Never Thought I’d Eat That: Veg Boxes Help Cornwall Diabetes Patients
A pilot scheme in Cornwall gives people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes free weekly veg boxes plus cooking and gardening sessions. More than 100 have joined, and many report better blood sugar, weight and wellbeing, according to a preliminary impact report.
A pilot “veg on prescription” scheme in Cornwall, south-west England, is giving people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes free weekly vegetable boxes, and many of the more than 100 participants report better blood sugar levels. Johanna Evans, 85, a retired shop owner and lifelong fan of raw fry, said: “I never thought I’d eat anything like that” after cooking a sprouted bean and edamame bento box.
The programme is called WellFed. Alongside the boxes, patients get group cooking and gardening sessions.
Participants also report weight loss and a better sense of wellbeing, according to the scheme's organizers.
How the scheme works
Sessions run at 20 sites across Cornwall, from Launceston in the east to the Isles of Scilly, about 28 miles (45km) off the mainland. GPs from more than 20 surgeries have referred patients.
Claire Judd, the WellFed project lead, said the pilot is believed to be the first of its kind in England, given the range of support and the geographical reach.
WellFed is delivered by Volunteer Cornwall. Cornwall council public health and the NHS in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly fund it.
What participants and researchers report
At a community orchard in St Ives, six participants massaged Swiss chard to soften the leaves, diced carrots and added lentils to a low-GI, high-fibre shepherd’s bake. Their usual diets had leaned on egg and chips, hearty roasts and raw fry, a Cornish one-pan dish of bacon, potatoes and onions often fried in lard.
Chris Longthorp, 74, said his diagnosis with type 2 diabetes had “crept up” on him. Since joining, his HbA1c, a measure of blood glucose, has fallen from 50 to 42. Diabetes UK says an HbA1c over 48 risks complications in the eyes, kidneys and feet.
“I feel fitter and coming to these sessions is fun,” Longthorp said.
A preliminary impact report by the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations found that “most participants reported a reduction in their HbA1c”. It said the average level fell “from the diabetic range to the pre-diabetic range over the intervention period”.
Wider rollout hoped for
If final results match the early ones, organizers hope to roll the scheme out more widely. Health chiefs in other parts of the UK are watching the results to decide whether to copy it.
Dan Rainbow, a St Ives GP, said places like St Ives are often seen as well-to-do but have significant pockets of deprivation. He added that Cornwall has an especially high number of people with pre-diabetes compared with the rest of England.
“We spend so much of our time treating disease and illness but this is about creating health,” Rainbow said.
