Food deserts are areas where residents do not live near supermarkets or stores that offer healthy, affordable food. This is typically associated with areas of poverty or low-income. This lack of healthy food options can lead to health problems such as obesity or diabetes. According to the 2000 US census, 8.4% of the US population lives in low-income neighborhoods over a mile from a supermarket. Of these, about half (4.1%) live below the poverty level. That being said, there is no concrete evidence to show that living near a supermarket guarantees increased health. One study showed that proximity to a fast food restaurant increased BMI while proximity to a grocery store reduced it; however, these changes were barely noticeable.
Food deserts are areas that lack the necessary food, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains etc., which makes up a healthy diet. Such areas are prevalent in the US because of the unavailability of transportation for customers to go to large supermarkets and grocery stores. Research suggest that food deserts may negatively affect health outcomes, but some say that even with easy access to healthy food, consumers still make the unhealthy choices based on their taste. Another article states that food deserts are more common in poor neighborhoods. These places have some stores but they mainly provide buyers with canned meat and spam. In order for these people to get their hands on the more healthy food options, they must travel far to one of the large retail supermarkets. But the affordability of such transportation is out of the question for these poor people. This gravely affects the youth in these environments. The children grow up only eating and tasting the meats and thus lose the appetite for more healthy food. This is one big reason for obesity in children.
Food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a full range of a healthy diet. The government tries to hide that there aren't very many people in food deserts. However, city officials believe that the actual number of people in food deserts is much higher than stated by the federal agency. Many people, especially the poor, have to walk long ways just to get the right nutrition for themselves and their family. As part of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative will expand the availability of nutritious food to food deserts by developing and equipping grocery stores, small retailers, corner stores, and farmers markets with fresh and healthy food.
Much like a real desert a food desert is an area that lacks access to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a healthy diet. When we think of places that lack basic health food the United States does not even enter our minds. But the sad reality is that the United States is plagued with low-income neighborhoods that do not have access to a well balanced diet forcing them to buy cheap, unhealthy alternatives. Children that live in food deserts have a greater chance of obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Convenience stores and fast food restaurants with junk food litter our urban landscape making it a quick fix to satiate hunger. Many families live below the poverty line and are forced to buy cheap food because they cannot afford fresh produce. There is a hope. Local community food banks are working to ensure every family has access to fresh healthy food. Over the summer, I volunteered at the Alameda County Community Food Bank and witnessed first- hand how one community is fighting back. We would prepare bags of fresh produce for people to take home and enjoy and to ensure that their kids grow up healthy. Food deserts must be eradicated if we want our country to prosper.
The sad truth is that 1 in 8 families rely on food banks to provide them with bare necessities. Within that group 1 in 4 children need the help of their local communities to get them through the day. 43.6 million people live in poverty in the United States. Out of the 43.6 million, 21.3% of them have children. Those households have double the rate of food insecurities as a normal house. The food banks in the United States rely on corporate and individual generosity to help the community and in the words of Mother Teresa, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. “
Much like a real desert a food desert is an area that lacks access to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a healthy diet. When we think of places that lack basic health food the United States does not even enter our minds. But the sad reality is that the United States is plagued with low-income neighborhoods that do not have access to a well balanced diet forcing them to buy cheap, unhealthy alternatives. Children that live in food deserts have a greater chance of obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Convenience stores and fast food restaurants with junk food litter our urban landscape making it a quick fix to satiate hunger. Many families live below the poverty line and are forced to buy cheap food because they cannot afford fresh produce. There is a hope. Local community food banks are working to ensure every family has access to fresh healthy food. Over the summer, I volunteered at the Alameda County Community Food Bank and witnessed first- hand how one community is fighting back. We would prepare bags of fresh produce for people to take home and enjoy and to ensure that their kids grow up healthy. Food deserts must be eradicated if we want our country to prosper. The sad truth is that 1 in 8 families rely on food banks to provide them with bare necessities. Within that group 1 in 4 children need the help of their local communities to get them through the day. 43.6 million people live in poverty in the United States. Out of the 43.6 million, 21.3% of them have children. Those households have double the rate of food insecurities as a normal house. The food banks in the United States rely on corporate and individual generosity to help the community and in the words of Mother Teresa, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. “
The US Department of Agriculture performed The Glasgow study, which determined the impact of a supermarket in a food desert, in comparison to a food desert without a supermarket. The results of this study suggested that healthy eating—the intake of more fruits and vegetables—increased with the supermarket accessibility. However, because the Glasgow study used a neighboring food desert as a control, it could not determine if the supermarket was directly responsible for the increase, or if there was a general increase in fruit and vegetable intake. The Leeds study used intervention, where they held survey interviews 5 months before a supermarket opened. They also held the same survey 7 months after, to note changes in shopping and diet habits. This study also showed an increase in fruit and vegetable, but only by one third. The article continues to talk about how instead of building new markets, food desert areas are using what space they have to create healthier options, and limit the unhealthy food choices. Later on, the report discusses the effects of a food desert on obesity: it concludes that providing only healthy food options in a food desert will not reduce obesity, and that providing a broad range of foods is better. Source: Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences by the United States Department of Agriculture
According to the Food Deserts Locator by the US Department of Agriculture, a map shows that food deserts appear in larger square miles throughout the west and Midwest regions of the US. Though they are much smaller in area, food deserts are more numerous in the mid-Atlantic to east coast regions. Source: Food Locator http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/
What i learned in my article is what is a food deserts. Basically it is places that don't have affordable fruits and veggies which makes citizens have an unhealthy life style. I also learned that there is food deserts in America and the numbers are slowly rising and that in some areas
For those who are not familiar to what a food desert is, a food desert is an area in an industrialized community where healthy affordable food is hard to come by. In the article I read the subject is of how the spreading of food deserts in urban areas is leading to obesity. People will buy and eat what is close by and affordable, and when the only food sources available are fast food thats what people will chow down on. Experts across the country are trying to solve this crisis, but the supermarket industry suffers from tight profit margins. Leaving the unsolved question, can America's urban food deserts bloom?
According to the CDC, Food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable foods that make up the full range of the healthy diet. This means that there is not an access to vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods. It is suggested that food deserts exist in the United States. Food deserts are alarming because scientific studies have suggested that the food deserts may negatively affect health outcomes. To fight against this problem, Walmart is teaming up with Michelle Obama to open up new Walmart locations in the next five years in areas that lack farmer’s market or grocery stores to keep people from shopping at junk-food filled convenience stores.
Information collected from: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/FoodDeserts/
Alot of the studies showed that depending on the dessert, it would have an affect. Fruits help speed up metabolism, but after consumption of protein causes gas build up. Stuffing yourself after a meal, causes people to get fatter. There was a study that showed a direct correlation,between eating dessert and childhood obesity. Alot of articles discussed eating small meals, instead of large meals as well. The statistics for the correlation must have been a representative sampling for alot of the articles.
I learned that supermarkets & grocery stores were the primary place to obtain healthy & affordable food. In neighborhoods where 33% of of the population is more than a mile from those stores, it is considered a "food desert." These people that are part of the food desert are also classified under these categories: poor, young & old, and own no vehicles. To combat this, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) is trying to equip & develop "grocery stores, small retailers, corner stores, and farmer's markets with fresh and healthy food."
"Food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet," according to www.cdc.gov/features/fooddeserts. Knowing this information, I'm assuming that our data and research will be focused on the price and availability of food in different areas. Data could also be collected on the most popular type of food and least popular types of foods and their respective prices in comparison to each other.
A food desert is essentially an area where it is hard to find fruits, vegetables, and other foods necessary for a properly balanced diet at a reasonable price. Since they do not have access to proper foods, they eat what ever is reasonably priced and close by, which is usually fast food. A large portion of the youth population in cities such as Detroit and Chicago is now obese, going from 5% percent in 1980 to 16.3% in 2006. Most stores that offer healthy produce for reasonable prices, such as Trader Joe's, do not wish to move into neighborhoods that are lower income.
According to blog.nj.com, 'food deserts' are equivalent to nutritional wastelands. A nutritional wasteland is where fresh produce is usually too expensive for citizens to aquire. Food deserts usually occur in low-income-cities. In the state of New Jersey, for example,families that cant afford fresh produce result in buying Slurpees, Big Macs or other high calorie foods. New Jersey houses more than 340,000 citizens that are restricted from purchasing fresh foods from local supermarkets that result in four percent of the state population to be obese.
I didn't have a clue what a food desert was until I had to search this up for the summer assignment. I actually thought it was misspelled on the email and said food dessert. In the article I found about food deserts, a woman who lives in New Jersey in interviewed. She tells the news that finding food isn't in her neighborhood, especially fresh foods. In food deserts the prices are outrageously expensive for fresh food. They are either faced with expensive food or unhealthy fast food. The people who live in these communities are more prone to obesity because they live in nutritional wastelands. Also, New Jerseyans lack access to large grocery stores or mass transportation, so they must often rely on people to drive them to a supermarket far away. The term food desert isn't exactly wide spread among those who live in them, but they know that they are in areas where the access to food is limited. This is just one state that is reporting over 134 food deserts and over 340,000 citizens being affected. It makes me wonder how many other deserts there are in other states. Michelle Obama is one person who has brought to the country's attention these food deserts as a part of her "Let's Move campaign" to lower childhood obesity rates. She and President Obama hope to spend federal money on creating more supermarkets to eradicate food deserts.
Another thing I researched was Youth Nutrition, which seems to be a major issue nowadays. The childhood obesity rate is going up and it is because children are not getting the right balanced diet they need. Youth need this food and much physical activity to maintain a good health, and despite many high energy needs, many young Americans have become overweight over the past decade. Dietitians suggest that children may have replaced milk with soft drinks. They are advertised so many junk foods and fast food restaurants are places of recreation, too.
So, with this problem in mind, one can probably relate it back to food deserts. If children who don't live in food deserts are under the risk of obesity, how bad must it be for those children who do? It can be concluded that food deserts pose a huge and serious health threat to children. The way to avoid obesity is to eat healthy, but these children are simply not given that chance. If supermarket chains keep failing to locate these inner-city communities then the health of those child will sure decline in years to come. Those unfortunate children trapped in food desert zip codes are at such a high risk of becoming obese and developing other health problems like hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Food deserts are areas that lack access to nutritional foods and contain only foods high in fat and sugar content. Prominent examples of these are low-income residential areas, which commonly include ghettoes and run-down neighborhoods. Many people in these areas have medical problems as a result from the lack of access to healthy foods. Such medical problems include diabetes, obesity, calcium deficiencies, and high cholesterol and anything related to the heart.The problem is circular, resulting from the low salaries of the affected people in question, and the high prices on healthy foods that prohibit them from buying them. With only so few to spend, these people are forced to buy cheap food that is often unhealthy, e.g. fast food. At the same time, grocers are unwilling to operate in such areas, since the areas in question are often associated with high crime and the potential customers don't even have a high enough income to buy healthy, so they can't justify the cost to operate in those areas, leaving unhealthy dens such as fast food restaurants, liquor stores, and convenience stores as the only places where those people can purchase food.
Food deserts are represented as a poor substitute to healthy and affordable food. This is brought upon to individuals who have no large supermarkets available to them. Areas with these foods do exist in the united states and many other places because they can't reach large supermarkets or they may be too expensive for those certain people. They will only get what's affordable and to their benefits but food deserts is the reason for many health problems. People will settle with easy foods but the fact is that food deserts are very unhealthy and are known to lead to malnutrition and obesity. There are some studies that show some health benefits but overall do not provide for a healthy body.
Food deserts are represented as a poor substitute to healthy and affordable food. This is brought upon to individuals who have no large supermarkets available to them. Areas with these foods do exist in the united states and many other places because they can't reach large supermarkets or they may be too expensive for those certain people. They will only get what's affordable and to their benefits but food deserts is the reason for many health problems. People will settle with easy foods but the fact is that food deserts are very unhealthy and are known to lead to malnutrition and obesity especially in children. A new website from the US department of agriculture has concluded that over 10% of the nation is a food desert. This puts a great impact to the people, many of whom are already obsessed over these foods.
Studies done by Congress have set out to deal with the health and diet problem and the correlation to food deserts. The USDA proceeded to conduct a study to assess the problem of limited access to grocery stores and analyze the characteristics and causes. With this data they then set out to create outlines of recommendations to address the problem The findings were in cooperation with the National Poverty Center in order to analyze the relationship between low income housing and the limited access of grocery stores. Of all U.S. households, 2.3 million, or 2.2 percent, live more than a mile from a supermarket and do not have access to a vehicle. Alternately, the health problem of these situations are not stemming from location but rather the easy access to all foods rather than a lack of access to specific healthy foods, and may be a more important factor in explaining increases in obesity. The data is not sufficient to establish a causal link between access and nutritional outcomes.
Food deserts are areas that don't have access to affordable products, such as, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat milk. Although it is hard to estimate how much of the US population is affected by food deserts because there are many varying definitions of a food desert, it is a known fact that food deserts do exist in the United States. For example, one may consider a food desert to be an area where people aren't able to purchase nutritious food because they don't have easy transportation. While food deserts are a main reason why people are eating less healthy, some scientists believe that many people choose not to eat nutritious food because of the convenient fast food places.
Over the past few years, obesity rates have dropped a small amount. However, it began to rise with it steep rise beginning in 2003 and ending at its peak in 2007. It has fallen since 2007, but is gradually rising again. Experts have been concerned about the way the American public is treating its health. The rise in obesity rates may be partly because of the recession. Since the cost of money is decreasing and the fastfood industry is selling relatively cheap food, more and more Americans have been eating fast food, not eating as healthy as they should. Food deserts, by definition, make it difficult for healthy foods to be purchased. Without healthy foods, people, therefore, will become unhealthy. As the unhealthy, processed foods accumulates in the bodies, obesity starts to become a problem.
Food deserts are areas where residents do not live near supermarkets or stores that offer healthy, affordable food. This is typically associated with areas of poverty or low-income. This lack of healthy food options can lead to health problems such as obesity or diabetes. According to the 2000 US census, 8.4% of the US population lives in low-income neighborhoods over a mile from a supermarket. Of these, about half (4.1%) live below the poverty level. That being said, there is no concrete evidence to show that living near a supermarket guarantees increased health. One study showed that proximity to a fast food restaurant increased BMI while proximity to a grocery store reduced it; however, these changes were barely noticeable.
ReplyDeleteFood deserts are areas that lack the necessary food, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains etc., which makes up a healthy diet. Such areas are prevalent in the US because of the unavailability of transportation for customers to go to large supermarkets and grocery stores. Research suggest that food deserts may negatively affect health outcomes, but some say that even with easy access to healthy food, consumers still make the unhealthy choices based on their taste.
ReplyDeleteAnother article states that food deserts are more common in poor neighborhoods. These places have some stores but they mainly provide buyers with canned meat and spam. In order for these people to get their hands on the more healthy food options, they must travel far to one of the large retail supermarkets. But the affordability of such transportation is out of the question for these poor people. This gravely affects the youth in these environments. The children grow up only eating and tasting the meats and thus lose the appetite for more healthy food. This is one big reason for obesity in children.
Karthik Gudipati
Per: 3
Food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a full range of a healthy diet. The government tries to hide that there aren't very many people in food deserts. However, city officials believe that the actual number of people in food deserts is much higher than stated by the federal agency. Many people, especially the poor, have to walk long ways just to get the right nutrition for themselves and their family.
ReplyDeleteAs part of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative will expand the availability of nutritious food to food deserts by developing and equipping grocery stores, small retailers, corner stores, and farmers markets with fresh and healthy food.
Much like a real desert a food desert is an area that lacks access to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a healthy diet. When we think of places that lack basic health food the United States does not even enter our minds. But the sad reality is that the United States is plagued with low-income neighborhoods that do not have access to a well balanced diet forcing them to buy cheap, unhealthy alternatives. Children that live in food deserts have a greater chance of obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Convenience stores and fast food restaurants with junk food litter our urban landscape making it a quick fix to satiate hunger.
ReplyDeleteMany families live below the poverty line and are forced to buy cheap food because they cannot afford fresh produce. There is a hope. Local community food banks are working to ensure every family has access to fresh healthy food. Over the summer, I volunteered at the Alameda County Community Food Bank and witnessed first- hand how one community is fighting back. We would prepare bags of fresh produce for people to take home and enjoy and to ensure that their kids grow up healthy. Food deserts must be eradicated if we want our country to prosper.
The sad truth is that 1 in 8 families rely on food banks to provide them with bare necessities. Within that group 1 in 4 children need the help of their local communities to get them through the day. 43.6 million people live in poverty in the United States. Out of the 43.6 million, 21.3% of them have children. Those households have double the rate of food insecurities as a normal house. The food banks in the United States rely on corporate and individual generosity to help the community and in the words of Mother Teresa, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. “
Much like a real desert a food desert is an area that lacks access to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a healthy diet. When we think of places that lack basic health food the United States does not even enter our minds. But the sad reality is that the United States is plagued with low-income neighborhoods that do not have access to a well balanced diet forcing them to buy cheap, unhealthy alternatives. Children that live in food deserts have a greater chance of obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Convenience stores and fast food restaurants with junk food litter our urban landscape making it a quick fix to satiate hunger.
ReplyDeleteMany families live below the poverty line and are forced to buy cheap food because they cannot afford fresh produce. There is a hope. Local community food banks are working to ensure every family has access to fresh healthy food. Over the summer, I volunteered at the Alameda County Community Food Bank and witnessed first- hand how one community is fighting back. We would prepare bags of fresh produce for people to take home and enjoy and to ensure that their kids grow up healthy. Food deserts must be eradicated if we want our country to prosper.
The sad truth is that 1 in 8 families rely on food banks to provide them with bare necessities. Within that group 1 in 4 children need the help of their local communities to get them through the day. 43.6 million people live in poverty in the United States. Out of the 43.6 million, 21.3% of them have children. Those households have double the rate of food insecurities as a normal house. The food banks in the United States rely on corporate and individual generosity to help the community and in the words of Mother Teresa, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. “
http://feedingamerica.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/urban-food-deserts-threat_b_410339.html
http://www.cdc.gov/features/fooddeserts/
The US Department of Agriculture performed The Glasgow study, which determined the impact of a supermarket in a food desert, in comparison to a food desert without a supermarket. The results of this study suggested that healthy eating—the intake of more fruits and vegetables—increased with the supermarket accessibility. However, because the Glasgow study used a neighboring food desert as a control, it could not determine if the supermarket was directly responsible for the increase, or if there was a general increase in fruit and vegetable intake. The Leeds study used intervention, where they held survey interviews 5 months before a supermarket opened. They also held the same survey 7 months after, to note changes in shopping and diet habits. This study also showed an increase in fruit and vegetable, but only by one third. The article continues to talk about how instead of building new markets, food desert areas are using what space they have to create healthier options, and limit the unhealthy food choices. Later on, the report discusses the effects of a food desert on obesity: it concludes that providing only healthy food options in a food desert will not reduce obesity, and that providing a broad range of foods is better.
ReplyDeleteSource:
Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences by the United States Department of Agriculture
According to the Food Deserts Locator by the US Department of Agriculture, a map shows that food deserts appear in larger square miles throughout the west and Midwest regions of the US. Though they are much smaller in area, food deserts are more numerous in the mid-Atlantic to east coast regions.
Source:
Food Locator http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/
What i learned in my article is what is a food deserts. Basically it is places that don't have affordable fruits and veggies which makes citizens have an unhealthy life style. I also learned that there is food deserts in America and the numbers are slowly rising and that in some areas
ReplyDeletehttp://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1900947,00.html
ReplyDeleteFor those who are not familiar to what a food desert is, a food desert is an area in an industrialized community where healthy affordable food is hard to come by. In the article I read the subject is of how the spreading of food deserts in urban areas is leading to obesity. People will buy and eat what is close by and affordable, and when the only food sources available are fast food thats what people will chow down on. Experts across the country are trying to solve this crisis, but the supermarket industry suffers from tight profit margins. Leaving the unsolved question, can America's urban food deserts bloom?
-Everett J. McLean II
According to the CDC, Food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable foods that make up the full range of the healthy diet. This means that there is not an access to vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods. It is suggested that food deserts exist in the United States. Food deserts are alarming because scientific studies have suggested that the food deserts may negatively affect health outcomes. To fight against this problem, Walmart is teaming up with Michelle Obama to open up new Walmart locations in the next five years in areas that lack farmer’s market or grocery stores to keep people from shopping at junk-food filled convenience stores.
ReplyDeleteInformation collected from:
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/FoodDeserts/
http://www.fastcompany.com/1768524/walmart-bringing-fresh-food-to-the-food-deserts-of-the-us
Alot of the studies showed that depending on the dessert, it would have an affect. Fruits help speed up metabolism, but after consumption of protein causes gas build up. Stuffing yourself after a meal, causes people to get fatter. There was a study that showed a direct correlation,between eating dessert and childhood obesity. Alot of articles discussed eating small meals, instead of large meals as well. The statistics for the correlation must have been a representative sampling for alot of the articles.
ReplyDeleteI learned that supermarkets & grocery stores were the primary place to obtain healthy & affordable food. In neighborhoods where 33% of of the population is more than a mile from those stores, it is considered a "food desert." These people that are part of the food desert are also classified under these categories: poor, young & old, and own no vehicles. To combat this, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) is trying to equip & develop "grocery stores, small retailers, corner stores, and farmer's markets with fresh and healthy food."
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/about.html
"Food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet," according to www.cdc.gov/features/fooddeserts. Knowing this information, I'm assuming that our data and research will be focused on the price and availability of food in different areas. Data could also be collected on the most popular type of food and least popular types of foods and their respective prices in comparison to each other.
ReplyDeleteA food desert is essentially an area where it is hard to find fruits, vegetables, and other foods necessary for a properly balanced diet at a reasonable price. Since they do not have access to proper foods, they eat what ever is reasonably priced and close by, which is usually fast food. A large portion of the youth population in cities such as Detroit and Chicago is now obese, going from 5% percent in 1980 to 16.3% in 2006. Most stores that offer healthy produce for reasonable prices, such as Trader Joe's, do not wish to move into neighborhoods that are lower income.
ReplyDeleteAccording to blog.nj.com, 'food deserts' are equivalent to nutritional wastelands. A nutritional wasteland is where fresh produce is usually too expensive for citizens to aquire. Food deserts usually occur in low-income-cities. In the state of New Jersey, for example,families that cant afford fresh produce result in buying Slurpees, Big Macs or other high calorie foods. New Jersey houses more than 340,000 citizens that are restricted from purchasing fresh foods from local supermarkets that result in four percent of the state population to be obese.
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/print.html?entry=/2011/08/stranded_in_food_deserts_hundr.html
I didn't have a clue what a food desert was until I had to search this up for the summer assignment. I actually thought it was misspelled on the email and said food dessert. In the article I found about food deserts, a woman who lives in New Jersey in interviewed. She tells the news that finding food isn't in her neighborhood, especially fresh foods. In food deserts the prices are outrageously expensive for fresh food. They are either faced with expensive food or unhealthy fast food. The people who live in these communities are more prone to obesity because they live in nutritional wastelands. Also, New Jerseyans lack access to large grocery stores or mass transportation, so they must often rely on people to drive them to a supermarket far away. The term food desert isn't exactly wide spread among those who live in them, but they know that they are in areas where the access to food is limited. This is just one state that is reporting over 134 food deserts and over 340,000 citizens being affected. It makes me wonder how many other deserts there are in other states. Michelle Obama is one person who has brought to the country's attention these food deserts as a part of her "Let's Move campaign" to lower childhood obesity rates. She and President Obama hope to spend federal money on creating more supermarkets to eradicate food deserts.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I researched was Youth Nutrition, which seems to be a major issue nowadays. The childhood obesity rate is going up and it is because children are not getting the right balanced diet they need. Youth need this food and much physical activity to maintain a good health, and despite many high energy needs, many young Americans have become overweight over the past decade. Dietitians suggest that children may have replaced milk with soft drinks. They are advertised so many junk foods and fast food restaurants are places of recreation, too.
So, with this problem in mind, one can probably relate it back to food deserts. If children who don't live in food deserts are under the risk of obesity, how bad must it be for those children who do? It can be concluded that food deserts pose a huge and serious health threat to children. The way to avoid obesity is to eat healthy, but these children are simply not given that chance. If supermarket chains keep failing to locate these inner-city communities then the health of those child will sure decline in years to come. Those unfortunate children trapped in food desert zip codes are at such a high risk of becoming obese and developing other health problems like hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
This is a great blog post. You rock!
ReplyDeleteFood deserts are areas that lack access to nutritional foods and contain only foods high in fat and sugar content. Prominent examples of these are low-income residential areas, which commonly include ghettoes and run-down neighborhoods. Many people in these areas have medical problems as a result from the lack of access to healthy foods. Such medical problems include diabetes, obesity, calcium deficiencies, and high cholesterol and anything related to the heart.The problem is circular, resulting from the low salaries of the affected people in question, and the high prices on healthy foods that prohibit them from buying them. With only so few to spend, these people are forced to buy cheap food that is often unhealthy, e.g. fast food. At the same time, grocers are unwilling to operate in such areas, since the areas in question are often associated with high crime and the potential customers don't even have a high enough income to buy healthy, so they can't justify the cost to operate in those areas, leaving unhealthy dens such as fast food restaurants, liquor stores, and convenience stores as the only places where those people can purchase food.
ReplyDeleteFood deserts are represented as a poor substitute to healthy and affordable food. This is brought upon to individuals who have no large supermarkets available to them. Areas with these foods do exist in the united states and many other places because they can't reach large supermarkets or they may be too expensive for those certain people. They will only get what's affordable and to their benefits but food deserts is the reason for many health problems. People will settle with easy foods but the fact is that food deserts are very unhealthy and are known to lead to malnutrition and obesity. There are some studies that show some health benefits but overall do not provide for a healthy body.
ReplyDeleteFood deserts are represented as a poor substitute to healthy and affordable food. This is brought upon to individuals who have no large supermarkets available to them. Areas with these foods do exist in the united states and many other places because they can't reach large supermarkets or they may be too expensive for those certain people. They will only get what's affordable and to their benefits but food deserts is the reason for many health problems. People will settle with easy foods but the fact is that food deserts are very unhealthy and are known to lead to malnutrition and obesity especially in children. A new website from the US department of agriculture has concluded that over 10% of the nation is a food desert. This puts a great impact to the people, many of whom are already obsessed over these foods.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bmj.com/content/325/7361/436.short
http://www.economist.com/node/18929190
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2009/jul/08_0163.htm?s_cid=pcd63a105_e
Studies done by Congress have set out to deal with the health and diet problem and the correlation to food deserts. The USDA proceeded to conduct a study to assess the problem of limited access to grocery stores and analyze the characteristics and causes. With this data they then set out to create outlines of recommendations to address the problem The findings were in cooperation with the National Poverty Center in order to analyze the relationship between low income housing and the limited access of grocery stores. Of all U.S. households, 2.3 million, or 2.2 percent, live more than a mile from a supermarket and do not have access to a vehicle.
ReplyDeleteAlternately, the health problem of these situations are not stemming from location but rather the easy access to all foods rather than a lack of access to specific healthy foods, and may be a more important factor in explaining increases in obesity. The data is not sufficient to establish a causal link between access and nutritional outcomes.
Food deserts are areas that don't have access to affordable products, such as, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat milk. Although it is hard to estimate how much of the US population is affected by food deserts because there are many varying definitions of a food desert, it is a known fact that food deserts do exist in the United States. For example, one may consider a food desert to be an area where people aren't able to purchase nutritious food because they don't have easy transportation. While food deserts are a main reason why people are eating less healthy, some scientists believe that many people choose not to eat nutritious food because of the convenient fast food places.
ReplyDeleteOver the past few years, obesity rates have dropped a small amount. However, it began to rise with it steep rise beginning in 2003 and ending at its peak in 2007. It has fallen since 2007, but is gradually rising again. Experts have been concerned about the way the American public is treating its health. The rise in obesity rates may be partly because of the recession. Since the cost of money is decreasing and the fastfood industry is selling relatively cheap food, more and more Americans have been eating fast food, not eating as healthy as they should. Food deserts, by definition, make it difficult for healthy foods to be purchased. Without healthy foods, people, therefore, will become unhealthy. As the unhealthy, processed foods accumulates in the bodies, obesity starts to become a problem.
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