Introducing Our Health and Wellness Collections: Best Food as Medicine

"I’m excited to introduce a wonderful new function on the Farmer Jones Farm site that expands how you can benefit from our Farmacy Health and Wellness Collections. You can now build your own box! " Dr. Amy Sapola

Choose a health condition that interests you and then click on that tile. You’ll see collections of  delicious, farm-fresh vegetables, herbs, and microgreens to help support you in that area of health, including these:

• Brain Health
• Cancer Prevention
• Gut Health
• Heart Health
• Hormone Health
• Immunity Support
• Liver Health
• Low Carbohydrate Lifestyles

Note that this is the list available today. We plan to add even more ways to help you customize your own box of flavorful vegetables, herbs, and microgreens. In other words, we’ll offer more and more ways to allow you to personalize your food as medicine experience. 

Food First Approach

After leaving a clinic or hospital, you may find yourself wondering, “Now what? How do I start implementing recommendations made by my doctor?”

We say, start with food first!

Over the years, I’ve realized that no amount of medication or supplements can cure the effects of a nutrient-poor, highly processed diet. What we eat has the ability to nourish the body and heal us—as well as to leave us deficient, craving what we are lacking from our food, deficiencies that can ultimately cause harm. 

Your body needs basic nutrients found in vegetables to heal and thrive—and, if you’re still questioning where to start, a great place is with gut health. By focusing on gut health, other health conditions will often improve. 

We hope to help support your health and wellness journey no matter where you are along the path through informative blog posts. Plus, we’ll include recipes in each health and wellness collection. 

Vegetables Support Health

Research shows that low fruit and vegetable consumption is linked with an increased risk of death from vascular disease and cancer. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that only about 9% of adults eat the recommended 2.5 to 3.5 cups of vegetables daily. From research by Dr. Terry Walhs, Dr. Dale Bredesen, and others in functional medicine, we know that increasing the number of vegetables upwards of 6-9 cups daily can have powerful effects on serious conditions, including multiple sclerosis and early forms of dementia. 

 The benefit of eating fruits and vegetables is attributed in part to: 

• Antioxidants (Phytonutrients)
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Fiber

There is a complexity found in plants that is difficult to replicate with supplements. When looking at the effects of single antioxidants in supplement form vs. those naturally occurring in plants consumed in their whole form, the same benefits are not seen with a single antioxidant supplement. Plants contain a variety of antioxidants, fiber, enzymes, and more that simply can’t be duplicated.

How to Get Started

Perhaps more than one topic caught your eye; let’s say that you want vegetables that are low in carbohydrates as well as ones supporting heart health. Here’s the good news. You’ll find that many vegetables overlap from page to page because they support both conditions. 

To build your box, simply select the vegetables you’d like from any of the collection pages, selecting “add to cart” for each one. Then use your browser's back button to return to the collection page if you wish to continue shopping. 

If you’re currently not eating many foods high in fiber, I recommend that you start slowly, increasing your vegetable intake by a serving or two each day or week. This gives your digestive system time to adjust and you will not experience unnecessary gas and bloating. 

The Farmer as Part of Your Health and Wellness Team

Our goal is to provide the best food as medicine possible by including the farmer on your health and wellness team. Our regeneratively grown vegetables are harvested fresh and shipped the next day to your doorstep, retaining their amazing flavor and nutrient density. 

Join our Facebook community—Farmacy at the Chef’s Garden—and follow us on Instagram @amysapola and @farmerjonesfarm. We would love to connect with you! 

Reference: 

Effect of increasing fruit and vegetable intake by dietary intervention on nutritional biomarkers and attitudes to dietary change: a randomized trial.