Food Pharmacies: Dispensing Good Food for Better Health

It's long been known that food can function as medicine. From herbs (Echinacea used to boost immunity) to apples (one a day) to chicken soup (just ask Grandma), things we eat can help us best things we ail from.

Now there's a movement to dispense healthy foodstuffs as a central part of medical treatment. The practice began in poor or disfavored communities, where fresh produce can be difficult to find and expensive but where processed (AKA junk) foods are often cheap and plentiful. This has contributed to an explosion of illnesses related to diet, notably obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. But innovative help is on the way.

A pioneer is Boston Medical Center's "Preventive Food Pantry." Launched in 2001, the center enlarges the practices of the traditional food pantry by "linking physicians and nutritionists to patients" with certain chronic medical conditions. It now provides some 7,000 visitors per month with fresh fruits and vegetables during the winter and meat year-round. Much of the produce is grown in the hospital's rooftop garden.

The natural next step has arrived in San Francisco, where the Silver Avenue Family Health Center opened what it calls a "Food Pharmacy." People receiving a medical referral can obtain groceries, consultations with Registered Dietitians, health screenings and more.

“We’re not just introducing patients to healthy food," said spokesperson Alicia Hobbs. "We’re teaching them how to cook this food in the healthiest way possible. Perhaps most importantly, we’re trying to create a community where these patients feel supported every step of the way.”

Plans exist to open up five more Food Pharmacies around San Francisco by the end of this year, and similar institutions are cropping up nationwide. They'll be good addresses to have when you receive your prescription for peaches.

--By Jim Pierce