Sharing information about food deserts for NUTR351

[tappling72]

Foraging in Food Deserts

Foraging for wild foods has been growing in popularity in recent years. Now, a team of scientists and students at UC Berkley are taking inventory of wild edible plants in urban food deserts. The researchers are documenting the availability, variety, nutritional value, potential toxicity of these 'weeds' as a potential source of free, nutritious food in these areas where nutritious food is not easily accessible. 

Naturally, one of the first questions that comes to mind is the safety of eating weeds and wild foods found in urban areas due to herbicide use and environmental toxins. So far, soil tests from the collection sites for heavy metals don't  indicate levels that are any where close to standard thresholds, with the exception of lead in some plants. And herbicides generally don't get used as much, if at all in low income areas so researchers don't think they will be a problem, however they will still be testing for them.

Check out these links for more information on the study:

http://phys.org/news/2014-11-foragers-bounty-edibles-urban-food.html

http://forage.berkeley.edu/#inedibles

Here are some examples of edible weeds that were found in the study area.

Interested in foraging yourself? Falling fruit has an interactive map of urban food and this free app provides info on plant descriptions and ID along with preparation tips and recipes.

[linsdseyleenutr351]

Food in security means to be in a state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable nutritious food. This is not a problem particularly thought of when examining the United States when compared to other third world countries. However, there are millions of us citizens...

[tappling72]

Great ideas! Sounds like you have a firm grasp on what you want to accomplish and the role you want to play in changing the food system.

[tappling72]

Saving Local Grocery Stores

Rural grocery stores have been slowly disappearing across the country for a number of years now. In small communities, not only do grocery stores provide access to food and household supplies; they often serve as the economic driver for the town, provide jobs and tax revenue, and serve as a meeting place for community residents.

Impacts

The loss of the town grocery store can have significant impacts to local residents. A town without a grocery store is less likely to attract new families to the area, leading to the eventual dying out of the town itself. Residents often have to travel long distances at a higher cost to access food if their local store closes. When people have to go out of town for food they will likely shop for other supplies as well; further contributing to other rural store closures, like the local hardware store. The elderly population is often most affected when a grocery store closes because they often depend on local stores and rely on others for transportation. In addition, if the local grocery closes, people tend to eat more processed or junk foods that are often available at convenience stores or fast food. The inability to easily access healthy foods can quickly lead to food insecurity and declining health for residents of rural areas.

But There is Hope...

Fortunately, there is help available. Kansas State University has developed the Rural Grocery Initiative as a way to help existing grocers remain in business and provide resources for those considering opening a rural grocery store.  

Also, check out some of these stories of towns that have overcome the closing of their local grocery store and are developing new models of ownership to keep their stores viable.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6741713

http://www.dailyyonder.com/store-closing-no-problem-cambridge/2012/01/11/3680

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11047297

[bonniebillingsley]

Food allergies account for 20% of the itching and scratching in dogs. We do not know much about this complicated antibody response, but we know there are no correlations between dog breeds, age, sex, or spaying/neutering, and food allergies.

Food Allergy or Intolerance?

A food allergy...

I'm pretty sure every dog I know has one or more of these symptoms. One of our dogs had terrible ear infections until we changed his diet to grain-free food. Makes me wonder how prevalent dog food allergies are around the world. 

[lesleyfrazier12]

I feel that there is a lot of attention on calories when it comes to weight loss, but the amount of energy that a food gives you is key to understanding for maintaining or losing weight. Weight gain is a symptom to a bigger problem of unhealthiness. Counting calories all day long is not a healthy...

[tappling72]

I love this post! What a great reminder that being healthy is about more than looking good on the outside. It is necessary to realize that micronutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and vitamins and minerals are  just as important as the macronutrients when it comes to eating healthy and losing weight. I also didn't realize that nutrient timing could play such a role in weight management. These are all great things to keep in mind when trying to change your lifestyle and habits.

[tappling72]

Bringing Community Voices to the Table

Here are some findings from a focus group held in San Jose, CA and related to an earlier post I did on La Mesa Verde Gardens. The focus group was held to gather information about food access and healthy eating in the city. Below is a list of things they learned:

Twice as many large supermarkets in higher-income areas than lower-income communities.

On a per-capita basis, higher-income areas have 2.4 times as many larger supermarkets than lower-income areas.

Lower-income areas have nearly twice as many liquor stores and 50% more “meat” markets than higher-income areas.

On average, higher-income areas have twice as many locations with fresh fruits and vegetables compared to lower-income areas.

Higher-income areas have 14 times more locations with frozen fruit and six times more locations with frozen vegetables than lower-income areas.

Access to organic fruits and vegetables is almost non-existent in lower-income areas.

In lower-income areas, much of the fresh and canned produce was not marked (no prices).

 “Meat” alternatives were only available in 2% of the locations surveyed in lower-income areas compared to 22% in higher-income areas.

Vegan dairy alternatives were only available in 1% of the lower-income locations compared to 21% in higher-income locations.

The last bullet point is a problem because according to the USDA Department of Health and Human Services, 95 percent of Asians, 60 percent to 80 percent of African Americans and Ashkenazi Jews, 80 percent to 100 percent of American Indians, and 50 to 80 percent of Latinos are lactose intolerant. Meaning they don't have the enzyme needed to break down lactose, a major disaccharide in milk products.

Also included in the report are some recommendations that the city could implement or promote to address some of the above issues:

The City should work to create more community gardens that are open to the public and serve those communities most impacted by lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The concept of trueque, which showed that communities are grounded in social expectations of reciprocity and mutuality, should be highlighted as a community value and could be promoted as one of the solutions.

Cooking classes to teach participants how to cook with fruits and vegetables and vegan foods, where they can also share healthy recipes.

La Mesa Verde’s program seemed to be a true success with those who were involved. Not only did the program allow participants to grow their own food, it offered nutrition classes that people enjoyed and learned from.

 Information on the term organic that is bilingual and culturally sensitive. It should include information on the chemicals as well as impacts on farm workers.

Information on the farmers’ markets in the areas should give the times and be bilingual. We would also suggest that those wanting to bring a farmers’ market to impacted communities should survey the community to ensure they are finding the best location, days, and times.

Schools should be encouraged to talk with students’ parents about health issues and healthy eating.

Educate WIC employees and others providing such services on healthy eating and, if children are vegan, how to respect their diet. Given that milk is promoted so heavily in government-funded programs, employees of those programs should receive education regarding lactose intolerance.

One of the recommendations we made proved to be unacceptable by the participants in our focus groups. We had discussed a new program in Baltimore where participants could order their groceries online and pick them up at a local library. However, when asked if they would use this type of program, many respondents shared the sentiment that, “I want to see the food, touch it, smell it.”

These are some great ideas that could be useful in many communities with food access and food security issues.

References:

http://www.foodispower.org

http://www.foodispower.org/wp-content/uploads/FEP_community_voices_report.pdf

[tappling72]

Could a Victory Garden Revolution Help Reduce Food Deserts?

When America entered World War I in April of 1917, our European allies were in desperate need of food. Farmlands all over Europe had been laid to waste. The land had been turned into battlefields and much had been taken over by the enemies, crops were burned and trampled, fruit trees cut down, animals butchered, and water supplies poisoned.  The closest market that could supply food to Europe was America. Not only did we have to produce enough food to feed our allies, we needed to feed our soldiers overseas and civilians at home as well. To accomplish this seemingly impossible task, the government created the National War Garden Commission (NWGC), whose “sole aim was to rouse the patriots of America to the importance of putting all idle land to work..." and promote household food preservation.

                                  In order to make this goal a reality, the 100 million people of America needed to be re-educated in the ways of gardening, as there were many people in the cities who had never worked the land before. They also needed to “create enthusiasm” for the effort and recruit volunteers in the cities. This was accomplished through a variety of ways using posters, pamphlets, cartoons, magazines, and newspapers.

                                                The NWGC printed a book on how to raise a garden and pamphlets that taught how to safely can and dry food. These were distributed for free through libraries, chambers of commerce, women’s clubs, trade groups and banks. Newspapers printed daily lessons on gardening and magazines ran regular articles on the subject. People who created a victory garden were given a sign to hang in their window to show their neighbors that they were doing their part to help win the war. The response by the American people to these campaigns was much higher than anyone expected. The NWGC hoped that they would be able to get at least one million victory gardens created in 1917. By the end of first year though, it was estimated that 3 million gardens had been established and by 1918 an estimated 5,285,000 gardens were producing food.

Victory gardens had sprang up all across the nation. From coast to coast there were gardens of all different sizes and everyone wanted to do their part. In cities, most people had no land of their own so they turned to vacant lots called “slacker land”, and city parks to develop community gardens. Even businesses  pitched in and loaned land to their employees to grow food. Carnegie Steel and Kodak are two well known companies that established victory gardens but there were also shipyards, lumber yards, mining camps, and railroads . The United States Bureau of Education even created the United States School Army Garden. The purpose was to involve school children and teachers in the victory garden movement to “create a vast army of future citizens trained to intelligent application of the principles of thrift, industry, service, patriotism and responsibility.”

 As a result of the victory gardens movement, the majority of the commercial food produced by the U.S. was shipped overseas to feed the soldiers. An estimated 2 billion quarts of food were preserved and American citizens at home were able to eat well despite being on food rations.

The huge success of victory gardens during both World Wars is a great example of how the government can influence citizens when a need arises. Fortunately, a gardening revolution is once again underway. In many cities vacant lots and rooftops are being turned into gardens and more and more people are taking interest in food preservation. Wouldn't it be great if the same amount of enthusiasm and support could be directed towards helping banish food deserts by teaching the needy how to grow and preserve their own food, eat healthy, and reduce their dependence on Government handouts? Maybe it isn't realistic in today's political landscape but it does go to show, where there's a will there's a way.

References

Pack, Charles L. The War Garden Victorious: Its wartime need and its economic value in peace. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippencott Co., 1919. Web. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HumanEcol/HumanEcol-idx?id=HumanEcol.WarGardVic

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/victory-gardens.html

[aknutr351-deactivated20150106]

We all get the blues sometimes, life is stressful. But don’t get too down about it because there are things you can do, and eat, that can help brush off that bad mood. How about a tuna fish sandwich for lunch? Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of “Eat Your Way to Happiness” breaks down the details in...

[tappling72]

 I had no idea eating fish could help with mood. Thanks for sharing, it is always nice to learn something new!

[tappling72]

Banishing Food Insecurity One Garden at a Time

There used to be a time when everyone was a gardener and grew their own food. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Many of us don't have the time, knowledge, or space for a garden anymore. One unfortunate side effect of this is that most people completely rely on purchased food. For people who have a low or fixed income, or live in a food desert, this can be a problem. In towns and cities throughout the nation families often experience food insecurity, periods of time when buying and accessing food is difficult due to lack of resources. In 2013, the USDA estimated the percentage of food insecure households to be 14.3%. That is 17.5 million households!

One group in San Jose, CA is aiming to reduce food insecurity by teaching people how to garden again. La Mesa Verde Gardens (The Green Table Gardens) was started in 2009. A collaboration between Master Gardeners and Sacred Heart Community Services, La Mesa Verde installs gardens for low income families (for free) and teaches them the skill and art of growing food. Besides the benefit of  increased food security, the satisfaction of planting seeds, tending them while they grow, and then being able to share and enjoy a home-grown meal is often a life-changing experience for these families. La Mesa Verde doesn't just install the garden and leave either. Master gardener volunteers teach gardening classes as well as cooking, canning, and seed saving. Each family is assigned a garden 'mentor' that they can call on and get help and answers to questions when needed. Garden recipients then can become mentors themselves. The abundance of a garden often leads to sharing the harvest with neighbors, friends and family which in turn helps bring communities closer together.

Debbie Meza at the garden installed by La Mesa Verde at her home in San Jose.

Growing a garden also is a great way to get children to understand how food is grown and where it comes from. Kids are more likely to eat vegetables when they have been included in the process of growing and cooking them. This is perhaps one of the most important reasons for families with children to have gardens. Teaching kids healthy eating habits early on is something that will stick with them throughout their lives. If we really want to change the health of the country, children must be taught how to eat healthy and live active lifestyles.

Four year old Fernando Vega discovered how much he likes broccoli because of a garden installed by La Mesa Verde.

This is a great example of how communities can came together to banish food insecurity and food deserts by giving struggling families the tools and knowledge they need to improve their lives. It is so exciting to see organizations like this popping up around the country!

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1565410/err173_summary.pdf

http://www.mastergardeners.org/la-mesa-verde

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/us/17backyard.html?_r=0

http://www.mercurynews.info/wishbook/2012/page.php?w=mesa

[tappling72]

Food Desert or Food Swamp?

Most of us in NUTR351 probably recognize the term 'Food Desert', but are you aware of what a food desert actually is? The USDA describes a food desert as a neighborhood or town where there is little or no access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Food deserts are identified by two criteria:

      1. Low-income: defined as having a poverty rate of greater than 20% or a median family income at or below 80% of the regions median family income.

AND

      2. Low-access: where >33% of the population resides a mile or more from the nearest grocery store in urban areas, or >10 miles in rural areas.

The term food desert, however, implies that there is no food access in these communities at all. Ironically, finding something to eat in these areas is often not the issue. Food deserts usually have easy access to fast food and convenience stores. An article I recently came across suggests food deserts would be better described as 'food swamps' due to the abundance of unhealthy processed foods, sugary drinks, and snack foods that are available.

Unfortunately, having access to healthy and fresh food doesn't necessarily mean that people will buy less processed food. Many people have lost the knowledge of how to cook with fresh ingredients and are unfamiliar with many items in the produce department. I can't count the number of times I have heard people say something like," What the heck is a leek and what do you do with it?", or " I don't buy much fresh produce because I don't know how to cook it". I also know people who have access to two or more supermarkets within one mile who rarely buy fresh produce, even though there is an abundant choice  available.

Of course there are other issues that contribute to the food desert/swamp problem. The price of healthy food, over-abundance of cheap processed food, ethnicity, vehicle or transportation access, commute route, and busy schedules are important factors also. Until these issues, and especially cooking knowledge, are collectively understood and addressed, food swamps and deserts will not disappear.

There is a great way that I have found very helpful for learning how to cook with unfamiliar foods. When I see a vegetable in the grocery store that I don't know or don't often cook with I buy it and then find recipes when I get home. This is an easy way to force yourself to try something new that is fun and rewarding. You can then challenge your friends and family to do the same and share your recipes.

References:  

http://apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/fooddeserts.aspx

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-blumenthal/food-deserts_b_3822428.html

[gardenjunkie99-deactivated20141]

Probably a lot of people outside this class wouldn’t have any idea why someone might want to plant a garden in a hospital. They might say it’s unsanitary or not cost effective, or any other reasons. But, I say that vegetable gardens in hospitals could be one of the greatest things ever. Not only…

[asdkidnutrition]

This is a really cool idea!  I’ve seen other research showing nature can help with the healing process, so it makes perfect sense to put some nature in a hospital. And, if you do it right, it can be completely sanitary!

[tappling72]

So glad you checked out Pepperfield Project! I was in Decorah last summer doing an internship at Seed Savers Exchange and had the opportunity to meet David Cavagnaro, who founded the project, and visit the hospital gardens. The gardens were beautifully designed and easily accessible to the public, staff, and patients. All of the food that they produced gets used by the hospital to prepare meals. I would love to get involved with creating something similar here in Bozeman. Nutrition should be a top priority when it comes to healing and recovering from illness or trauma in a hospital setting.

[bonniebillingsley]

Food allergies affect millions of people worldwide, most of them children, and there are no known treatments or cures. One therapy that is being tested is called oral immunotherapy. The idea behind this form of therapy is to expose the patient to increasing dosages of an allergen over a...

[tappling72]

I don't have any food allergies (that I'm aware of) so I can't imagine how hard it must be to live with them. This treatment seems like it could be a little scary for people to want to sign up for, especially if you are a person or parent of a child who has severe reactions when exposed to food allergens. Sounds like more trials and data are needed but hopefully it will prove to be a useful tool in the future. Thanks for sharing!

[bonniebillingsley]

Australia has seen a dramatic increase in food allergies, food allergy related anaphylaxis, and prescriptions to treat food allergy related anaphylaxis in the last two decades. Australia has also noted the prevalence of food allergies and related issues, to be higher in southern regions of the...

[tappling72]

  Thanks Bonnie! I have not heard of this possible connection between Vitamin D deficiency and food allergies. The food allergy issue is clearly more complicated than we realize. I wonder if any researchers in the US are looking into this link?