Fruits and Veggies' 'Prescription' Helps Overweight Patients Shed Pounds

For overweight patients, fruit and vegetable supplements may be just the thing to help shed some pounds.

A new program will be available at two locations in the Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx and Harlem Hospital in Manhattan to help with just that. Doctors at the two facilities will be able to prescribe vegetable and fruit coupons to patients who are overweight, obese or at risk for two weight complications, according to various reports.

"This is probably going to prevent an awful lot of disease in the long term than the medicines we tend to write prescriptions for," commented Thomas Farley, the New York Health Commissioner according to the New York Daily News. 

According to statistics provided by Farley, around one in 10 New Yorkers do not eat fruits or vegetables every day and up to five in 10 New Yorkers do not eat them in the Bronx.

"A food environment full of processed foods full of fat, sugar and salt is contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and other chronic diseases," Farley said in a statement. "The Fruit and Vegetable Prescription program is a creative approach that will enable at-risk patients to visit any of our 142 Farmers Markets and purchase the fruits and vegetables that will help them stay healthy."

The prescription is similar to a food coupon and is prescribed as 'Health Bucks' by doctors that provide patients with two dollars and can be used at up to 142 farmer's market locations throughout the city. This program allows doctors to monitor weight and body mass index over a four month period.

The program was created by a Connecticut based group known as Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income people access local and fresh produce.

Currently, there are 140 patients in the new program.