When a medical provider writes a prescription, it sends a powerful message. It’s why we prescribe medicine when that’s the best option for treatment. And it’s why I (along with my fellow HealthPartners and Park Nicollet primary care clinicians) prescribe produce each summer to help kids grow and power up their bodies and minds.
Here’s how our fruit and veggie prescriptions work:
- The Fruit and Veggie Rxs that we give out are $10 vouchers that can be redeemed for fresh produce at Cub Foods and other participating grocery stores.
- We give Fruit and Veggie Rx vouchers to all families who make well-child exam appointments at any of our 55 primary care clinics from June 4 until July 31. Each child who has a well-child exam appointment during this time frame gets a voucher. Make an appointment at a HealthPartners or Park Nicollet clinic near you.
Eating five fruits and vegetables per day helps us improve our health, naturally. And that’s why our organization has run this Fruit and Veggie Rx program each summer since 2013.
Our partner grocers for the Fruit and Veggie Rx program
The Fruit and Veggie Rx vouchers we give out can be used at:
- All Cub Foods stores across the Twin Cities metro
- Select Wayne’s Food Plus, Nilssen’s Market, Dick’s Fresh Market and Auster’s Supervalu locations near Amery, WI
- Select Family Fresh Market and Econofoods locations in western Wisconsin
More about our organization’s 55 primary care clinics that offer the Fruit and Veggie Rx program
Pediatricians (like myself), family medicine providers and internal medicine pediatrics (med-peds) doctors are the types of clinicians who provide primary care to children. My organization has locations all across the Twin Cities, central Minnesota and western Wisconsin where we practice. Find a clinic near you where your child can see a HealthPartners or Park Nicollet provider who works in:
Tips for helping kids eat healthier
Our Fruit and Veggie Rx program helps make eating more produce doable for kids and families. I also urge you to engage your child in grocery shopping and meal prep. Doing this often makes them more likely to try new things and choose better foods on their own.
Here are some ideas for what you can do:
- Choose a recipe together and have your child make the grocery list. They’ll practice their handwriting while helping out!
- Go through the sale flyers together and plan your menu around seasonal specials.
- Even the youngest kids can get involved. Ask them to name one fruit or veggie that they like. Then, plan a fun, colorful recipe around that choice. When food is colorful, cut up into interesting shapes, or has a fun name, kids are more likely to try it.
- Older children can take on a whole meal – choose the menu, find recipes and make the grocery list. Or, you can have a cook-off where each person in your family is in charge of making a different dish or side for the meal. Here’s one of my favorite better-for-you recipes to consider:
Kids are often unsure about “new” foods. And that’s quite normal. Kids actually taste things differently than adults. Sweet and salty foods are accepted more quickly than bitter tastes. So, experiment preparing foods in different ways since that can affect the flavor. Your child may not like veggies steamed, for example, but you may find that they love them roasted.
The bottom line is, don’t get discouraged. Keep offering fruits and veggies to your kids with no pressure, and praise them just for trying. Our tastes evolve as we get older – and that means that even if some veggies are not favorites at first, your child’s preference for them can change. Letting your child catch you trying fruits and veggies will help a lot, too!
You can get more tips and recipes in the PowerUp section of our website.