Atlanta VAHCS Farmers market offers healthy choices to Veterans and families
An Army Veteran maintains the Atlanta VA Health Care System Farmers Market provides a great opportunity to help educate fellow Veterans to make healthier food choices.
He added visiting our farmers market and adopting healthy eating habits can help manage conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and PTSD, which are more prevalent among the Veteran population.
The Atlanta VAHCS’ Veterans Canteen Service and our Whole Health Program have partnered with “Eat Right Atlanta” Farmers Market to bring fresh produce each Tuesday and Friday to our Veterans, staff, and visitors. The market, is open from 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the main entrance to the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center, located at 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur, GA. The market, which began in May 2024, will expand to other Atlanta VAHCH clinics on a regular basis in the New Year.
“Shopping at the Atlanta VA Farmers Market is a great way to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet,” said the 69-year-old Vietnam Veteran. “One of the most powerful ways to improve your health is to enjoy a variety of foods which provide all the nutrients you need to stay healthy.” He encourages all local Veterans to give the Atlanta VAHCS farmers market a try.
Atlanta VAHCS Whole Health Program Director Dr. Stephanie Brown-Johnson described Whole Health as a holistic approach to health care that focuses on improving the health and well-being of Veterans.
“Whole Health centers around what matters to you, not what is the matter with you,” Dr. Brown-Johnson said. “This means your health team will get to know you as a person, before working with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs, and goals. This partnership seeks to encourage all Veterans, staff, and caregivers to live Whole Health, which will empower and equip them to take charge of the health and well-being and live their life to the fullest.”