Life in Food Deserts

It is not the burden of the those who are poor to figure out how and where to find affordable healthy food.

Millions of Americans live in neighborhoods with limited access to food. In fact, there are entire counties (not just towns or cities) without grocery stores. Sometimes, the nearest supermarket is ten miles away.

When you have to take two buses to get to a grocery store, you have to think not only about what to eat that is healthy, but also what to eat that is cheap, that is easy to carry and will last a very long time!

You are forced to take time away from work, and make a grocery run when public transport is available and the store is open. This can be a challenge.You not only have to consider the cost of travel to and from the grocery store, but the cost of time away of work. Without transportation, a trip to a grocery store is a day-long effort!

Food insecurity and its correlating health issues are a result of a person's environment, not their own shortcomings. In spite of this, there is a stigma attached to food insecurity. It is very hard for hardworking people to admit that they are unable to look after themselves and their family. If they must eat regularly, they are forced to make unhealthy choices that they are not proud of by turning to cheap, high-calorie foods that they get at a gas station. The gas station is often the only choice available to them. If we can find inner-strength to accept this problem, there are experts who might be able to help us get to nutritious food.

Bad food also means greater health care expenses. Eating unhealthy food on a regular basis leads to higher rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma etc. In turn, people can become unable to work — further restricting their food budget. Once a person or family enters the cycle, it is difficult to escape it. Children, adults with disabilities, and seniors are most vulnerable to this cycle. But really, everyone is vulnerable in a food desert. Young adults who do manual labor need to sustain themselves with healthy, substantial meals!

Chronic illnesses lower life expectancy. A recent study by Virginia Commonwealth's Center on Society and Health examined how life expectancies vary by ZIP code within the same communities. There are parts of America, including in big cities, where within a 5-mile distance (10-minute drive), the difference in life expectancy between neighborhoods is 20 years.

A lot can be done to change these statistics.We can empower stakeholders, such as physicians to both improve clinical care and inspire new health behaviors. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention attributes 30 percent of our health outcomes to health behaviors, and 20 percent to clinical care.

In lower income areas, grocery stores are shutting down because of higher insurance rates and instances of theft. Residents without cars are therefore limited in their lack of mobility.Some non-profits and companies are doing their best to bring food to the doorstep of people living in food deserts.USDA is now allowing SNAP recipients to use their benefits to buy groceries online. This is a real boon for families living in big cities. But, retailers are yet to work out how to deliver fresh produce to rural areas. They also have to find secure places to drop orders. Moreover, there is the problem of limited internet access in low-income communities, which makes ordering the food online difficult, if not impossible.

It is not the burden of the those who are poor to figure out how and where to find affordable healthy food. It is the burden of the changemakers to come up with initiatives that can influence policy on different levels, and address this basic right!