Prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables help boost heart health: NPR

Excerpts from NPR article, written by Allison Aubrey.

The idea of food as medicine dates back to the ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates, and a new study adds to the evidence that a diet full of fruits and vegetables can help improve heart health. The research comes amid an epidemic of diet-related disease, which competes with smoking as a leading cause of death.

Researchers evaluated the impact of "produce prescriptions," which provide free fruits and vegetables to people with diet related diseases including diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The study included nearly 4,000 people in 12 states who struggle to afford healthy food. They received vouchers, averaging $63 a month, for up to 10 months, which could be redeemed for produce at retail stores or farmers markets, depending on the location.

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"As a chef and father of two sons living with diabetes, I'm not surprised," says Wholesome Wave's co-founder Michel Nischan. "Our food strategy included increasing Chris and Ethan's consumption of fruits and vegetables significantly," he says, noting that his sons' A-1C went down and their insulin usage reduced as a result. "We knew we needed evidence to argue for policy change," he says.