PORTLAND — Physicians fighting obesity have long told patients to eat their fruits and vegetables. Now they’re writing prescriptions for it.
Health care providers are offering vouchers worth $1 per day to members of low-income families in Maine and Massachusetts participating in a new program. The idea is to boost consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by one serving a day from local farmers markets.
The program will measure how the fresh produce affects blood pressure, weight and Body Mass Index; blood-sugar levels; and weight gain in pregnant women.
It was created by Bridgeport, Conn.-based nonprofit Wholesome Wave. It’s being formally launched in Maine on Wednesday, five days after it began in Massachusetts.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.