Can you imagine having to drive an hour just to buy a piece of fresh fruit? Can you imagine living in a town that doesn't sell lettuce? Julia Savacool wrote an article for the October issue of Women's Health that investigates how "both the obesity and hunger problems in the U.S. are connected to the dearth of healthy foods."
Watch the video clip below:
In class the past week, we have been discussing carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and a lot about food in general. This weekend as I was grocery shopping, I started thinking about the above mentioned Women's Health article and how fortunate I am. Have you seen this movie? What do you think? What is a food desert? Why are over-processed foods so much cheaper and easier to access? What is the link between processed foods and obesity? How can you help people that can't afford healthy food? What can be done to revive nutritional wastelands?
Because there is no school on Friday and you have a test on Thursday, this assignment will be due on Monday, October 28th. For Monday, you will write a response to the video trailer and the questions posted above. I am expecting a scholarly, well-written response. In order to receive the full 10 points for this assignment, I would like you to find one written source to cite in your response. You may use EBSCO or any of the school databases. Ask me if you have any questions. Wikipedia is not considered a written source, but it might be a good place to start.
Savacool, Julia. "What It's Like to Be Stranded in a Food Desert." Women's Health. October 2013, 154-159.
It is obvious that the problems of obesity and poverty are towering in our nation, especially since every 1 out of 2 kids is suffering as we live and carry on with our lives today. Oddly enough, the lack of food and unhealthy intake of food both have direct links with each other, and this is noted in both the Women’s Health article and an Organic Gardening Magazine article, which deals with two cities, a small town in Mexico and a potion of Chicago. When both sections of cities are compared, they both have one thing in common: they are immense food deserts. These places are where organic or healthy food is very scarce and hard to find. This brings poverty and lower class budgets, which in turn forces people in these areas--especially in Chicago--to buy cheaper items. It is known that these cheaper items are the unnatural, processed products that will cause obesity, thus giving us a direct link. These processed foods are so much easier to access because they are not made with any natural ingredients that need shipping or correct caring. They never spoil, have infinite shelf life, and are cheap to make. Unfortunately, the stereotypical description of these unhealthy foods means money to their seller, which is why we can find these so commonly and cheaply. How can we solve this problem? That is harder than one would think. While it seems that giving food or money to local charities may help the issue, this is only a temporary fix. Permanently solving half the nation’s issues and restocking all of their wallets is not only impossible, but impractical since lots of this money will not go towards food. Just as there is no way to replenish a desert, it sadly seems that America is stuck in a endless cycle of poverty.
ReplyDeleteWalker, Katie. "A Tale of Two Deserts." Organic Gardening Feb. 2012: 44-51.
Print.
Drew,
DeleteThis is well-written and very thought provoking. Do you think that poverty is an endless cycle? Do children born in poverty have a greater chance of being adults living in poverty? I think you are on to something. Great job!
I have never seen this movie before. But, I find it saddening to hear that one out of every two kids in the United States at some point will be on food assistance. This topic really doesn't surprise me, because our government would rather watch the world go hungry and gain weight then lower their prices on healthy foods. A food desert is a place, like a town, and it only supplies processed foods. A food desert has no fruits and vegetables, just processed foods. This is causing many families who can't afford the 3:00 bunch of bananas to but 3 boxes of processed mac and cheese. Over processed foods are so much cheeper to buy because they aren't natural, they are pre-made with many oils and carbohydrates and lipids. Since they are not natural, they are cheeper then naturally grown fruit and vegetables. Since these processed foods are so cheep, people with food stamps are buying them more often which is a main link in why people are becoming obese. Many can't afford the healthy foods so they are forced to buy the unhealthy food making them obese. Overall, the government should provide better paying jobs and lower pricies on food. If the government places more jobs out in the country, more people will be able to afford the healthy food instead of the processed food. Although, the government should also lower the cost of healthy foods. Thus, letting people buy more healthy foods then processed. If the government gets rid of the unhealthy foods, we may actually have a chance to revive nutritional wastelands.
ReplyDeleteAlviola, Pedro A. "Food Deserts and Child Obesity." Academic Journal. March 2013, Vol. 35, Issue 1, page 106.
Jessie,
DeleteWhere is the money to provide better paying jobs and lower priced foods going to come from? Our government is having a hard time paying off its own debt. What would industries like Kraft, Nabisco, and others do when they are told they can no longer make processed-foods? Great start. I like how you are thinking.
Good point. Maybe, if our government stops taking us that high, we all wouldn't be in debt. Many people and the government can't pay off their debt, let alone pay for healthy foods. This is hard to think about where the money would come from. Your second statement also makes a good point. If we shut down all those companies, many other people will lose there jobs. So maybe, if we balance out the amount of fruits and veggies with the amount of processed foods, people will still have jobs, and become less obese.
DeleteI have not seen this movie, but based on the trailer I think it is very eye-opening and well worth watching. A food desert is an area without easy access to affordable foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk. I think over processed foods are so much cheaper and easier to access because they are not natural. They are made with artificial ingredients and preservatives, which are much easier to attain than organic food. I think there is a big link between obesity and processed foods because America is a busy place, and people don't always have time for a nice, healthy meal, so they choose fast food, which is processed. The processed foods have artificial ingredients, so they are much easier to make, so therefore less money to buy, and in America, money is extremely important. Processed food contain higher levels of dopamine, but lack nutrients and fiber, which make you feel full. So therefore, you feel less full, which makes you want to eat more because of that pleasure feeling. I think promoting the benefits of organic and natural foods, and making people more aware of the harm that processed foods can do to you will help increase the popularity of healthy foods. Donating money and food any time you can will help people who are poverty-stricken be able to get healthier foods. I think what can be done to help revive nutritional wastelands is have at least one grocery store that has a wide variety of healthy foods in each town This will provide easier access to healthy foods, and increase the demand on the foods.
ReplyDeleteNate,
DeleteThis is a great start, but you are missing a citation. Can you please fix it?
Tecco, Betsy Dru
DeleteCurrent Health Teens. Dec2011, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p16-19. 4p.
I have not seen the movie The Place at The Table, however I understand what the plot of the movie is just by watching this short 2 minute trailer. The movie is trying to portray the importance of health. In today's society Obesity is the main problem. People are unable to remain healthy because the processed junk food is cheaper than the food that is organic and good for you. A food desert is a place where it is near impossible to maintain healthy food. For example, Arizona is a food desert because its hard to grow organic foods with little to no water. Processed foods are easier to access because you can by them anywhere like a gas station. But at a gas station you cannot buy apples. Processed foods are not good for you because they are not organic and they sit in your digestive system and dont brake down. To help people we can stop wasting the good food and give it to them instead of throwing it away and we can stop buying the processed food so the company's go out of business.
ReplyDeleteSavanah,
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the companies would go out of business? Or do you think that they would find something else to sell? I like your point about Arizona. You are missing a citation. Can you please fix it?
I think that they would find something else to sell that they could advertise as being healthy when it actually is not. In today's society people are more concerned about when they are going to eat next rather than how bad the food they're about to intake is. If people bought less processed food and switched to organic food there would be less wasted cardboard which is involved in making the boxes which the processed food is packaged in.
DeleteHere is my citation
Golec, Joanna. "Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 6-13 years-alarming increase in obesity." Eur J Pediatr 171:245–251 ser.: 1-7.
Print.
Hunger is an american epidemic that we are approaching in the wrong way. We give those in need food stamps of an average $3.00 per day, per family. This small budget forces families to purchase high sodium processed foods. Processed foods contain preservatives and artificial flavors that have been linked to health problems and obesity. We are not creating a solution to hunger, only creating an unhealthier generation living off processed foods. Many areas exist in the world today called "Food deserts" These people living within these areas have very limited to no access to fresh produce and meat in their community. In these areas people are forced to eat out and purchase cheap unhealthy foods as meals for their families. In the city of Chicago today over 600,000 citizens live in the cities "food desert". This is prolonging the obesity epidemic in many areas including Chicago. If we can supply the hungry and needy with quality nutrition, we can begin to combat the spread of obesity and hunger in the U.S. We can fill the food chain gaps if we provide produce that is available to all to purchase. If we continue to give food stamps, processed foods will continue to find their way into the bodies of the poor. I have not personally seen "The Place at The Table" but I have an interest in anything regarding world problems. It has a message that we all need to hear. It is left to us to stop demanding and consuming these cheap processed foods and eat healthy for ourselves. I know I will.
ReplyDeleteTecco, Betsy Dru. "Food Deserts." Current Health Teens 38.4 (2011): 16-19. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
Great job Isaac. I enjoyed reading your response.
DeleteThough I have not seen this movie, I respect the showing of it. World hunger and obesity are very similar, as the Women's health article, October issue, pointed out to me. A food desert is a place where there is no immediate access to fresh foods. New Mexico is a food desert, with little rain and dry seasons it isn't the ideal place to grow crops. People have found that as time goes on it is easier to stop at a gas station or a Wendy's. The price is cheaper, i can get a poptart in the cafeteria for $1.25 but they don't even sell fruit by itself, it is a side dish that's optional. Sometimes I even see french fries as the vegetable of the day. Then while people eat junk food, the healthy food goes bad. Eventually I believe these companies that provide the healthy food will go out of business, with no one buying. If we can make more options for people to get healthy food, their lifestyle will change, put out more grocery stores and reduce prices to make the food more acsessable. (www.Womenshealthmag.com/life/food-desert)
ReplyDeleteMcKenna,
DeleteThanks for mentioning the cafeteria. Schools across the nation tried to serve healthy food in their school cafeterias and none of the kids would buy it. Schools were losing thousands of dollars a month on healthy meals. What is the solution here? Use Noodletools to create the correct citation. You enter the web address and it will walk you through the steps.
Food stamps are an example of how people can be helped but $3 is not enough. Maybe if there was some way to put more money on these stamps or certain stamps for certain foods, not just over-processed foods that are high in fat, which brings us to the level of obesity in America. America is one of if not the biggest over processed consuming countries in the world, no wonder the level of obesity is increasing. My Spanish teacher told us about how she went to Spain for school and that what they ate and their daily schedule had made her feel as healthy as shes ever been. Why? Because all their foods are full of nutrients and are extremely healthy. if you went there you probably wouldn't run into a McDonald's or Burger King, you'd probably run into a food stand selling healthy stuff.
ReplyDeleteAnthony,
DeleteI like the Spain example. You are missing the citation. Can you please add a citation to this? Thanks.
I have not seen the movie A Place At The Table, but after watching it i can see how big of a deal this really is. A food desert is an area that has difficulty buying or affording good quality fresh food. Having access to fresh food is important because they're healthier than processed food. Processed food is easier and cheaper to get because it takes less time and effort to make them, which is why more people are referring to them. For example, lets use macaroni and apples. Macaroni only takes a little bit of wheat, a little bit of artificial cheese and some chemical flavors and there you go! But growing apples takes way more time and effort, because first, farmers have to plant them and wait until they grow. Then they have to go out and harvest them and take them to the store. This takes more time and uses more money to make which is why they cost more than macaroni.
ReplyDeleteWhen you think about it, the link between processed food and obesity is quite simple. First, processed foods are cheaper, like i explained up there. And because they're cheaper, more people are buying them because they don't have a lot of money and they need to eat. Second, processed foods don't have very good nutrients in them, if you look at the labels. So if you put it all together, you can see that people are buying more processed food because they can't afford anything else, which is bad for you, which is making people obese.
Some suggestions that i would tell people who can't afford healthy food, is that it's not impossible. some tips are, for produce that lasts longer (potatoes, apples, oranges) buy the bagged form rather than several individual pieces. Bagged apples are cheap, delicious, have a long shelf life and can be used in a lot of recipes. Clip coupons for healthy items, but avoid purchasing junk food simply because you have a coupon for it. Compare prices of healthy ingredients because usually you can buy items in bulk for a cheaper price and purchase generic brands, which are usually cheaper than name brands.
Hodson, Sandy and Corwin Tom. "'Food swamps' in Augusta lack healthy food." Augusta Chronicle, The (GA). March 16, 2013.
Mikayla,
ReplyDeleteI love your suggestion to clip coupons and buy bagged apples. Way to think outside the box.
Although I have never seen A Place At the Table, I have witnessed what a food desert looks like. A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to meet a youtuber whose venue was located just outside of downtown Chicago. While I was waiting in line, I noticed that all the stores around the venue were either convenient stores or fast food restaurants. After watching the trailer, the tragic truth hit me. Food deserts exist, even in America. A food desert according to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a “low income census tract where a substantial number of residents have low access to a grocery store.” This is a fancy definition for saying a food desert is a location that does not provide the community with the access of nutritional foods such as fruits, vegetables and fresh meats. A food desert also causes people to choose quantity over quality. Many people living in low- income community are enlisted in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP provides food stamps to people who can’t afford groceries. The thing is, it’s only a few dollars a day. Three dollars can’t feed a family and that’s where the quantity over quality comes in. People want to be able to afford enough food to survive. Kraft Mac n’ Cheese, Ramen Noodles and Chef Boyardee (over-processed foods) are more affordable because they aren’t natural and cost less time and money to make rather than natural foods. For example, it’s way easier turning on a machine and adding ingredients to make cheese powder then it is to find a cow, feed it, milk it, then use its milk to make cheese. Over -processed foods are easier to access because they are in most even all-convenient stores. If residents live in a low-income communities there are plenty of convenient stores but not enough food stands that sell healthy foods. Stores are the link between processed foods and obesity. Though it’s fine to have a Walgreen’s here and there, it’s not fine to have one at every corner (which is the case in low-income communities.) Walgreens does not sell the food one needs to be healthy. Since convenient stores are the only stores in the area it causes for one to have an unhealthy diet and eventually become obese. One way I can help someone who can’t afford healthy food, is getting my whole community involved because many people only think hunger is in third world countries. But the truth is it’s everywhere. Even though someone may be obese doesn’t mean they’re eating enough food. That’s what’s makes it difficult, the fact that hunger and unhealthy foods are everywhere. But if I can get my community involved maybe by starting a petition to ban unhealthy foods in convenient stores and replace them with healthy ones, then maybe other communities will get involved also. If we have the whole nation involved this will revive nutritional wastelands because the whole nation is focusing and uniting on one topic, food. This will be a trial and error process, but if the nation unites to bring healthy food to others, there will be less obesity and more healthy foods to pass around.
ReplyDeleteKailey,
DeleteI find it interesting that you chose to comment about Walgreens. Walgreens has actually made an effort to offer some fresh produce stands in select convenience stores in the city of Chicago. Maybe you will be a corporate executive someday and help spread this effort. Nicely done.
Blumenthal, M.D., Susan. "Transforming Food Deserts and Swamps to Fight Obesity." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
ReplyDeleteAmericans deeply struggle to obtain healthy food. It is "too hard to find" or "too expensive" for most people. A food desert is an area where fresh, high-quality food is hard to come buy, such as the city of Chicago. However, in most food deserts, there is in fact plenty of food, the catch is that all of it is unhealthy. The video clip and the article from Chicago Magazine that I read both stress on the idea that healthy food is hard to come buy, especially for people who are in poverty. The people in poverty have food stamps, and these food stamps allow them to have food, but of course, the food is unhealthy. So how are people in poverty and every other person who doesn't already buy organic food buy healthier foods? Well, we know that unhealthy and processed foods are cheap and easy to access. Struggling humans are going to buy whatever is the cheapest, and nothing can change that. Plus, processed foods don't cost as much for grocery stores, which make them easier for struggling people to buy if more products are sold. So, what is so bad about food deserts? People are getting what they need to survive for a good price. However, this causes obesity because of the lack of consumption of healthy, fresh foods. To help these people, we can't just send money off to charities. This could maybe even result in more unhealthy foods given to people. What can be done, for example, would be making fresh fruit and vegetable stand in the middle of a food desert for not too expensive of a price. The low price would draw the attention of struggling humans, and they would see fresh food and want to try something different, which would be healthier. This would be a great idea to help people who can't afford healthy food or just people who can't get to it such as people in a food desert, which would be such a simple start to helping revive nutritional wastelands. Overall, most people buy unhealthy foods because of its cheap price and abundance in availability. This in turn, helps cause obesity. One way to help prevent processed food purchases and start organic and healthy food purchases would be to set up a fresh fruit and vegetable stand. To conclude, our country is full of food deserts and is far from being one huge food oasis, but there are small steps that can be taken to help our country along the way.
ReplyDeleteWehunt, Jennifer. "The Food Desert." Chicago 11 Aug. 2009: n. pag. Chicago. Web.
25 Oct. 2013. .
This is the citation that NoodleTools gave me. I am not sure if it's correct.
Nice job Weston. Does Crystal Lake have a farmers market in the summer? Could you think of a way to get fresh fruits and vegetables to poor people in the summer time? What kind of incentives would you offer to the farmers? Keep thinking!
DeleteNo, I have not watched this movie. In my opinion I would rather pay more attention to third world countries.The United States should not be as self worried about only our country. There are thousands of people throughout the world dying every day from malnutrition. I would rather spend my time seeing a movie, or movie trailer, based around world hunger and helping everyone other than our population because the United States is stereotyped as a self-centered country, and I would rather prefer to clear such a stereotype with a much more positive one. A food desert is an urban area where it is difficult to buy affordable or decent fresh food. Over-processed foods are so much cheaper and easier to access rather than fresh produce is because of the production number. It's easier to buy not only over-processed foods, but processed foods in general because they are, well, processed.
ReplyDeleteI have been personally introduced to the world of food technology, and have learned that not everything is what it seems. The people who create all the chemicals, for example Tom Bucco who created all the Snapple Tea flavors, refuses to eat any meat or dairy product. Why, you may ask; because the beef you bought a few days ago to make meat balls, could possibly be horse or zebra. Although the FDA does not approve of beef being turned into the same slime chicken is, because of how disgusting it is, they let Escherichia coli, which is found in the lower intestine, into the meat products. Have you ever wondered what baloney or hot dogs are made of? The are created from the parts of the swine that is not used in other products including : Eye balls, snouts, tails, ears, and many more. Chicken nuggets served in cafeteria are raised in a dark building and get no light or space. Not only that but they are given so many Corticosteroids they can't even walk. and every day a truck pulls up and fills up with chicken. Following this, they go to a factory where they are feathered, and have their necks slit. Then the chicken bodies go through a grinder and create a pink pasted that gets sprayed bleach and shaped into blob like chicken body parts.I prefer to eat as much organic produce rather than chemically enhanced. Because they have chemicals, they do not have to use as much grain, fruits, and vegetables, so they can create many products, unlike naturally grown produce because it takes longer. Animals are the same as well, they use fillers and such causing them to create more meat based foods, but when you have organic meat it takes longer because it has to mature.
I believe the link to processed foods starts from the beginning in child hood. Parents now in days commonly buy pre-made baby food, and continue this until children get older, most of baby food contain chemicals to make it last a longer period of time. Then the taste buds kick in. Food flavoring is altered to pleasure the taste-buds and when it comes to organic foods, we do not like the flavor it gives us compared to the chemically ehanced food. Because of this the chemically enhanced food contains more calories and people do not burn them as quickly as they think causing them to slowly become obese within time. I can tell them to go and get food stamps. I know that in the farmers markets around in our location accept Link cards. People are given enough to fix this, and everything seems to be a business so more than likely stores that provide organic food do take food stamps. Because preservatives, even in wine, are more than likely un-healthy, and the United States is so worried, we should stop supporting large companies that do not aim to benefit the middle and lower class, but their pocket and help people realize what is right under there own nose and build a better community. They could create a community vegetable garden, all they need is creativity.
I don't exactly know what to put in my citation but I didn't know there was preservatives in wine that are harmful to the human body soooo: http://www.naturalnews.com/036167_wine_sulphites_preservatives.html
Rosemary,
DeleteI find it interesting that you are more concerned about third world countries than the poor and hungry people right here in Crystal Lake. I like your explanation about chicken. Please fix your citation. Log onto NoodleTools. The website will walk you through the steps in order to make a proper citation.
I have never seen this movie, but it brings light on something that most americans have never heard about. A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. The reason processed food is inexpensive compared to fruits and vegetables is because the industry is extremely efficient. It can take a little wheat, flower and a lot of artificial chemicals to create something that is tasty and can be shipped over long distances. Processed food have a high content of trans fat. When you think about helping people inside food deserts and bringing nutritious food back to an area you would think “it can’t be that hard just give them some more money”. But when you hear 1 out to 2 kids will be affected by this you realize how large of a problem this is and the amount it would cost and resources needed to solve this problem are not at pur hands and sadly this might never be stopped.
ReplyDelete"Why Processed Food Is Cheaper Than Healthier Options." Morning Edition 1 Mar. 2013. Biography In Context. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
Conor,
DeleteGreat work. Your citation is perfect!
Unfortunately, I have not seen this movie, yet it looks like it would be worth watching. Based on this trailer, I believe that this issue we are having with food is upsetting, yet it is not necessarily an issue we have not seen before. Hopefully, we can make a difference now in the 21st century as compared to all of our past opportunities that we have had before. With food deserts, they are areas where people struggle to purchase or find fresh products nearby without having to travel long distances. Surprisingly, over-processed foods are much cheaper and easier to access because they are man-made. With processed foods, the need for laborers is very slim, and with using few natural resources and more artificial sources and chemicals, it makes them cheap because of quantity, and easily accessible because their main components are all within our hands' reach. Even so, does that mean processed foods are more of a benefit? Not exactly. Between processed foods and obesity, there is a link, multiple links as a matter of fact: salt, sugar, and fat. Based on the article "The Dangerous Reality of Processed Foods," because of major groups such as food giants using these three ingredients, "processed foods are not just unhealthy, but addictive," and from this, "Moss investigates how for 50 years, food giants have used these three ingredients to lure consumers and keep them eating and drinking more," and result in this issue of obesity (Jessamine, Chen. "The Dangerous Reality of Processed Foods." EBSCO. N.p., 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.). In order to help people who cannot afford healthy food, a few ideas would be sending leftover produce from places such as pumpkin farms or food markets in order for the people to gain the nutrition they need, and to prevent large amounts of food from going to waste. In addition, another idea would be having large gatherings with these people. If we can invite our friends and families to events like cook outs or large dinners, how difficult would it be to take a step bigger towards a community? Finally, in order to help revive these wastelands, if there were either more food-markets built within these areas, or if everyone had some kind of garden or area to produce their own food in until larger steps could be taken, then as a community, the first few steps towards these rebuilding these wastelands back to life would slowly be taken into account, and acted towards.
ReplyDeleteArianna,
DeleteNice job. Move your citation to the end of your response. Look at Conor's above you.
Unfortunately, I have not seen this movie, yet it looks like it would be worth watching. Based on this trailer, I believe that this issue we are having with food is upsetting, yet it is not necessarily an issue we have not seen before. Hopefully, we can make a difference now in the 21st century as compared to all of our past opportunities that we have had before. With food deserts, they are areas where people struggle to purchase or find fresh products nearby without having to travel long distances. Surprisingly, over-processed foods are much cheaper and easier to access because they are man-made. With processed foods, the need for laborers is very slim, and with using few natural resources and more artificial sources and chemicals, it makes them cheap because of quantity, and easily accessible because their main components are all within our hands' reach. Even so, does that mean processed foods are more of a benefit? Not exactly. Between processed foods and obesity, there is a link, multiple links as a matter of fact: salt, sugar, and fat. Based on the article "The Dangerous Reality of Processed Foods," because of major groups such as food giants using these three ingredients, "processed foods are not just unhealthy, but addictive," and from this, "Moss investigates how for 50 years, food giants have used these three ingredients to lure consumers and keep them eating and drinking more," and result in this issue of obesity. In order to help people who cannot afford healthy food, a few ideas would be sending leftover produce from places such as pumpkin farms or food markets in order for the people to gain the nutrition they need, and to prevent large amounts of food from going to waste. In addition, another idea would be having large gatherings with these people. If we can invite our friends and families to events like cook outs or large dinners, how difficult would it be to take a step bigger towards a community? Finally, in order to help revive these wastelands, if there were either more food-markets built within these areas, or if everyone had some kind of garden or area to produce their own food in until larger steps could be taken, then as a community, the first few steps towards these rebuilding these wastelands back to life would slowly be taken into account, and acted towards.
DeleteJessamine, Chen. "The Dangerous Reality of Processed Foods." EBSCO. N.p., 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
I have not seen this movie but the trailer already tells me that this movie is about a very important topic that a lot of people are un aware of. A food desert is where healthy nutritious food is hard to get a hold of. These food deserts are everywhere! Unhealthy processed foods are easy and cheap to get a hold of because no one wants to buy food that can harm your body even if it is cheaper but some people have to. They cant afford anything more. Because of this, people are growing to be obese because they have to buy these unhealthy foods. To help people get healthy food I think food stamps should be worth more. It is kind of ridiculous that they are worth so little and people use those to pay for meals for their entire family.
ReplyDeleteKelly,
DeleteYou are missing the citation. Can you please go back and make a citation? Use EBSCO and NoodleTools to help you.
I have not seen this movie. After watching the trailer it seems to be about how the poor can't afford healthy food, because processed food is a cheaper form of calories. Also a food desert is a place where you can't obtain food very easily. Over-processed foods are cheaper because they are easier and cheaper to make. The link between over-processed foods and obesity is the fact that over-processed foods are unhealthy, but they are cheaper than other food so they are bought more often than other food. A way that I could help people obtain healthier food is by donating it to a food pantry. Sadly there is not much that can be done to revive food wastelands unless the government pours a lot of time and money into a project to do so.
ReplyDeleteZach,
DeleteYou are missing the citation. Can you please go back and make a citation? Use EBSCO and NoodleTools to help you.
I have not seen the movie A Place at the Table, but after watching the trailer I think it is an issue that must be addressed. How can we help other starving countries if we cannot even feed our own? A food desert is "an area without any major supermarkets, where the residents do not have ready access to fresh fruits and vegetables." Some factors that can create a food desert are low incomes in the area, lack of transportation, or climate. What I find really interesting about the article I read is that food deserts are not far-away problems that don't concern us. "A Tale of Two Food Deserts" talks about how Cook County, Illinois (a county very close to us) has a serious problem with getting fresh fruits and veggies. According to the article, when children were asked in a survey what color bananas were, most of them answered brown because they never got to see fresh, affordable fruits. I think the link between processed foods and food deserts is easy to see, because the thing about processed food is that it is way cheaper to make, and therefore costs less to buy. It takes a long time to grow fruit and vegetables, and they also spoil a lot quicker than processed foods. By the time people might get to them, they would have lost most of their nutrients and perhaps would even be harmful to eat. Also, the reason processed foods last longer is because they are filled with harmful chemicals. Some of these could lead to obesity and are at least very unhealthy to ingest. In the article, a way they helped out the New Mexico food desert was by having more community gardens. This would work, but only in warm climates. I think a good way to get healthy food to people who can't reach it is to provide free bus service to and from grocery stores. People could have special cards that showed they needed the transportation and then they could be dropped off at a store and told to be back at the bus stop in say, an hour or two.
ReplyDeleteWalker, Katie. "A Tale of Two Food Deserts." Organic Gardening. Feb/March 2012, 44-51.
Julia,
DeleteI love that you talked about Cook County. Awesome job.
The hunger epidemic is ironically closer linked to childhood obesity than we think.I have not seen A Place at the Table yet, but from watching the trailer, the severity of our nation's food behaviors isn't making any improvements. A major component in the childhood obesity dilemma is the easy access to processed foods. Processed foods may be cheaper than fresh fruit, but they are filled with saturated fat, sugar and wasteful calories. This heavy intake of fats and sugars leads to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and liver disease. However, some families are living on a tight budget and can't afford to buy fruits and vegetables. If these low-income families made the switch to healthier foods, a new problem could arise; hunger. The amount of families and children who are struggling to buy food is astonishing. According to the video, 1 out 2 children are suffering or will be suffering from hunger. So, what's our solution to solving both hunger and child obesity? Our first step needs to be somehow making fresh fruits and vegetables affordable and at reach for families. An idea that I came up with was to plant local gardens throughout the city. Similar to a farmers market, people can volunteer their time to grow vegetables and fruits and have the option to either distribute them to local food pantries or leave them open to the public. America is stranded in a food desert and currently, our only way out is through processed, saturated foods and sugar.
ReplyDeleteGross, Daniel J, Frederick New-post 9/05/13
Brooke,
DeleteWe will talk about Type 2 Diabetes this unit. I am so glad that you mentioned it. I think you have some errors with your citation. Double-check with NoodleTools.
Gross, Daniel J, "Food Desert." Fredrick New-Post (Sept. 5 2013) 27 October 2013
DeleteAlthough I have not seen this movie, I have watched many like it such as Food, Inc. These films greatly expose the fact that the 99-1% split does not solely apply to money, but also to food in our country. Over-processed foods commonly link to obesity because they lack many crucial nutrients and are typically high in fat and sugars used to sweeten or enhance flavors in the foods. They are so readily available and easily manufactured which greatly leads to the over-consumption and purchasing of the cheap products. A food desert (a place where good foods are not easily accessed) can be revived by starting up a garden for yourself, growing your own fresh foods for your family because it is actually not too expensive. We as Americans are growing complacent and lazy and any labor is too much labor for far too many people.
ReplyDelete"Nutrition, Obesity, and Processed foods" Center for Food and Safety (May 1, 2012). 27 October 2013.
David,
DeleteDoes your family have a garden? Do you know people that do? You are totally correct--having a garden is a ton of work. Bravo.
In the video it talked about how people are not getting the healthy food they need. In the video it talked about a movie that was on that subject, I have not seen it. I think that it is unfair for people to have to buy processed food because it is cheaper than healthier food. People also live in food deserts. A food desert is a place where the closest grocery store is miles out of walking distance away. Processed food is cheaper because it is not as hard to make as healthier food. It is easier to access because you can keep them on shelves for a long time without them going bad. Processed foods have more saturated fat and carbohydrates in them that people should not consume that much of. The link between obesity and processed food is that people who eat a lot of processed foods will be eating more saturated fat and carbohydrates that they should not be eating that much of. In the end if they keep eating a ton of processed foods then they will gain lots of weight and end up being obese. To help people that can’t afford healthy food I think grocery stores should give people a list every two weeks of healthy food that they can get for half of. That would just be for people who can truly not afford it. For the People who live in areas where they can not access a grocery store, people need to start to notice that and start building grocery stores in places that are needed.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Panaritis, Maria. “New Complex in N. Phila Features Long-Needed Grocery.” Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) [Philadelphia] 21 Oct. 2013: n. pag. Print.
Terrific job Katy. Keep it up.
DeleteSuprisingly, I have never seen this documentary. The fact that there are so many global issues with this endemic, shows to me as an individual that I am fortunate to even get 1 meal a day, let alone 3. A plethora of states, countries and even continents share the same bond of which they are food deserts. Food deserts are places that lack access to affordable and good-quality food. Good-quality food can be at your local grocery store, but is it affordable? That's the issue right there. It's not, and judging from America's current economical issues, people buy the most inexpensive food items just to put dinner on the table. And cheap food items tend not to be as healthy as you wish they were, and this continuous cycle is why the obesity rate has increased dramatically over the last few decades. And over-processed foods are so much cheaper, and easier to access because they're easier to make, and have a longer shelf life than fresh foods that spoil easily. Since, everyone is not born with a silver spoon in their mouth, having food with a longer shelf life means you don't have to worry about throwing out money you spent on groceries, or having your family get sick. Though, obesity does have a strong link to processed foods. Processed foods contain more calories, saturated fat (bad fat), sodium and many ingredients that are bad for a balanced diet! And they don't provide the necessary nutrients and protein intake your body needs to function properly, but we can aid this problem! If each community provided a local garden, and everyone chipped in to help we could slowly decrease the obesity rate by distributing the fresh food evenly among the less fortunate who can't afford it. We can revive these nutritional wastelands by re-enforcing the importance of eating healthy, but not traditionally, because believe it or not people like motivation, a prize to work for, and that's what we'd give them. Money in America is a huge thing, we have lotteries, casinos etc. EVERYONE WANTS MONEY. So why not have them work for it? So I propose a 3 decade contest, at which the family with the longest streak of eating healthy , and proper excercise wins a 1,000,000 dollar prize. How do we get that money? The contest would be long enough for goverment to raise money, but what would happen after the contest was over? Easy, everyone would be so used to eating correctly that it would be difficult to resort back to eating processed foods constantly, thus somewhat correctly the global obesity crisis. What society is going through right now is traumatic, but if everyone as an individual attempted to better their eating healthy(with the help of the government, and the more fortunate), our world would be in a much better place.
ReplyDeleteBlair Golson, America’s Eating Disorder, Alternet.org, April 19, 2006
I love your idea of a 3 decade contest. Look at "The Biggest Loser." Those contestants are definitely motivated by money. Plus it would be saving the country money in the long run. Cool idea!
DeleteThis small, two minute movie trailer is very powerful. Without even seeing the whole movie, I already know a lot about the issue of distributing healthy foods and nutrition to everybody, and how that relates to poverty and obesity. One out of every two kids will at some point be on food assistance. That’s just shocking! Technically, our nation is not suffering from hunger. Our nation is suffering from malnutrition, which in turn leads to the widely known issue of obesity. You might think: how can one be obese, yet undernourished? Sure, the poor do eat, but here’s the thing: They don’t eat anything that’s nutritious because a.) they can’t afford it and/or b.) they don’t have access to it. A food desert it exactly what it sounds like- a place deserted of food. Well, not all food, but whole foods. Healthy foods. Foods that will benefit you more that a pack of ramen noodles or a bag of chips. These over-processed foods are much cheaper and easier to access than fresh foods because they don’t spoil and they don’t require as many resources and labor to produce. So, why wouldn’t somebody living off of three dollars a day choose six packs of ramen over two bags of grapes? You’d want to get the most out of your bucks, right? But eating these immensely high calorie foods leads directly to the the obesity problem of our nation. So how do we fix this? In the article “Childhood Obesity Rates Drop Slightly in Some Cities: What Are They Doing Right?” written by Alexandra Sifferlin for Time Magazine, it is stated that there has been a slight decrease in obesity rates in cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Statewide, Mississippi. One of the reasons for this is because organizations such as The Food Trust have made an effort to try and stock corner stores with fresher food and require acceptance of food stamps at farmer’s markets. Perhaps if healthy food was more widely available, then more people could afford it. If more people could afford it, then more people would eat it. Obesity rates would drop further, and the nutritional wastelands would vanish. Maybe all we need is some better distribution of healthy, fresh and nutritious food.
ReplyDeleteSifferlin, Alexandra. "Childhood Obesity Rates Drop Slightly in Some Cities:
What Are They Doing Right?" Time, December 12, 2012.
Great work Jessica!
DeleteI have never seen this movie. I wish I had seen this earlier though! It's a real eye opener and makes you stop for a second and think about all the kids of all ages living off of $3 a day. It's sad to think millions of Americans are hungry while a TON of Americans are also suffering from obesity. How is that? A food desert is a place with only processed foods. No organic, healthy foods that our body need. It seems like so many more places are becoming food deserts because processed food is so much easier to afford than healthier foods. I think processed foods are so much easier to afford because there is nothing real about them. All it is, is a mixture of chemicals. They're not healthy for us but it's some of the only things some Americans can afford. It's also much easier to access because processed foods are sold in almost every grocery store all around America, while some organic and healthier foods aren't. Processed foods are also easier to make and produce which is why they cost less than other foods. Other foods are grown which takes time, money, and patience to maintain. The link between processed foods and healthy foods are that because processed foods are fake and cheap, this is what Americans on foods stamps end up buying because they're not as expensive. Even people not on food stamps buy these foods because one they're cheaper, and two, they're unhealthy, which is appealing to a lot of Americans. To help the people afford healthy food, I can donate healthy foods to organizations that will give them to people who can't afford them. Also, I think the government needs to realize the struggle of many Americans and lower the prices of healthy foods. If we start to make foods healthier and more affordable, we can easily revive nutritional wastelands.
ReplyDeleteRobert Siegel. "Who Makes up the 16 Million Household who get Food Stamps."
EBSCOhost. Last modified September 19, 2013. Accessed October 21, 2013.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/
detail?vid=5&sid=7ab5b5ee-2f99-4569-8b2d-845fbe7d0cec%40sessionmgr12&hid=19&bdata
=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=nfh&AN=6XN201309192002.
Jordan,
DeleteGreat work. I would be interested in reading the article about Food Stamps.
I have not seen that movie but I would have liked to. I think that this is an awful thing that is happening to way too many people across the country. A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. Over processed foods are much cheaper to make and purchase, they can be found almost anywhere. Processed foods contain trans fats and many sugars, which is very unhealthy to consume daily. You can help people that can't afford healthy foods by donating money to charities that specialize in helping those who can't afford healthy food. If we want to revive nutritional wastelands, we need to all work together to help bring down the price of healthier foods so people can afford them.
ReplyDeleteObesity Prevention Source
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/diet-and-weight/
Tyler,
DeleteLog onto NoodleTools to complete your citation correctly. It looks like you have a great source, just not the full citation.
Although I haven't seen this movie it looks like it is a very good movie and could help out our world hunger problem. A food desert is a place where good quality, healthy food is hard to find. That shouldn't be that way, everybody needs healthy foods to sustain a healthy life but if some people can't afford these foods then they will have to go tot the less expensive junk foods. These processed foods aren't natural and are made with a ton of fats and oils to make them taste good. Since these processed foods aren't natural they cost less money that regular fresh grown fruits or vegetables that have the nutrients our body needs. Processed foods have exactly the opposite of the nutrients we need, they have all of the fats and oils. This could be a direct link to the obesity in the world. Many people would think that giving money to the charity's will help our worlds hunger but it can't fix it forever. This will just help for a little while but I don't think there is a total help for our hunger so these little actions might be our best shot at helping them. Lowering the prices of healthy foods could definitely help with the hunger situation but there will still be the processed foods. To make a big stop to our hunger I think that all processed foods have to be gone.
ReplyDeleteCited
Bornstein, David. "Time to revisit food deserts" NY times, (April 25, 2012) 28 Oct. 2013. print
Kyle,
DeleteWhat would America do without processed food? Can you imagine a world without PopTarts? Suberb work.
Even though I have never seen this movie, I would be fully interested in doing so. I think many families need and deserve food stamps, and the government has trouble giving them out. I understand that many families are in need, and they can't afford the luxury of food. But, there is a such thing as pretending. there are such ways to 'get past' the government and some women are walking around with manicures and $300 shoes and purses, yet they feel the need to use food stamps. A food desert is defined as an urban area that makes it hard to access healthy or organic food. An example of a food desert is a cabin I have, in northern wisconsin. we are out in the middle of nowhere (basically) and in order to receive healthy goods, it is a 12 mile drive. to reach a place that sells food in general, like a gas station, that is only 3 or 4 miles away. Over processed foods are cheaper and easier to access because they are in a higher demand, and they taste better than healthy organic products. for example, would you rather eat a hostess doughnut, or a piece of organic broccoli? most americans would choose the doughnut, because it simply just tastes better. So, companies like hostess, Mcdonalds, Little Debbie, and even some soda companies add saturated fats, and artificial preservatives to their products to make them taste better, so they are in higher demand. These companies make them cheaper because with all of the fake ingredients they add are artificial and don't cost anything, so everyone wants to eat them because they taste good and they are cheap. Examples of processed foods are TV dinners, frozen pizzas, and processed foods contain ingredients like trans fats, sodium, and sugars. These ingredients in processed foods link to obesity because they are now in almost everything we eat. Any foods that involve high fructose corn syrup, or trans fats are foods that you should avoid. I think I can help people that can't afford healthy food is taking the notice to the government about wealthier people using food stamps, and they should tighten their rules around it. One thing that can be done to revive nutritional wastelands are to start fund raisers. I have my own garden in my backyard that grows tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, strawberries, blackberries, grapes, and squash. my dad also is in the process of growing an avocado tree, that is approximately 9 inches tall.
ReplyDeleteReader's Digest, unknown author: "4 Most Harmful Ingredients in Packaged Foods" : Diet & Weight Loss
http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/4-most-harmful-ingredients-in-packaged-foods/2/
Katie,
DeleteI am glad that you discussed that McDonalds, Little Debbie and Hostess add artificial preservatives, chemicals and saturated fats to make products taste better. Nice Job.
Although I have never seen this movie, it looks like it would be good and could help people realize what hunger really is and what it is doing. A food desert is a place where it is hard to find the good foods with the nutrients that our body needs. The easy to find foods are the processed foods which have no healthy content in the. They are processed and not natural like fruits and vegetables. Because of that they are cheaper and people that don't have much money would rather buy a lot of processed food that a few things of fruit. These processed foods have many fats and oils that make them taste good but are bad for your body. Also since there cheaper more people might buy them and this could cause a link to our world obesity. Many people think that donating to charity's will help our world hunger but this is just a temporary help. I don't think that there is a total cure for our hunger so the closest we will get is a ton of little actions from people to help. healthy foods need to be more accessible to people with not as much money so that they can still get the nutritional needs for their body. But in long run, processed foods will always get in the way and the only thing to help that is totally getting rid of processed foods.
ReplyDeleteCited
Bornstein, David. "Time to revisit food Deserts". NY Times. NYtimes.com. April 25, 2012. 27 Oct. 2013. print
Great work Kyle!
DeleteDo you think it's possible to get rid of all of the processed foods? Just think of McDonald's. It's everywhere. If the government were to take our advice and shut it down, would we want them too? Or would we fight back against the oppression. As important as health is, I feel like it's a situation that cannot be won. The grass is always greener on the other side.
DeleteI have not seen this movie. I did not know however that there were such things as food deserts but only thought people ate unhealthfully by choice. A food desert is typically a poor area where the people have limited access to healthy food. Instead they are left with the over-processed "fake foods" as I call them which are loaded with unhealthy saturated fats, trans fats, and carbohydrates. The producers of these foods know how cheap the cost is to create supplements and thus keep more money for themselves. An example would be McDonalds- we have just discovered that the 'meat' they use in hamburgers isnt real at all, but rather animal organs with added chemicals and flavorings (which are TOXIC to our bodies) to make it seem real. These fake foods can be found all over the country at the most convenient locations such as gas stations or fast food facilities where most people can easily get to, thus it is what is commonly on their table for dinner. In order to keep future generations healthy, I propose we start a charity towards the grocery stores in order for new ones to open up in those food deserts and provide the people with healthy foods at lower prices. Now, they may not be organic because finding cheap organics would be a little out of the question but I think that we can supply people with healthier foods then what they are eating now.
ReplyDeleteHarmon, Daniel. "Obesity." Teen Health and Wellness. Rosen, 2010. Web. 24 Aug. 2010. .
Julia,
DeleteI agree that organic produce might be impossible, but I like your idea. Great work.
I have never seen this movie. It looks really good but then again I looks super sad. A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. I think that it is unfair for people to have to buy processed food because it is cheaper than healthier food. The link between obesity and processed food is that people who eat a lot of processed foods will be eating more saturated fat and carbohydrates that they should not be eating that much of. In the end if they keep eating a ton of processed foods then they will gain lots of weight and end up being obese. Some ways that we could help others who cant get the fresh food that we can is to take the fresh foods from the farmers market and bring it to the food pantry where others can get the food.
ReplyDelete"Nutrition, Obesity, and Processed foods" Center for Food and Safety (May 1, 2012). 27 October 2013.
ReplyDeleteSavannah,
DeleteI love your idea about the farmers market. It is just what I was thinking.
I haven't seen this movie or any others like it but I do know that poverty is a huge problem in the United States. Not only with just getting people food, but also with food deserts. A food desert is where there is no good quality food stores for miles. Leaving people with processed foods. Processed food is cheaper than foods like apples, celery, and so on, but they're also really unhealthy and are a cause of obesity. According to Time Magazine, "some processed foods make people feel hungrier still". Because some processed foods make people feel hungrier they're more likely to keep eating and if they're tight on money they probably just have more processed foods in their house. Thus causing obesity in people. The hard part is how can we as a country try and stop obesity rates. I personally think that we would have to set laws out about processed foods. We can't just get companies to stop making these foods, but we can slowly try and cut out some of the bad ingredients in them.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moss, The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food, nytimes.org, February 20, 2013
Robin,
DeleteI think you might have a couple errors in your citation, but good job.
I have not seen this movie before, but the trailer really grabbed my attention. This is definitely a huge problem in America and other countries. A food desert is an area where it is difficult to buy fresh foods. Over-processed foods are easier to access because they can be made anywhere. Unlike fresh foods that need specific environmental requirements. Also it doesn't take much time to create these foods. These over-processed foods are cheaper because they are made in factories and don't require a farmer to always tend to them. When people are living on three dollars a day for meals they buy the cheapest thing they can find. The cheapest thing is over-processed foods. This is because it doesn't take much to create these foods. Also they don't take a long time to create unlike fresh fruit that can take months to grow. So people eat the unhealthy foods everyday and become obese. One idea I have to help this issue is gardening. My grandma has a garden and doesn't have to buy tomatoes ever. She grows them and keeps some for herself but then she gives some to my family. So we both benefit. I think if families could have a small garden it would help the problem of obesity a lot. The garden would help get some healthy foods on their plates. To revive nutritional wastelands we need to advertise healthier lifestyles, and show the children how eating healthy will be better for you in the long term.
ReplyDelete"Processed Foods Make up 70 Percent of the U.S. Diet." Marketplace.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Shannon,
DeleteI love the garden idea. Even people that don't have enough room for a garden could use a community garden. Fantastic idea.
I have not seen this movie but I find it very interesting and I find the topic even more interesting. Food deserts are a big problem in the U.S. and people don't realize how big a problem this actually is. A food desert is generally a cluster of blocks without a corner grocery. This means that some parts of say Chicago are very poorly populated, and so those neighborhoods don't have the proper grocery stores supplying the proper nutrient-filled foods. Also, processed foods are much cheaper then healthy foods because it takes companies much less money and time to make these processed foods then it takes say farmers to grow the healthy foods. Plus, the processed foods can be bought practically anywhere, unlike fruits and vegetables and so most people who have very little money and nowhere to go to buy nutritious food for themselves of their families have to live off of the cheapest food they can get their hands on.This includes those processed foods from the corner stores such as Walgreen's. Now on the other hand, these processed foods are very much linked to obesity because the cheap foods that are over-processed tend to be much higher in fat, and so when you aren't getting the proper nutrition from fruits and vegetables and you're constantly eating processed foods, there is a higher chance of obesity. But you can't really blame the families. If they are living off of food stamps that amount up to only 3 dollars, then of course you will pick the food that is cheapest. And most of the time, the cheapest food is the least healthiest. So I think that somehow if we made food stamps worth more then just 3 dollars or make special food stamps so that families could get fruits and vegetables would be very helpful. If the government or someone would just realize the need for better access to healthy foods then they would realize how high the obesity rate is getting and then we could fix it. Other then that, if there was at least three grocery store type of places in these nutritional wastelands, with cheaper yet equally healthy foods, then people wouldn't have to worry about buying cheap just to feed their family everyday. Overall, something drastic needs to happen in order to fix these food deserts and in order to help the U.S. to get back on the healthy eating track.
ReplyDeleteCitation:
Wehunt, Jennifer. "The Food Desert." www.chicagomag.com. Jennifer Wehunt, 11
Aug. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Super work Paige!
DeleteI haven't seen this movie, but the trailer of this video made me realize how lucky I am, as I get enough food to eat everyday. Also, I love how this movie is making an effort to show the viewers, the issues our country is facing just to feed everyone. A food desert is a grocery store that is extremely far from any residential areas. A food deserts houses processed foods, and no fresh produce. The reason this is so is because processed foods are cheaper, and people who barely have enough money to feed their families chose cheaper foods. Processed foods are cheaper, because they are easier to make, as they mostly contain artificial ingredients, while fresh produce has to be grown and that takes more effort and energy.Processed foods cause obesity, as they are un-healthy foods, especially if someone has these foods for the majority of their life. Processed foods contain lots of fats, MSG (monosodium glutamate), and lots of calories. Since food deserts don't supply fresh produce, people do not have a chance to get the nutrients that are essential to their bodies. A way to solve this issue would be to let each area that has a food desert, start their own gardens. If they were able to acquire the tools to start a garden, people could grow their own produce, which will be healthier for them. Another idea would be for food deserts to find healthier alternatives that are or too costly for them and people buying the food. The best way to revive nutritional waste lands is launch programs in these impoverished areas, teaching children how to eat healthier. Another way would be to find away to lower the cost of fresh produce so that everyone not just people who have the money to feed themselves properly, will be able to keep their families healthy.
ReplyDeleteGibbs, Adrienne S. "Watering the Food Desert." Ebony Vol. 65 Issue 8 June 2010: 60-65. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Imaima,
DeleteWhat would you do to lower the cost of produce? How would you help the farmers? Well-written and thoughtful response.
Never have I stopped to think that hunger was such a large issue in our nation. Obesity was always publicized and that was my main concern revolving this generation. However, as shown in the trailer for "A Place at the Table", a movie I have not seen but would enjoy watching, the two go hand in hand, a relationship expressed in the article stated below. People who cannot afford food, or have a low amount of money they can spend on it, buy whatever food they can, which ends up being processed food, instead of fresh grown vegetables or fruits, due to the prices. Processed food, much unhealthier than natural foods, leads to obesity when consumed. A place where natural food is hard to come across and buy fresh, natural food is a food desert and the way our nation is evolving, it's becoming one. Although fresh food is available, it's much easier to travel to a McDonalds or any fast food chain nowadays and processed food lasts a long time and doesn't take a whole farming season to produce, making it easier to make. To make a healthier nation and one with less hunger, we could provide more community gardens that those who cannot afford much food can plant seeds for their own vegetables to grow. And of course, donating never fails when people need help. Of course it's impossible to just stop the manufacturing of processed food or to lower costs in the blink of an eye, but we need to come together as a nation and help one another out in order to end this pandemic of hunger.
ReplyDeleteDietz, William H. "Does Hunger Cause Obesity." Pediatrics 95.5 (n.d.): 766. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
I agree that obesity is in the public eye far more than hunger. I wonder why? Another well-written response. Splendid work Katie.
DeleteI personally have not seen this movie, I would like to see it but I think it would make me depressed to see all the people in need. A food desert is a place where it is difficult to get healthy foods. Processed foods are easier to get and buy because they are cheaper to make and produce compared to healthier foods and since the processed foods are cheaper to buy more people buy them and are becoming obese. You could help people by donating healthy foods or stores could lower the price of healthier foods.
ReplyDelete"The Obesity Warriors"Times,times.com,6/7/04,10/27/13
I have not seen A Place At The Table, but I found it very interesting. After watching this, I was really able to see how fortunate I am to not be in a situation like this. A food desert is an area where affordable healthy food is difficult to obtain. Over processed food is cheaper and easier to access because it is not naturally grown food. It is very unhealthy because of the processed ingredients which makes it much cheaper. Processed food is not good for your health. Because of the price though, it is sometimes the only food choice for some people. Obtaining too much of this food will cause obesity. This is a big problem in todays society. We can help people with this problem by contributing to any organization that helps raise money to give healthy food to struggling families. Asking stores for donations of healthy food would also help this problem. To help revive nutritional wasteland, we could form another type of organization that frequently helps clean up these areas. With the help from society, this problem can be changed.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Journal of Public Health. Nov2013, Vol. 103 Issue 11, pe96-e102. 7p. 4 Charts.
I have not seen this movie, but after watching the preview, it really caught my attention. A food desert is somewhere that has tough access to fresh fruits and vegetables. I think over-processed food are cheaper and easier to get because there is so much of it and its very common to see them when you walk into a store. Processed food can lead to obesity because there are so many extra calories in them that you don't need and most of the time shouldn't have. It also leads to obesity because when something is packaged and processed, all the nutrients and vitamins that the product might of had is gone, so you don't get the necessary nutrients and vitamins that your body needs. And lastly, it leads to obesity because all these packaged and processed food companies add artificial preservatives and extra fats to their products to make it taste better so people, mostly children, would rather choose their food instead of healthy choices. A way for me to help those less fortunate, is tell them ways to make a healthier lifestyle. A way to do that is to grow a garden. By growing a garden, you know that there are no extra preservatives and fats in your produce and your fruits and vegetables would be right in your back yard! Another way is to limit your packaged food intake. If you have a choice between packaged or fresh foods, make the smart decision and choose fresh foods. A way to revive nutritional wastelands would be to make fresh foods less expensive, and make other foods healthier.
ReplyDeleteCited
"Processed Food." Teen Health and Wellness. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013
Awesome job Maria. Well done.
DeleteNo, I have not seen this movie “A Place at the Table”. I think that this movie would be a great eye-opener for the people living in America. They would realize how fortunate they really are and how much they take food for granted. A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to but affordable or good-quality fresh food. Over-processed food is cheaper because it’s made with cheap, unnatural ingredients. Since the junk food is so fake, it’s easier to make and that’s why there’s so much of it. People can access it easier because it’s a faster process to make “phony” food than to produce natural healthy food, so therefore it’s distributed to more locations. According to “The Link Between MSG in Processed Foods & Obesity”, research suggests that monosodium glutamate causes obesity, making unhealthy snacks even unhealthier than you may have suspected. Many people appear to depend on food intake, which is why it’s so hard for them to diet away their obesity. Instead of bringing a small baggie of carrots or grapes, more and more students are bringing in snack-size bags of chips with their lunch. If people can’t afford healthy food, then a good idea is to donate some food to a local food pantry or charity that will aid those who cannot pay to eat right. Simply dropping off a bag of bananas and strawberries could really help out someone who’s in need of those nutritional foods. If we want people to start eating better, then it’s time to step up and take action. Volunteering your time at a charity to help hand out food is a great first step to healthier people in America. Also, another good idea is to have a community garden where people can go and plant vegetables and fruits. Community gardens provide access to nutritionally rich foods that may otherwise be unavailable to low-income families and individuals.This would overall benefit many people.
ReplyDeleteVeracity, Dani. “The Link Between MSG in Processed Foods & Obesity.” http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/msgandobesity081105.cfm. August 2005.
I love your idea to drop off healthy food to the food pantry. How often do people just donate processed food? Terrific job.
DeleteAtlantic Monthly (10727825). Jul/Aug2013, Vol. 312 Issue 1, p68-89. 13p. 5 Color Photographs, 5 Black and White Photographs.
ReplyDeleteover priced foods are much easier to find because it takes a lot less energy and resources to make. also if u donate food make sure its healthy cause that will help with getting healthy food around.
No, I have not seen this movie, as interesting as it looks, I have never heard of it before now. It is incredibly depressing, hearing all about the hunger and nutrition problems in our country, to the extremes that one of every two children will be hungry. Food deserts, areas where "physical and economic barriers... [Limit] accessing healthy foods" (Nutrition Task Force Low Income Project Team), are to be blamed for these hunger and nutrition problems. In food deserts they have over-processed foods, at are inexpensive and easily accessible. Having a product with small amounts of natural resources and labor times, cut prices down to an affordable amount for struggling families. Nonetheless, with the all of the chemicals in the product they last a lot longer that fresh food from the market. Thus, families can save their food over time, in order to make it last longer. They are also equipped with short cooking times and filling materials for the busy families too. However, these foods are not healthy. They are stripped of nutrients, not giving you all of your daily needs, just filling you up. Yet sadly, they “have almost completely taken over the diet of Americans” (*). With more and more families that are struggling to afford food, they turning to over processed foods, ending with not getting their daily nutritional needs. On a pattern of "bad" foods you begin to gain weight, eventually becoming obese. Therefore, processed foods lead to obesity. By myself there is nothing I can do about this. Although, if we came together and worked towards a common goal of healthiness, then we can make a difference. We can start by lowering prices on fresh food. A possibility could be that for every day the food is at the store the price goes down by a little bit, all the way until it goes bad. This isn't going to be an ending result for the hunger and nutrition but it could be a start to the economic part of it. In order to completely wipe out this issue we would need the focus of food to be narrowed, to everyone not only looking for a quick bite but a hearty meal.
ReplyDelete*- http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/4-most-harmful-ingredients-in-packaged-foods/
Jessie,
DeleteUse NoodleTools to make sure that your citation is correct. Otherwise, good job.
To begin with, I hadn't seen or heard of this movie until this assignment. After watching the preview, I felt sad to know that there are so many low income Americans choosing lower priced unhealthy foods over more nutritious foods. I was also unaware that food deserts exist throughout the United States, areas where people are unable to get fresh healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, without traveling a distance. Sure, macaroni and cheese can keep you fed, but it can't keep you healthy. So why, then, are fresh foods more expensive and over-processed foods cheaper? Fresh foods are perishable; they don't have a long shelf-life, and keeping fresh foods fresh with refrigerated delivery systems and in-store refrigeration, costs more money. A banana sitting on the shelf of a store will start to go bad in 5 days, whereas a can of beans can last on the shelf for upwards of 5 years.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the link between processed foods and obesity... Dr. James Beckermann, MD FACC Cardiology states, "Processed food contains high amounts of salt, nitrates and other chemicals used as preservatives and flavor enhancers – most of which the typical person knows little or nothing about. While this is old news, recent data is emerging that suggests that the processing may pose more of a health risk than previously recognized." Many Americans, especially low-income Americans, are uneducated when it comes to knowing what are "healthy foods" and what are not. Many people have no idea what it is in their foods that is making them fat. The key is education. People need to be educated on food and nutrition. Sometimes you can make healthier choices at the grocery store that don't necessarily cost more. Take for example the choice between eating Frosted Flakes ($2.98) or Quaker Oats Oatmeal ($2.50) for breakfast.
In regards to having ACCESS to nutritious foods, the US needs to create some sort of a system where these food desert areas are receiving supplies of fresh nutritious foods. The government also needs to insure that all low income families receive adequate amounts of food assistance in order for them to be able to purchase healthier foods.
Freuman, Tamara Duker. "Is All Processed Food Unhealthy?" US News. U.S.News & World Report, 14 May 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Jessica,
DeleteI love your example with the oatmeal. Awesome job.
Works Cited
ReplyDelete“The Food Desert.” Chicago. Chicago Magizine, July 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. . This article explains about the impact of food deserts and in specific, the ones in Chicago. It gives an example of a person that has been affected by it and the many other Chicago residents. This article shows what areas are affected and why they are affected. Also, it shows statistics on how much it has risen or dropped over time and why. I used it for the information on food deserts and how they affect areas by us.
Sadly, I have seen this movie and I wish I did. I would have never guessed that 1 in 2 kids in the US will be on food assistance in their life. Many people like us, who are luckily not on food assistance and can afford fresh healthy food never imagine what it is like for those who are not so lucky. Living off of food stamps that add up to $3 a day, just enough for a McDonalds cheeseburger and fries. Many of the privileged do nothing and let those others suffer, as seen in the video. A food desert is an area which is unable to accesses fresh and proper food. Parts of Chicago are food deserts creating a hard life for the residents to stay healthy and live. Over processed foods are much easier to access for the reason that they are everywhere. Every street corner of Chicago has a McDonalds, a Burger King, some sort of fast food place but yet no stores like Whole foods, a Jewel, or any fresh produce store. Even if you find a fresh produce store it is much more tempting to go to a fast food restaurant and pay half of the price. Processed food are much cheaper for the fact that it can be made with scraps all thrown together and not as hard to make or grow as the fresh food. A processed burger is just a bunch of shredded up cow remains that have been bound together and called a "burger". Half the money so profits are higher. Processed foods lead to obesity for the fact that it is not healthy. An apple being implanted with chemicals will be much worse than a fresh apple picked. Processed foods are the cheaper option so it is more tempting to those who are poor. Their only option is to get them if they have $3 food stamps rather than fresh apples that can be $5. You can help people who cannot get unprocessed foods by donating, starting charity events, as seen in the video cook and give away the food, start a food kitchen organization, any thing that can raise money or help cook food for the poor can help get a handle on this growing issue. Adding more fresh food organizations and getting rid of the fast food restraints can revive the nutritional wastelands. Every little donation and every fundraiser will make a difference.
Brandon,
DeleteI really liked that you found an article about Chicago. Super job.
I have not seen this movie, and strangely enough, have never even heard of it. I think that this is because the hunger epidemic is extremely underrated and concealed from the public eye because it is embarrassing, not only for the families facing this issue, but the nation as a whole. America likes to be seen as the land of the free with ‘waves of amber grain’, thanksgiving turkeys, and homegrown apples fresh from the orchard, but the truth is, most americans are eating ‘hamburgers’ made from leftover processed meat, breads made from sugar and, well, more sugar, and juice that has been artificially altered so much it is basically food coloring and high fructose corn syrup. Why is this? Thousands of Americans are stranded in commonly called food deserts- places that lack easy access to healthy food. Nutritious foods are usually found in grocery stores, which take a lot of money to upkeep. As the economy took a downturn, people started buying less at grocery stores, slowly shutting them down. Gas stations and quick marts, carrying cheap boxed food, stayed open and slowly became the only easy food source for nearby residents. Processed food is noticeably cheaper than natural food because little to no effort is required to transport is and keep the food looking fresh. For example, mac n’ cheese can be made effortlessly on site, but fruits like strawberries have to be shipped in from across the country. In order to help this epidemic, the first step that must be taken is to publicize the problem. Everyone in the nation should know that that half of all children will be dependent on charity food at some point in their lives. Once people are knowledgeable about the issues at hand, the nation can come together in a commutative effort to build new supermarkets and help make nutritional foods easier to access and afford.
ReplyDeleteMoyers, Bill. "An Oasis in a Food Desert." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
Wonderful. I love the "waves of amber grain." Very descriptive writing.
DeleteI have not seen this movie, but now that I have seen this trailer I am currently searching Netflix to see if it is on here. A food desert is a place that has no access to fresh food, produce, and healthy food. Over-processed foods are so much cheaper and easier to access because companies want you to just be able to open up the package and eat their product. They won't go bad and can sit on a shelf for a long period of time. Since people don't have access to fresh food they have to rely on processed foods, which has so many additives they are just chemical foods basically. This is why people are so obese because they aren't eating foods that are good for them, like apples and lettuce, just sugary packaged foods. I think if we advertised fresh food stands more there wouldn't be as much as a problem. I didn't know that during the summer there was a farmers market in downtown Crystal Lake. If more people were aware of these food stands I'm sure people would make better use of what they have locally.
ReplyDeleteRutz, Heather. "Food Deserts a Problem with Lots of Innovative Solutions."
EBSCO. EBSCO, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
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Rhiannon,
DeleteI think that you can view the video on-line for free. There are several sites that release these documentaries for free viewing. I will see if I can find one for you.
This video really made think about how such things like food can be taken for granted so easily. Kids our age don't understand how strenuous it really is to provide food for a family. Our food is put on a table and we are adjusted to that lifestyle. The statistic that one out of every 2 kids will end up on food assistance once in their life, shocked me. No one will ever think that they will end up having to vie for a meal. In the video, it was said that the cheapest foods you can buy are usually fattening. Having said that people take their goods for granted, no one would think that getting something as simple as lettuce would be so expensive. And to think, we beg our parents to buy us the Oreos when that is the only thing people on food stamps can afford. The one thing that stood out to me most in this video, is that once people started trying to help, they made a huge difference in the population of the poverty-stricken citizens. People can truly make a difference if they contribute and care for one another. I would never think that a two minute video could make me be so thankful for what I have. As I sit here and eat my buttered noodles (ha-ha), I have very much gratitude for the life I have.
ReplyDeleteKara,
DeleteWho doesn't love buttered noodles? You are missing the citation. You can still add it to this response for the credit.
I have never seen the movie before but I would like to watch it eventually. Obesity and hunger are major problems in our country and need more attention. A food desert is a place where it is very hard to buy fresh foods as opposed to processed foods. Processed foods are more abundant in stores because they can be made anywhere as opposed to fresh food which has to be made in certain parts of the world. Many different companies are creating their own versions of processed foods. A major reason a huge percent of our country is obese is because the processed foods have been found to be addictive causing people to eat more than they need to. To help people that can't afford healthy foods you could collect that last apple,banana, tomato etc. and give it to an organization.I know my uncle has a garden and donates some of the fresh food he grows to people who can't buy or grow their own fresh food. To revive a nutritional wasteland the government could advertise with young kids role models like famous athletes, singers and actors showing a good healthy lifestyle to make the kids want to do the same thing as their hero.
ReplyDeleteHungry for Change. Donna Gates, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
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I have never seen this movie or heard of food deserts before, but I do think this is a very interesting and important topic. I did some research and found out that a food desert is an area that has little or no access to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and other foods that are crucial to a healthy diet, at an affordable price. I think over-processed foods are a much simpler and cheaper choice because there's no need to worry about them spoiling and they have enough calories to fill you up for the time being. Processed foods and obesity go hand-in-hand because although processed foods get you the calories you need, they contain almost none of the necessary nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. Those unhealthy calories are what lead to weight gain and eventually obesity. For the people who can't afford pricey organic foods, I think a good solution would be to set up some kind of trade system. Those who are struggling to pay for the all-natural stuff can provide services such as cleaning, driving, tutoring, or gardening in exchange for a grocery bag full of fruits and veggies to get them through the week. They could go to people they know, or really anyone who goes to the grocery store at least once a week. I think it's a great solution that benefits both sides, whether it's the one doing the service or the one providing the healthy foods.
ReplyDelete"A Look Inside Food Deserts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. .
Lexi,
DeleteYou may have a future as a Peace Corp worker. Wonderful ideas.
I have not seen this movie, but hunger is definitely a problem in our nation that needs to be addressed and fixed. Even just the trailer is eye-opening. Hunger has become a very real issue in our country that effects so many people. The measures we have been taking so far are a good first step, but as the video said, a family cannot live solely off of food stamps. A food desert is an area where people do not have the money and resources to access healthy affordable foods. Unfortunately, the only foods people in these "deserts" have access to are over processed and unhealthy. These foods are significantly cheaper because they are much easier to mass produce by companies (due to an excess in specific crops, while there is a depletion in crops like fruits and vegetables), therefore giving these large corporations a bigger profit in the long run. The link between these cheap foods and obesity is significant. Many families can only afford inexpensive, yet unhealthy, foods like McDonalds. Fruits and vegetables are, sadly, more expensive than a processed cheeseburger off of the dollar menu at a fast food restaurant. Because these people are not getting proper nutrition, the risk for obesity is much higher. From the article that I read, I learned that this is called misnutrition, not malnutrition. It is easier for farmers to mass produce crops like corn and soy rather than fruits and vegetables, and this in turn leads to more processed foods and the use of unnatural sugars like high fructose corn syrup. However, even though this is a massive problem, we can take measures to solve it. To help revive the nutritional state of our country, we can take some of the money that we use to mass produce crops like corn (which actually has very little nutritional value) and work to get more farmers producing healthier crops like fruits and vegetables. This is a very reasonable step that actually requires no extra money from our government and will improve the health of our population. With more readily available healthy foods, the prices on these items would go down allowing impoverished people to have access to them. It is a simple concept of supply and demand. Another way to help our nation's inhabitants would be to have more local gardening. It takes relatively little time and effort, and not only is a good way to have healthy food at your fingertips, gardening gets kids outside and off of the couch for once. Incorporating exercise into a good diet is just as important in preventing obesity. All in all, though our nation is in a precarious state with hunger, there are steps that we can take to help solve this problem.
ReplyDeleteFields, Scott. "Do Agricultural Subsidies Foster Poor Health?" Environmental Health Perspectives 112.14 (2004): 820-23. Web.
Kayla,
DeleteI am so happy that you discussed misnutrition. Fantastic job.
This movie looks very purposeful even though I have not yet seen it. Food deserts and natural, fresh food gaps are not a joking topic. I notice how processed and foods full of terrible chemicals are cheaper, and I think it is because they are easier to make in factories, require less time to make, and have a longer shelf life because of all the preservatives added to these "foods". They are easier to access because a food-supplying store in the middle of nowhere could keep the consumable, nonperishable foods for a lot longer than apples(for example). I think the link between processed foods and obesity is the fact that "people either eat more or higher calorie foods when eating out." Also, since "1 in every 4 people eat some type of fast food every day", that is a recipe for disaster when people eat so much so often, much of it being (processed)fast food. Something that can be done to provide healthier foods to those who cannot afford it could be having a weekly farmer's market or growing a garden. Both do occur in many homes and communities, but are not promoted enough as they could benefit proper nutritional values and convenience among money-troubled families, etc. However, having organic produce may be unrealistic because of the quantity being too low to provide for many every meal. Poor quality, "fake" food being provided for people would be very difficult if not impossible to reverse since so many depend on it and so many industries make millions in result. Although advertisement in our society today impacts so many, laws could be enforced against false advertisements or looked into in more detail. Food deserts allow over processed foods to overrule what Americans consume, and unfortunately make skyrocketing, unfortunate obesity rates as consequences.
ReplyDeleteGreat. It is rather sad that 1 in 4 people eats fast food everyday. No wonder shows like "The Biggest Loser" are so successful. Nicely done.
DeleteI liked your point about processed foods being the easiest to make and come across. I also agree that more community agriculture projects, like farmers markets, should take place.
Delete"Profiling Food Consumption in America" USDA 27 Oct. 213
ReplyDeleteWhile I have not seen this movie, I think the message and point that they are trying to portray is worth fighting for. Food deserts, places where healthy and affordable food are not easily accessed, is becoming an issue that many people are forced to start recognizing. Lack of money and resources are one of the main causes for these food deserts, and often times when they are able to get to a grocery store it’s to get cheap processed food that doesn’t contain the proper nutrient needed to maintain a healthy diet. Since it’s a lot harder to grow and harvest fruits and vegetables than to throw some chemicals and byproducts together, the expenses of unhealthy food tends to be much lower than healthier food. “While convenience stores sell food products, they generally offer high-calorie foods that are low in vital nutrients at relatively high prices and do not offer the wide selection of healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, that can be found in supermarkets” (Rogers). With little healthy foods, people are gaining weight, but it doesn’t need to be this way. By creating farmers markets or local gardens, it gives people availability to the right and proper nutrients that they need to maintain a healthy diet. Even having your own garden in your own backyard can make a world of a difference. While the problem won’t be solved overnight, with awareness, action, and determination we can solve the problems we have facing us.
ReplyDelete"food desert." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013..
Good job Savannah!
DeleteI haven't seen is movie, however this is just another piece of evidence that shows that America is getting more and more obese. We are buying more processed foods than anyone else because of a few things. They are cheaper than buying organic food. They last longer and they are easier to prepare a meal with. Having this problem creates food deserts where there are no quality produce food stores around for miles. If people want good food, they have to travel miles and miles. I think processed foods are cheaper because they use less of natural ingredients (which are more money to obtain) and more of ingredients that are easier to find in the world so they cost a lot less to buy. Over-processed foods have a way higher fat and salt content that any natural food. More people eating this kind of food tend to be more obese. We could help people who couldn't afford all natural food by making more all natural, no pesticide farms. People could volunteer their time to look over the crops so it wouldn't cost so much in labor and in turn, at the grocery store. To get rid of these food deserts, we could maybe have fresh fruit stands from local farmers every few miles.
ReplyDeleteHunter,
DeleteGood job. I like your volunteering idea. You are missing your citation. You can still add a citation to this to earn the additional points.
Obesity is a huge problem in America, and not for the reason most would think. It isn't just about being lazy. It's about doing the best you can with what you have. Prices for food have skyrocketed. And what's the most expensive part of it? The natural fruits and vegetables. It's because they aren't made in a factory, so they can't be manipulated to cheap over-processed foods like candy. I haven't seen the movie, but I think it would address the facts about the economy that tend to be swept under the rug. Having a poor diet can affect your ability to work. Who can focus on check out when they feel dizzy from lack of food and high sugar from the only drink they could afford, a coca cola? To be healthy and fit allows one to conquer more. That's the kind of spirit we need here in America to get ahead of the game again, before China steals that status away. Right now we are in a food desert. When I think of a desert, I picture a place void of any substantial plants and food. A food desert not only is having a small amount of food, but an even smaller amount that is organic. These unnatural foods have a difficult time being digested by the body, leading to storage of fat and obesity. To help people who are malnourished, what we need to do is increase the abundance of natural food. Having so much food readily available will lower the cost of it due to supply and demand, so then it's affordable. You just need to get the plants started, then in a few years it will have multiplied numerous times. But someone needs to take initiative and get it done. We can fix this problem, as it isn't a washout yet. We just need clever thinking, determination, and a whole lot of farmers!
ReplyDeleteBeebout, Harold S. "Nutrition, Food Security, and Obesity." Gender Issues,
Summer2006, Vol. 23 Issue 3: 54-64. Print.
Ashley,
DeleteHow can we convince young people to become farmers? Do you think it is an attractive career choice? Clever thinking.
So I did one- but im not sure if it sent! It brought me to a weird page then shut down, so I might just try it again!
ReplyDeleteThough I have not seen this movie, I really would like too. It would be an insight into others lives. But food drought is a big problem. I found a correlation, Michigan has a food drought, in the upper and scattered through the middle. And michigan has the highest obesity rate. "23 million Americans who live in “food deserts.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert is a low-income area where at least 33 percent of the population has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store." (Food drought 1).
Our government and donors are trying to solve it by adding farmers markets, but I think people also need to do this on their own. I love Shannon O'brien's idea of gardens, thats what my grandparents do! They have a vegetable garden and an apple orchard, fresh food on their fingertips. So they will never have a food drought. But we need to step up, and notify people of this impending dilemma. Its a big problem, that I didn't even know about till now.
"National Food Desert Awareness Month." National Food Desert Awareness Month RSS. N.p., 5th Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
"Places We Work." The Conservation Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
It never occurred to me that the reason people would choose to eat less healthier foods is due to the fact fresh fruits and vegetables are inaccessible. I always knew that organic produce was more expensive than their processed counterparts, but I never knew that some people live in food deserts where they would have to drive hours to find a grocery store. It’s easier to bring processed food to rural areas, as they are cheaper to make and sell (so people with a lower income are more likely to buy them) and they have more preservatives so they last on the shelf longer, making it easier for store owners to keep them. Processed foods use chemicals to recreate the taste and texture of organic food. When you get your nutrition from chemicals instead of the organic stuff your body will obviously be more sick than that of someone who eats organic food. Studies have also shown that people can get addicted to junk food in the same way someone would be to drugs. “Researchers are investigating biochemical changes that occur after animals are fed highly palatable foods. When animals eat a high-fat diet, the brain produces a suite of chemicals in response. [...] neurobiologist Sarah Leibowitz has injected rats with those chemicals and found that it led animals to eat more fat. "The more you eat, the more you want," she says” (Beil 44-47). To help people gain access to more healthy food you can donate canned produce to food drives, or help out at a soup kitchen. Donating to groups that help feed and fund efforts to bring fresh food to food deserts is another possibility. In the end, it will take the help of both the people, government, and big corporations to end our terrible eating habits. I think that the first step is to make sure everyone knows the dangers of a lack of fruits and vegetables in their diet.
ReplyDeleteSara,
DeleteYou are missing your citation. You can still add it to this response to earn back the missing points. Find an article in EBSCO that relates to this discussion and use NoodleTools to properly cite it.
I saw part of “A Place at the Table” last year for a project I did on Feeding America.
ReplyDeleteThis movie can really open our eyes on the problem that is sweeping the nation-hunger. Because the poverty rate is so low right now people are resorted to buying and eating processed foods instead of the healthy, organic, grown foods. Most people that live below the poverty rate also can not afford to live in the best kinds of places, most live in areas where their “grocery store” is a gas station or a small market place..They live in a food desert- a place where they do not have very many options for shopping for groceries.
I think that there is a link between processed foods and obesity. There are a lot of people right now that are desperate, they cannot or barely can afford necessities like their gas, water, electric, so they want to get the most amount of food in the cheapest way they can and unfortunately the cheapest things are processed foods. Processed foods are made with thousands of chemical preservatives that are not very healthy for you. Eating foods that are processed lead to obesity.
There are so many ways to help people that can’t afford healthy food. You can support organizations like Feeding America and No Kid Hungry, that donate delicious meals to families and teach kids and parents how to make healthier choices. Also the biggest way to get people to buy healthier foods is getting them out of a food desert. In this article, “A Tale of Two Food Deserts” by Katie Walker, it says
“The future is bright in Chicago and New Mexico, although it isn't without work. In Chicago, Pinzino wants to inspire mainstream grocers to come back to the area. "If they would leave the neighborhood stereotypes behind," he says, "they would see that there's real opportunity here."
Edwards, for her part, envisions a garden on every corner in Grant County. She says TVC is still tackling the problem of access to transportation in such a large, sparsely populated county. The next goal is a food-security center, which will house a garden, a food pantry, and a space for food education. She has seen how access to food can change a community. She knows that "we can start a revolution with gardening…” So a way to end food deserts is to be aware of it and be willing to sacrifice some of your time to making the healthiest choices for
Wow! Way to go. This is spectacular.
DeleteAs Americans we tend to be ignorant or oblivious to the problems that have the most impact on us, we want to think that America is invincible and we could never be in any crisis relating to food. We're known for having an abundance of food in America how could that possibly be. Except we are know for unhealthy fat inducing greasy diabetes in the form of a substance we call "fast food". It seems like everyone but us knows about the issue we have in America, we have all fat and nothing to counter it. Not only does most of America only have access to unhealthy foods but because the demand of fake manufactured artery clogging balls of death are high in demand they get even cheaper, making healthy food even more expensive. Now because we have given all our money to the companies making these foods they have expanded all about America leaving less room and opportunities for fruits, poultry, and other healthy foods. So America is stuck in a continuous cycle of ignoring the problem at hand or just being oblivious to it, then handing their money to their problem. According to the Women's health article the father away a community is from healthy foods, the higher that community's average body mass index, and the more cases there were of diabetes, heart disease, and other cardiovascular problems. Meaning until we get healthy foods evenly spread across the country we can't improve on our current state, but to increase the distribution of healthy foods we have to not spend as much money on junk food, HOWEVER we can't do that because healthy foods are not evenly distributed. If you see the paradox I'm pointing towards, you understand that we have to find an alternative. These alternatives can be as simple as starting community gardens, having places with more opportunists to buy healthy foods, actually buy them, or even just angrily protest fast foods until they stop plaguing the country. Until U.S. citizens are no longer oblivious to the problem and their solutions however we're stuck in the grease.
ReplyDeleteSavacool, Julia. "What It's Like to Be Stranded in a Food Desert." Women's
Health 21 Oct. 2013: 1. Print
"Fake manufactured artery clogging balls of death." Wow. I think McDonalds can use this in a future commercial. Excellent work.
DeleteI've never seen the movie, but it seems very interesting and informative. The way it tells the cold-hard truth from real people’s experiences and doesn’t sugar-coat it looks like a good way to get people’s attention for change and help with solving the problem of food deserts and obesity. Food Deserts are areas where access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food is difficult. Many people in food deserts live in poverty limiting them to affordable however cheap, unhealthy, and over-processed foods. These foods are cheaper because of their long lasting shelf-life, and their lack of natural ingredients allow them to be produced and sold for almost nothing. They have little to no nutrients, and are high in calories. Therefore poverty being the link between processed foods and obesity. Not only are fresh foods more expensive, they are often harder to reach than unhealthy foods. Many “must travel twice as far to reach a grocery store as a fast-food restaurant.” To solve this problem, more grocery stores should be built in areas who need them. If fresh fruits and vegetables are too hard or expensive to obtain in that area they could at least sell canned or frozen produce which are still nutritional, to help with obesity rates. Also, the budget of $3 a day on food stamps could be raised with the help of donations/charities. It may take a lot of work, but something must be done to help the 1 out of 2 children who will be on food assistance.
ReplyDeleteJennife Wehunt, "The Food desert- Chicago magazine" Aug 11 2009
Marvelous work!
DeleteI have not seen A Place at the Table, but the trailer has got me thinking more about food deserts. Before watching the trailer I had no idea what a food desert was. I can’t even picture living without fresh produce. Having to drive hours just to buy a fresh apple is ridiculous. People are living off over-processed foods that are hazardous to their health, and that’s all they can afford. These foods are much cheaper because they can live on store shelves for ages, plus they’re easy to make. Growing fruits and vegetables takes time and time is money. Food drive’s are a wonderful idea, but they won’t solve this problem entirely. It is going to take the government and the people to end food deserts.
ReplyDeleteTecco, Betsy Dru. "Food Deserts." Current Health Teens 38.4 (2011): 16-19. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
I have never seen that movie. I think its true that the cause of obesity is that processed food is way cheaper than healthy food. A food desert is an area where it is very hard to get healthy foods. Like fruits and vegetables. Most people buy the processed food because it so much cheaper. I think it is so much cheaper because it is a lot easier to make/find. If people start to sell or grown their own healthy food so unhealthy foods isnt the only option. To restore food wastelands it would be good to start planting in that area and making it a mission to spread the healthy foods.
ReplyDeleteKatie,
DeleteYou are missing your citation. You can still go back and add a citation to earn back the points you are missing.
I have not seen this movie, but after watching this trailer, I have developed an interest in it. It explains food deserts and how people in poverty are finding it harder to get healthier food. A food desert is a place where there is little to no healthy/fresh food available in small cities or towns. Imagine Crystal Lake without Jewel, Sam's Club, or other large food stores. People are going through things like that every day, and the healthy foods are too expensive for people in poverty to afford. In food deserts, processed foods are easier to access because of the fact that all processed foods really are, is things made with machines and odd chemicals, which, in turn is a sure way to go down the road to obesity. Many people in poverty are finding it hard to afford healthier foods, and food stamps can't afford even one stalk of broccoli anymore. This truly creates a figurative "pit" that people in poverty cannot get out of. To help these people, we could do more like opening new stores closer to areas like that, or try to get terrible foods off the shelves. We need to make food stamps worth more, or even better, get the people off the food stamps, and make new jobs. One surefire way to solve this issue for good would be to open new stores, let the people work at them, and sell good food. This would destroy poverty in small communities, and people could work at the same store.
ReplyDeleteWehunt, Jennifer. "The Food Desert." Chicago Magazine. Chicago Magazine, July 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
I love the "figurative pit." What an excellent way to describe the endless cycle. I am impressed.
Deletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-blumenthal/food-deserts_b_3822428.html
ReplyDeleteGot it. Disregard my comment above.
DeleteWhile I haven't seen "A Place at The Table", It seems like an interesting documentary to watch. I think, much like in the trailer, that the food deficiency is caused by the unequal distribution of wealth among the nation. While food stamps seem like an alright way to get around, the documentary seems to shine a light on the fact that food stamps aren't as effective at providing a meal as we would like to think. I would think that a food desert would be an are where food is tough to find, and therefore heavily imported, making it difficult and expensive to find healthy alternatives. As an effect, processed foods are brought in. Their simplicity to make, coupled with the lack of labor along with the use of chemicals to produce food allows them to be cheap, be able to be made nearby, and sell easily. Processed foods typically have much more sodium, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and other healthy and unhealthy substances. Due to having high amounts of these things, those that eat highly processed foods are taking in an amount more than the recommend daily value, causing them to have weight issues. To help those that cannot afford healthy food, one could donate nonperishable items to collection bins. To revive the wastelands, many steps will have to be taken to ensure prosperous conditions. There would have to be an increase in the population of the are, causing more businesses to locate to the are in search of profit. This will increase the overall wealth of the area, as well as opening up options for farmers to grow more, and ship more. By increasing the amount of commerce, the prices of healthy foods will (hopefully) drop due to the increased supple of healthy food.
ReplyDeleteEconomic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Food Access Research Atlas, http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas.aspx.
Economic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Food Access Research Atlas, http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas.aspx.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have not seen this movie, I think it raises thought provoking questions about the distribution of wealth, and its effect on the availability of healthier foods. A food desert is an area of a country, typically rural, that has a low amount of convenience stores/supermarkets, making it difficult to obtain food for a reasonable price. Over processed foods are much easier to access due to the low production costs. If the product doesn't take much effort or material to produce, then it can be shipped and marketed for a lower price than healthier foods, which take a longer time to grow, and require much more attention and care. Processed foods are typically higher in bad content as well as being able to be served in larger portions. Due to the higher fast content, the body cannot consume all of it, and since saturated fat is difficult to make use of, it ends up piling up inside the body. This causes obesity in both children and adults. To assist those that cannot afford to buy healthier foods for themselves, one could make charitable donations to collection bins. Much like int he video, it will help, but it's only a temporary solution to the problem. To revive nutritional wastelands, it would help to drive extra commerce towards them. The increase in local economy will help businesses relocate to the area, and hopefully be able to provide lower prices due to competition.
Because this week focuses a lot on obesity, i found it relevent to post this as my citation.
ReplyDeleteFighting a mountain of bad health habits By: Nanci Hellmich, @nancihellmich, USA TODAY, USA Today, 07347456, FEB 12, 2013
Amanda,
DeleteWhere is the rest of your discussion response? Please finish this.
This trailer only gives us a glimpse at what might be covered in this movie, but from what this video tells us about food deserts we can take away that obesity in the lower class is due to the overpricing of healthy foods. A food desert, is somewhere were healthy natural foods are near impossible to obtain, like if in crystal lake all of the food retailers went out of business and we were forced to live off of whatever we could find, which would most likely be cheap, manufactured food that is slowely killing those who can afford nothing else. A definite way to solve this problem or atleast lessen it would be to open up more food suppliers in food deserts. or possibly decrease the price on food that is benificial to its consumers instead of doing the exact opposite like some retailers have been
ReplyDeleteJacob,
DeleteYou are missing a citation. You can still go back and add a citation to regain the points you are missing.
In order to fully grasp the turmoil a food desert causes you have to imagine if crystal lake were to lose all of its retailers of healthy food, what would we be left with? We would be forced to survive off of the cheap processed servings of death found at your average outlet stores food section. In order to avoid this and to lessen the problem in other areas, we could open up new more affordable retailers of healthy food, or perhaps even making the existing producer's prices lower.
ReplyDeleteAlthough i have not seeen this movie, i do think it creates several interesting questions about income and health. A food desert is a place where it iws difficult to obtain fresh fruits or vegetables. luckily crystal lake is not one of these deserts. if we were we wouldnt have places such as jewel, target, sams club and/or other large food stores. Over processed foods are easier to buy (cheaper) because their manufacturing takes less time and less care then organic foods. there is a very big link between proccesed food and obesity. Processed food is usually high in what is known as "bad" content. defined as having more saturated fats and food with high cholesterol. This makes it harder to digest and the extra fat piles up in the body to use later. this is how obesity works. to help people with getting nutritional food is to donate to food charities. we can revive nutrional wastelands by making healthy food less costly and putting more grocery stores withy healthy foods in food deserts.
ReplyDeletehttp://web.ebscohost.com/src/. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
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Joe,
DeleteAre you anti-capital letters? Just asking...
Did you use NoodleTools for your citation? I would like for you to use MLA style for the full credit. You are more than welcome to go back and fix this.
A food desert is an urban area where it is difficult to buy affordable and good quality food. There is plenty of food, but none of it is healthy. Processed foods are cheaper because processed foods are efficient to make and have a long shelf life. They are easier to access because they are 70% of the food that Americans eat, so they are everywhere. The link between processed foods and obesity is that there is an abundance of processed foods, their cheaper, they are high in calorie, and combine that with the fact that people don’t exercise enough it has led to many children and adults being obese. To help people that can’t afford healthy foods we can donate to food banks and help soup kitchens. To revive these nutritional waste lands or a food desert we can help to get these healthier foods and educate them in healthy eating.
ReplyDeleteObesity Prevention Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
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Elizabeth,
DeleteGood start. Have you ever volunteered at a soup kitchen or PADS?
No, I haven't seen this movie, but it peaked my interest in the area of decreasing poverty in America. As a first world country, the idea of poverty here almost seems preposterous. But it's here, and it's bigger than ever. It forces me to appreciate what I have here, and it makes me wonder: why is it that poverty is bigger than ever? It's the 21st century, where our society has taken major steps towards equality for all. So why is it that we can’t even equally distribute food? It boils down to the greed of those in our country. We keep all of the food in one area, and those who don’t live there must make do, which makes poverty in certain areas skyrocket and the health of citizens crash. What I just described, an area with a serious lack of healthy food to choose from, is a food desert. They have an abundance of over-processed foods, which is easier and cheaper to access than healthy food. It’s cheaper because it costs much less money for companies and farmers to produce masses of crops for industrial companies, rather than trying to sell freshly grown fruits and veggies and fresh meat. Obesity is linked heavily to food deserts; the more processed foods one eats, the less healthy they are. Without access to healthy foods, people are going to be much less healthy. To help those in a food desert, we can have schools provide healthier lunches to children without access to good food at home. To revive nutritional wastelands, we can more equally distribute the food our country produces, and ship healthy foods to all parts of the country, rather than keeping it in specific areas. This shipment will cost little to no more to the country than what we spend on pointless endeavors found on Mr. Smalley’s “Wall of Shame” in Room 255 here at CLC. By equally distributing foods, we can attempt to alleviate the crushing poverty that affects half of our nation.
ReplyDeleteWehunt, Jennifer. “The Food Desert”. Chicago Magazine. August 2009. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/July-2009/The-Food-Desert/
Is money the root of all evils? Awesome work Jessica.
ReplyDeleteI believe one if the reasons poor communities don't have as much fresh food is because they don't buy it so the food companies sort of ignore those areas. I believe the second reason is because no one in a poor community is going to buy a banana for two dollars when they can buy a double cheeseburger for two dollars. While the double cheeseburger isn't healthy it is still technically a full meal, while a banana isn't. I mean back in 2011 six dollars at McDonald got you 20 chicken nuggets. So of course poorer communities will buy that instead of healthy fresh food because the 20 chicken nuggets allows them to feed their family. The problem is that in this down economy people don't want to buy whats healthy they want to buy whats cheep.
ReplyDelete"THE “fact” that junk food is cheaper than real food has become a reflexive part of how we explain why so many Americans are overweight, particularly those with lower incomes" Mark Bittman New York times. "Is Junk Food Really Cheeper?" Spetember 24 2011. www.nytimes.com
Good job Andrew,
DeleteI have not seen this movie before but it seems like it would make a huge impact on society. A food desert is a place where you cannot buy fresh food and processed food are the only kind available. Processed food are cheaper because they have a longer shelf life and can be made in more masses and distributed more. Processed foods contain more fats oils and sugars which can cause obesity in kids. Therefore people that can only afford processed foods often are more obese because the foods they eat contain more fats.
ReplyDeleteWalker, Katie. "A Tale of Two Food Deserts." Organic Gardening: n. pag. Print.
have not seen the movie but I know that it is about the fact that many people are malnourished, despite that we live in a wealthy country. One of the reasons for this is the existence of food deserts across the country. food deserts are areas where it is hard to obtain food that is healthy and not over-processed. You would think that being malnourished is the opposite of obesity, but with these natural foods being limited, its the fatty, calorie dense, processed foods are what is left. The body is actually “hardwired” to prevent starvation and to prefer foods high in sugar and fat, therefore, epidemic of obesity arises. For people that cannot afford healthy food, schools could bring in healthy foods and possibly create community gardens on their property. This would also educate students more on nutrition. Along with community gardens within schools, parks can also contribute space to create a more public garden for the civilians.
ReplyDeleteEller, Daryn, Natural Health. Oct 2003, Vol. 33 Issue 8, p84-136.
Although nutrition is not something looked at as something very important, the fact remains that it is a life changer. Personally, I have not seen the movie “A Place at The Table”. There is a reason for the idea of a food triangle, it shows humans the necessary foods and vitamins we need to sustain a healthy lifestyle. As explained in the video, Today people cannot even purchase nutritious foods that are needed because they in a different industry as the farmers and cultivators are. A food desert can be looked at differently from many angles, to some it may mean no food whatsoever, to others it may mean there is food but not what we as a people need. Sadly, processed food is a much simpler and easier money-maker than vegetables because there is almost no labor involved. When one compares a factory to a farmer, obviously the computers running the factory are going to be much more efficient in creating a larger stock of food than the farmers can. Processed food have never been a path to good health for the simple fact that the people creating these foods do not care about who eats them, so why should they try their best to satisfy a customer's nutritional needs? To help the unfortunate in buying healthier food, donations is a must have, money will be the ticket of these people to having good nutrition. There are multiple ways to restore a nutritional wasteland, but one way is to simply create more farms, more farms means more nutrition because plants are primary producers. In conclusion, processed foods are much easier to access, but that does not mean there is no way to change that.
ReplyDelete"Must-haves from the Produce Aisle" ["Must-haves from the Produce Aisle"].
Harvard Health Letter Nov. 2013: 6. Print.
This is definitely a serious problem in our country currently. While we are almost constantly surrounded by food, it usually is not always nutritious. People in poverty are dying, not necessarily because of starvation, but because what little food they can afford causes them to gain weight to the point where it jeopardises their life. The reason is because over-processed foods are cheaper and easier to access due to the fact you can produce way more product for less money than it takes to make a pound of carrots. Processed foods are full of saturated fats, and are simple are easy to produce. Your body doesn't really have a place for all those extra saturated fats though, so it just sends it to storage adding a little bit more "padding" around you each time. The reason fresh produce is probably getting more expensive is most likely do to the fact our society is putting less importance on agriculture, meaning less people are choosing to be farmers, and more are choosing to work in urban centres. Currently farm and ranch families comprise just 2% of the U.S. population [1]. We currently live in a nation with a population of 313.9 million people. No wonder this is such a problem. If we want this fixed, America is going to have to start putting more importance on farming and agriculture. Produce prices need to come down.
ReplyDelete1. http://www.fb.org/index.php?action=newsroom.fastfacts
This is a huge problem in our country. Even though we may always be surrounded by food, it isn't always healthy. People in poverty are dying because the little food they can afford is not healthy, so they will gain weight until it nearly kills them. The reason they are not buying healthier food is because processed foods are cheaper and easier to access than fresh produce is. Processed foods are full of saturated fat and are easier to produce. Your body only needs so much fat and when you give the body too much fat it sends it to storage adding a little more fat around you each time. The reason fresh produce is becoming more expensive because our society is putting less importance on farming. Less and less people want to become farmers now and only 2% of the U.S. are farmers. If we want to fix this problem we have to either bring healthy, fresh produce to the communities who can't afford produce and make the prices affordable or people can learn the importance of farming and have more farmers. The main thing we need to do is make it so the produce prices come down.
ReplyDeletehttp://healthland.time.com/2012/07/24/can-pop-up-grocery-stores-solve-the-problem-of-food-deserts/
I truly believe that this one of our countries biggest problems. All the other countries around the world look at us and think of our obesity and health issues. I think this can all relate to one main problem: The prices of food. The processed food that American citizens eat a lot of is a lot cheaper and more filling then healthier, smarter options. Some of the acids and fats in these foods give us a higher risk of diabetes, and even cancer. The buildup of harmful chemicals can cause disfunctions such as those. Also, the amount of Americans who don't have healthcare is not good, increasing the problems of heart disease and cancer. The number of Americans who think obesity is the most urgent health problem has doubled in the last six years. According to the CDC, more than a third of adult Americans are obese. Some economists estimate that obesity-related costs account for more than 20% of total U.S. health-care expenditures.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/05/13/the-8-biggest-health-problems-americans-face/
I have not seen this movie in particular, but I have seen a documentary called Food inc. I didn’t really even know of its existence before I saw the trailer. This says a lot, it shows that information that some people may need is not communicated as well as some may hope. A food desert is a urban area in which people find it difficult to purchase fresh, good quality foods. The places that sell such good quality foods are not in these areas, instead there are gas stations and fast-food restaurants. Those buildings are chains, there are thousands of the same store all over the country! With that many stores, owners need to buy in very large quantities to supply all of their
ReplyDeletestores. So they go for the cheap, processed foods, described as "Fake manufactured artery clogging balls of death." (Brandon Kennedy) to stock their shelves. Gas stations are a prime example, everyone (At the moment) needs gas, so gas stations need to literally everywhere! Hence they are extremly easy access, in a food desert. The "Fake manufactured artery clogging balls of death." are made up more of saturated fats and artificial preservatives more than actual food!
Mari Gallagher. "Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in
Chicago." http://www.marigallagher.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.