prescribing drugs to treat weight problems or just talking to overweight patients about dietary choices, doctors in the FVRx program are taking a multi-faceted approach to weight loss. Program participants are given nutritional education, healthy recipes and a "prescription" to eat more fruits and vegetables. Participants are also issued Health Bucks that can be redeemed for produce at local farmer's markets. These Health Bucks provide twice as much food as the same amount of food stamps would provide.

This program and others like it in community centers across 30 states are working. Providing people with greater access to affordable fruits and vegetables allows them to make healthier choices without financial strain. Farmers are benefiting too. They receive the full market value of their produce through community grants and their sales increase by about 37 percent when programs like this one are put into place.