Key TakeawaysFood is medicine is an emerging concept that combines nutrition and medical care to treat diet-related diseases.Produce prescription programs have allowed providers to prescribe fruits and vegetables for patients.Evidence shows that these programs can effectively increase fruit and vegetable intake and help manage diabetes.

Key Takeaways

Food is medicine is an emerging concept that combines nutrition and medical care to treat diet-related diseases.Produce prescription programs have allowed providers to prescribe fruits and vegetables for patients.Evidence shows that these programs can effectively increase fruit and vegetable intake and help manage diabetes.

“Food is medicine” is now at the forefront of the federal strategy to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases. This concept of medical care, also known as “food as medicine,” involves tailoring meals to a patient’s medical needs.

Food therapy has long been an important component of Traditional Chinese Medicine.However, using food as medicine is still an emerging concept in Western medicine, and many U.S. health experts are supportive of the government’s efforts in advancing this initiative.

Produce prescription programs, for example, have allowed providers to prescribe fruits and vegetables to patients with diet-related diseases or those facing food insecurity.

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Evidence shows that these programs can effectively increase fruit and vegetable intake.A 2021 study also found that a 15-week produce prescription significantly reducedhemoglobin A1C levelsin patients with diabetes.

“It’s a really exciting movement for medicine that we’re treating root causes, rather than putting band-aids on things that we could have addressed earlier and prevented potentially,” White told Verywell.

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How Do Produce Prescriptions Work?

Brent Ling, MSPH, the director of external affairs atWholesome Wave, a nonprofit that established theNational Produce Prescription Collaborative, told Verywell that providers are still experimenting with the best ways to deliver produce prescriptions.

“We want to make sure that it’s done in a way that’s equitable, that is accessible to the ones who need it the most, and ultimately, to everybody in an equitable fashion,” Ling said.

While more research is needed to optimize best practices, Ling said that the evidence is clear that produce prescriptions help patients manage their diabetes while also improving their “engagement with the healthcare system overall.”

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Improving Produce Prescription Programs

Produce prescription programs are a promising tool in the management of diet-related diseases, but experts say there are still barriers to making these programs more mainstream.

“We never really give food and nutrition the chance it deserves. Why? Our training has been woefully insufficient for far too long,” Kofi Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, a pediatrician and director of the George Washington University Culinary Medicine Program, said at the White House conference.

According to Essel, most medical schools don’t reach the minimum number of recommended training hours on food and nutrition. Without this training, healthcare providers may not be equipped to prescribe meaningful diet-related interventions.

As more healthcare providers are trained in nutrition and produce prescription programs expand, experts say that providers should keep food access and cultural sensitivity in mind.

“It’s important to incorporate that health equity and make sure we have the lived experience of families at the table. It’s critical,” Essel said.

What This Means For YouProduce prescription programs have been helping patients in underserved communities, but they’re not yet widely available. Check with your healthcare provider to see if there are any existing produce prescription programs in your area.

What This Means For You

Produce prescription programs have been helping patients in underserved communities, but they’re not yet widely available. Check with your healthcare provider to see if there are any existing produce prescription programs in your area.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zou P.Traditional Chinese medicine, food therapy, and hypertension control: a narrative review of Chinese literature.Am J Chin Med. 2016;44(08):1579-1594. doi:10.1142/S0192415X16500889Lyonnais MJ, Rafferty AP, Spratt S, Jilcott Pitts S.A produce prescription program in eastern North Carolina results in increased voucher redemption rates and increased fruit and vegetable intake among participants.Nutrients. 2022;14(12):2431. doi:10.3390/nu14122431Bryce R, Wolfson JA, Cohen AJ, et al.A pilot randomized controlled trial of a fruit and vegetable prescription program at a federally qualified health center in low income uncontrolled diabetics.Prev Med Rep. 2021;23:101410. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101410United States Department of Agriculture.Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program.

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zou P.Traditional Chinese medicine, food therapy, and hypertension control: a narrative review of Chinese literature.Am J Chin Med. 2016;44(08):1579-1594. doi:10.1142/S0192415X16500889Lyonnais MJ, Rafferty AP, Spratt S, Jilcott Pitts S.A produce prescription program in eastern North Carolina results in increased voucher redemption rates and increased fruit and vegetable intake among participants.Nutrients. 2022;14(12):2431. doi:10.3390/nu14122431Bryce R, Wolfson JA, Cohen AJ, et al.A pilot randomized controlled trial of a fruit and vegetable prescription program at a federally qualified health center in low income uncontrolled diabetics.Prev Med Rep. 2021;23:101410. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101410United States Department of Agriculture.Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Zou P.Traditional Chinese medicine, food therapy, and hypertension control: a narrative review of Chinese literature.Am J Chin Med. 2016;44(08):1579-1594. doi:10.1142/S0192415X16500889Lyonnais MJ, Rafferty AP, Spratt S, Jilcott Pitts S.A produce prescription program in eastern North Carolina results in increased voucher redemption rates and increased fruit and vegetable intake among participants.Nutrients. 2022;14(12):2431. doi:10.3390/nu14122431Bryce R, Wolfson JA, Cohen AJ, et al.A pilot randomized controlled trial of a fruit and vegetable prescription program at a federally qualified health center in low income uncontrolled diabetics.Prev Med Rep. 2021;23:101410. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101410United States Department of Agriculture.Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program.

Zou P.Traditional Chinese medicine, food therapy, and hypertension control: a narrative review of Chinese literature.Am J Chin Med. 2016;44(08):1579-1594. doi:10.1142/S0192415X16500889

Lyonnais MJ, Rafferty AP, Spratt S, Jilcott Pitts S.A produce prescription program in eastern North Carolina results in increased voucher redemption rates and increased fruit and vegetable intake among participants.Nutrients. 2022;14(12):2431. doi:10.3390/nu14122431

Bryce R, Wolfson JA, Cohen AJ, et al.A pilot randomized controlled trial of a fruit and vegetable prescription program at a federally qualified health center in low income uncontrolled diabetics.Prev Med Rep. 2021;23:101410. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101410

United States Department of Agriculture.Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program.

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