Can Doctors Prescribe Blueberries? The Growing Idea of “Food Prescriptions”

A recent CBC article caught my attention with an intriguing question: If food is medicine, could it one day be prescribed like medicine?

Researchers at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia are currently exploring that possibility through a study called STRONG. The trial is investigating whether daily blueberries—combined with protein supplementation and structured exercise—can improve frailty and heart health in adults over 65.

Participants in the treatment group receive a daily cup of wild blueberries, along with 30 grams of protein powder and a personalized exercise routine three times per week. Researchers will follow 240 participants over the course of a year to see whether these lifestyle interventions can improve strength, cardiovascular health, and overall resilience in older adults.

While the idea of a “blueberry prescription” might sound novel, it’s actually part of a larger movement known as food prescribing.

What Is Food Prescribing?

Food prescribing programs allow health-care providers to prescribe healthy foods, typically fruits and vegetables, to patients experiencing food insecurity or at risk for diet-related chronic disease. Patients can then redeem these prescriptions for subsidized or free nutritious foods.

The goal is simple: remove barriers that make healthy eating difficult.

Many people already know that fruits, vegetables, and whole foods support health. But knowledge alone doesn’t always translate into action, especially when cost, accessibility, and time pressures get in the way.

Programs that provide food directly can reduce that “mental load,” making healthy choices easier.

Why Blueberries?

Blueberries were chosen for the Dalhousie study partly because they are rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, compounds linked to cardiovascular and cognitive health. Nova Scotia is also one of the world’s major producers of wild blueberries, making them a practical local food to study.

Of course, the study is really about more than just blueberries. It’s testing a whole lifestyle approach: nutrition, adequate protein, and regular strength-building exercise.

That combination is particularly important for aging adults, since frailty and cardiovascular disease are closely linked and both contribute significantly to disability and loss of independence later in life.

A Promising Idea, With Some Important Questions

Interest in food prescribing is growing quickly in Canada, especially as food prices rise and diet-related diseases continue to increase.

Early research suggests these programs can:

• Increase fruit and vegetable consumption
  
• Improve some markers of chronic disease
  
• Help address food insecurity at the same time
  

But researchers are also careful to point out the limitations.

Food prescription programs are still relatively small and often rely on grant funding, which raises questions about long-term sustainability. There are also concerns about access and equity. For example, many Canadians don’t have a family doctor, so would they miss out on these programs?

Some researchers have also asked whether it might sometimes be more empowering to simply provide financial support for food, rather than prescribing specific items.

In other words, the concept is promising but we still have a lot to learn about what works best.

Food as Medicine… or Food as Foundation?

As someone who works in nutrition, I find the idea of food prescribing both fascinating and encouraging. It reflects a growing recognition that diet plays a foundational role in health, not just in preventing disease but in maintaining strength, function, and quality of life as we age.

At the same time, we probably shouldn’t expect any single food, even blueberries, to act like a miracle drug.

Health rarely comes from one ingredient. It comes from patterns: whole foods, balanced meals, regular movement, adequate protein, good sleep, and supportive environments that make healthy choices realistic.

Still, if programs like this help people access nourishing foods and build healthier routines, that’s a step in the right direction. And if that step happens to include a daily cup of blueberries, there are certainly worse prescriptions.