Abundance FoodRx

06/05/2026

Five on Fridays at Fairfax Feed & Seed | Stop by the Fairfax Feed & Seed Superstore and enter to win a $5 Gift Certificate to the healthy Farmers Market at the Allendale County Hospital in Fairfax (no purchase necessary). The Farmers Market at the Hospital is open every 1st and 3rd Saturday from 9am to 1pm and is flourishing with local fruit and vegetables now in season.

Ready to get outside? Fairfax Feed & Seed has everything you need to love life outdoors (and sunshine is a good source of Vitamin D). Swing by and see the latest in Ariat and Muck Boots in sizes for the whole family, Texas Hunter Feeders and Stands, Tactacam Revel Cameras, Antlermax Deer Protein, Food Plot Seed for Wildlife, Farm and Garden Fertilizer, a huge variety of Dog Food and Farm Animal Feed, Livestock Fencing and Gates, Dog Kennels, Case Knives, AND they deliver!

Fairfax Feed & Seed is a FOUNDING Sponsor of our healthy Farmers Market at the Allendale County Hospital in Fairfax (AbundanceFoodRx.com). We want to thank them for proving that good things can stay in our County through local support. THANK YOU Fairfax Feed & Seed Superstore in Fairfax!!

Health Facts on the Outdoors | We spend nearly 90% of our time indoors—a profound shift from just a century ago. This disconnects us from the healing effects of nature, and it comes at a cost:
-Vitamin D deficiency is now widespread, partly due to inadequate sun exposure (Holick et al., NEJM, 2007)
- Exposure to natural environments has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, lower blood pressure and inflammation levels, and enhance immune function (Li, International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health, 2010).

Gardening and spending time outdoors can restore this authentic connection with ourselves, nature and others, helping us re-engage with natural rhythms, improve mental clarity and enhance physical and emotional resilience.

Let's get outside, it's actually really healthy!

05/19/2026

Full Plate Living begins today at the Allendale County Hospital.

Topics we'll explore today in Session 1,
- Do diets work?
- How Full Plate Living works
- How natural, fiber foods can help us fill our plates to lose weight
- What are the natural, fiber foods

4pm - all Health System Employees welcome (Hospital, Clinics, Foodservice teams, Nurses, NPs, MAs, Physicians)

5:30pm - open class for Friends & Family, all in the Community welcome to attend (for free!)

See you soon!

05/19/2026

🫐🫛🍑🍐🍓🫑🥕🍎🥦🥬🫜🥝🍉

05/19/2026

Full Plate Living classes begin today at the Allendale County Hospital | 4pm for Health System Staff and at 5:30pm, an open class for all in the community. Meeting in the Hospital Cafeteria, 1787 Allendale-Fairfax Hwy in Fairfax.

In our first session, we'll explore:
- Do diets work?
- How Full Plate Living works
- How natural, fiber foods can help us fill our plates to lose weight
- What are the natural, fiber foods

See you soon!

Black beans may be small, but they’re packed with fiber, plant-based protein, and antioxidants that support gut health, balance blood sugar, and help keep cholesterol in check.

05/17/2026

We've both experienced losses from cancer. We’ve gained each other.

This was our first year participating as a Program Team with the Allendale County Hospital in Relay for Life. It gave us an opportunity to share with our community all the good things happening at the Hospital as part of myGoodness in Health, as we discover alongside one another the clinical evidence behind Food is Medicine, Exercise is Medicine and even spending time outdoors as Nature is Medicine. Wow, who knew?

When Alison Levine lost her close friend Meg to cancer, she followed by leading the world’s first ever, all-women’s expedition to a successful bid summiting Everest. At the top, she planted a T-shirt that says, “Team Meg”. For all who have experienced a loss from heart disease, diabetes or cancer – we’re climbing a mountain for you in Allendale County through myGoodness in Health.

Want to join us? Full Plate Living classes begin in the Hospital cafeteria at 5:30pm this Tuesday. We offer a year-round, healthy Farmers Market on campus of the Hospital in Fairfax every 1st and 3rd Saturday from 9am to 1pm. There’s free heart-healthy NOURISH boxes and fresh, delicious locally-grown produce from the Hospital’s Outpatient Pharmacy. We offer healthy choices to-go from the Abundance FoodRx Café cooler inside the Hospital cafeteria and there, you’ll also discover a free lending library of healthy cookbooks, books and resources authored by doctors, nutritionists and dietitians covering topics in the power of food choices and health.

Launching this Fall 2026, as part of Nature is Medicine, a healthy walking trail, the Lower Savannah River Alliance Greenway Trail (friendsofthetrail.life) and also this Fall, we’ll have the Food For Life by Physicians Committee series designed for specific disease classes like cooking for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, in addition to classes for women's health, athletes, an employee wellness series, and even a series on healthy cooking for kids. Visit mygoodness.health to learn how you can climb with us. We know it’s possible.

05/15/2026

Beginning Tuesday, May 19th, together we’ll learn how Full Plate Living’s healthy eating system works and how you can use it to accomplish specific health goals such as weight loss and blood sugar management.

Backed by Science; Recommended by Doctors | Peer-reviewed evidence indicates the Ardmore Institute of Health’s Full Plate Living (FPL) curriculum effectively promotes weight loss and improves eating habits by focusing on increasing fiber intake. Studies show it is a successful, low-cost lifestyle medicine intervention for reducing chronic disease risk in workplace and community settings, often resulting in increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and beans.

Want to see some of the evidence?

Weight Loss and Fiber Consumption | Increased dietary fiber is associated with weight loss among Full Plate Living program participants. (Kent, L., et al. (2023). Frontiers in Nutrition, 10, 1110748.) Findings: Tracked 4,477 participants over 16 weeks, established that 62.5% of participants lost weight (averaging 3.28 kg) by shifting toward fiber-rich, plant-predominant eating habits.

Workplace Wellness and Employee Health | Health Benefits of a 16-Week Whole Food, High Fiber, Plant Predominant Diet among U.S. Employees. (Kent, L., et al. (2022). American Journal of Health Promotion, 37(1), 101–106.) Findings: Demonstrated significant improvements in employee nutrition, including increased self-perceived energy, weight loss, and higher daily servings of fruits, vegetables, and beans.

Teaching Kitchen Integration (FPL-TK) | Full Plate Living-Teaching Kitchen: A Sustainable Approach to Employee Health. (Daniel, A. M. (2024). Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects, Northern Illinois University Huskie Commons, 7.) Findings: Evaluated an 8-week program combining FPL with hands-on culinary demos. Results showed a 93% self-reported increase in daily fiber intake and an 80% high-satisfaction rate among participants.

Classes begin Tuesday May 19th. 4pm for ACH employees and at 5:30pm we're hosting an open class for all in our community. (1787 Allendale-Fairfax Hwy Fairfax, SC | Allendale County Hospital Cafeteria.) See you soon!

05/15/2026

Big thanks to everyone at Coosaw Farms this week for supporting myGoodness in Health as we celebrated together Hospital Week.

So why is fresh fruit always invited to the ice cream party at the Allendale County Hospital? Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (Aune et al.), higher fruit and vegetable intake is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality. The study, often associated with a "five-a-day" or higher recommendation, suggests that up to 800g (or ~10 servings) of daily intake provides maximum benefits.

Hungry for more reasons to add a few more fruits and vegetables to your diet? The Harvard "5-a-Day" Meta-Analysis (2021) included an examination of 1.8 million participants confirming a 35% reduction in respiratory disease deaths and identifying the lowest risk of mortality was achieved specifically by consuming 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables per day (5 servings total).

(Wang, D. D., Li, Y., Bhupathiraju, S. N., Rosner, B. A., Sun, Q., Giovannucci, E. L., Rimm, E. B., Manson, J. E., Willett, W. C., Stampfer, M. J., & Hu, F. B. (2021). Fruit and vegetable intake and mortality: Results from 2 prospective cohort studies of US men and women and a meta-analysis of 26 cohort studies. Circulation, 143(17), 1642–1654.)

Thank you local partners for your vital support in myGoodness in Health at the Allendale County Hospital and loving with healthy choices. Visit myGoodness.health to learn more today!

05/08/2026

NOURISH is Golden Harvest Food Bank’s clinic-based nutrition partnership, created to connect patients facing food insecurity with nutritious food and support right where they receive care.

The program began in 2020 with a simple but powerful idea: screen patients for food insecurity during routine visits and connect them to help. What we learned quickly was that referrals alone were not always enough. Transportation, time, and other barriers often stood in the way.

Today, patients who screen positive can receive nutritious, pre-packed food boxes on-site, during their visit. These boxes are built using healthy eating guidelines, with every item rated to support lower sugar, sodium, and saturated fat intake.

NOURISH is now active in clinics across Richmond and Jefferson counties in Georgia, and Allendale County in South Carolina. And now, we’re preparing to expand.

We’re opening the door for new clinic partners to bring NOURISH into their own patient care model, helping more neighbors access the food they need in a place they already trust.

Food insecurity and health are deeply connected. When we address one, we strengthen the other.

Learn more and get involved: https://goldenharvest.org/our-impact/our-programs/health-and-nutrition/

10/18/2025

Farmers Market at the Hospital this Saturday (October 18th) from 9am to 1pm. Saturday's market features locally-grown Squash, Collards, Kale, Green Tomatoes, Jalapeno Peppers, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens and Watermelon! You can also receive a $5 market coupon by filling out a survey.

We're loving you with healthy food, as part of the Food is Medicine program at the Allendale County Hospital through MyGoodness in Health. See you soon!

Are you a local grower? We're always looking for local farmers to participate as Abundance FoodRx market vendors! Email [email protected] or stop by the market, to learn more today!