About Frickin' Time!!!

I had planned out a post for today that was going to be totally different... it was going to talk about BMI and such, and I was going to mention my 5K this weekend... but then I saw this:

*insert train wreck noise*

Good lord!  Forget about my BMI and 5K chit-chat.  I have to talk about this! 

Finally someone gets it!

If you're curious about the above, you can read the source article here.  Or, you can read a more detailed article about the program here.

If you're not in the mood to read the links, what I understand to be happening is this:

     In NY, some doctors now have the option to write "prescriptions" for patients to get
     fresh produce at the local farmer's markets.  And as a further extension of the program,
     doctors can also enroll their patients in nutrition counseling.  The program is made for
     high risk, low income patients, and appears to be targeting obesity/fighting disease
     linked to obesity.  Basically, this program is getting to exactly those who need this kind
     of encouragement.

     Even better, the coupons are redeemable at local farmer's markets.  So the program is
     keeping the sales local, encouraging folks to buy whatever's freshest/in season, and
     pretty much guaranteeing the most delicious produce options are getting into the hands
     of the voucher redeemer.  While the recipients of the coupons probably don't care
     about the benefits of buying local, they are for sure going to be encouraged to keep up
     the good eating habits if they are getting trained in on delicious, in season produce.

All I can say is... it's about frickin' time!  The people who need the most education and encouragement in how to eat properly are going to get it.  And, we're not trying to "fix" things with a pill.  I couldn't be happier... well, except for if this was rolled out on a national level.

Can you blame NY for wanting to launch such a program?  "About one in 10 New Yorkers don’t eat any fruits or vegetables in a given day. But in the Bronx, that number is a shocking five in 10 adults."  Wow... this quote is just sad... but not surprising.  It makes you wonder about how the nation as a whole measures up to this statistic.

Good for NY for seeing a problem and trying to fix it the right way.

Do you have anything like this in your area?  If so, I want to learn about it!  Tell me about it below.

And, don't worry... I'll save my BMI discussion and 5K race recap for next week.  Wish me luck on course tomorrow!