Making the Most of a Food Desert
photo: pexels
Summary: My experience of recreating a food desert to better understand the implications they have on American health nationwide.
As I walked into the store, it was apparent that finding a healthy meal was going to be anything but easy. The shimmering snack bags and plastic two-liter-laden shelves, while tempting, were scarce in fresh produce and nutrient-dense foods. But, I knew going in that this task would be difficult.
My ultimate goal before stepping into that small corner convenience store was to demonstrate the conditions that nearly 12.5%-30% of Americans live in. I wanted to demonstrate the severity of food deserts and lack of healthy food, by inserting myself directly into one.
Now before delving into the experience, it’s important to define what a food desert is and how it impacts such a great population. Food deserts are defined as areas that have minimal access to food, which includes citizens having to travel 1-20 miles to a grocery store, in especially high poverty areas. One mile is a lot longer than you think, especially if you do not have access to transportation.
But how do food deserts exist?
To give a brief synopsis of how food deserts came to be, it stems from the word convenience and income inequality. Despite the paradoxical nature of healthy food as a method of preventative care, healthy food costs more. In fact, a Harvard study demonstrated that healthy diets cost $1.50 more on average. Moreover, lower-income families traditionally have less access to transportation, meaning convenience stores with limited healthy food options are typically their only option.
So let's get back into the story. I walked into the store and the immediate things my eyes were drawn to were the following: the buckets of assorted candies, the walls lined with snack bags, and entire freezers dedicated to alcohol. Fortunately, after wandering the two tight aisles I eventually found what I could only hope to be fresh-ish onion, a bruised apple, and a disturbing prepackaged sandwich.
So what can our mamas in food deserts do?
While the access to healthy foods is bleak within food deserts there are some potential ways in which these families may have greater access to healthy foods.
Create personal small household gardens to aid in providing fresh foods
When the dollar store or a convenience store is your only option:
- look for frozen meals with protein and veggies rather than chips and candy
- choose canned veggies and no sauce added canned meat (tuna and/or chicken) instead of canned ravioli
- look for versatile foods such as peanut butter, oatmeal, rice, beans. These are inexpensive and can be used as a snack or part of a meal.
Utilize services such as Amazon Fresh or Misfits Market to deliver fresh, nutrient-dense groceries to your door. No need for transportation!
During or around pregnancy, if you find yourself in one of these food deserts, do the best you can. Focus on finding foods that contain protein and fruits and veggies as much as possible. If access allows, utilize services like Amazon Fresh, Instacart, or an inexpensive produce supplier such as Misfits Market. These companies will deliver these foods directly to your doorstep.
Works cited
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/documentation/
https://www.aecf.org/blog/exploring-americas-food-deserts
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK208027/
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-whole-foods-food-deserts-2017-6
