In Washington, DC, Doctors Add Vegetable Prescriptions to Anti-Obesity Arsenal

There are plenty of cities trying to tackle obesity with punitive measures, by banning sodas or ditching vending machines. A new program in Washington, DC is taking an opposite approach, encouraging healthy eating not by preventing people from eating poorly but by subsidizing healthy foods. We Can helps low-income families in the District access fruits and vegetables, an essential but often too-expensive portion of any healthful diet, by providing a "prescription" for subsidized items from the farmers' market. According to The Washington Post, each of the 35 families participating in the prescription program receives $1 per family member per day to spend at a handful of markets around town. That works out to more than $100 per month for a four-person family.