Food for Thought
Mark De Leon 1
Mark De Leon
ENG 240
May 5, 2013
Food for thought
In today’s society, the increase in rates of obesity and related chronic diseases such as heart attack and diabetes is continuously rising due to unhealthy diet and this is because some people have limited access to supermarkets and fast food advertisements on television negatively impacts and appends to epidemic of obesity among children and adolescents. The issue, healthy foods are so expensive. With the continuous rise of gas, insurance, and other expenses, we are being forced to manage our budget even tighter. This may not affect large cities as much as in smaller town. People that live in rural areas may not have access to supermarkets, grocery stores, or other food retailers that provides a large selection of foods needed for a healthy diet such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fresh dairy and meat products. People in these areas are likely to depend on food retailers or fast food restaurants that only offer more limited varieties of foods. The lack of access to full-service grocery stores and the easier access to fast and convenience foods can be the main reason to poor diets and unfortunately, to obesity and other diet-related diseases.
Mark De Leon 2
More than two million households in the United States live more than a mile from a supermarket and do no transportation. The problem with people that lives in small areas is that they are limited to small grocery stores that may not carry the foods that they need for a healthy diet which in most cases, healthy foods are being carried somewhere else, where (far from where they live) the price are more than likely to be doubled. Also, low-income shoppers are likely to shop for food where they are cheap. Convenience stores may not carry fresh vegetables, canned fruits, and nonfat or skim milk which give shoppers no choice but to purchase foods that are high in saturated
Mark De Leon
ENG 240
May 5, 2013
Food for thought
In today’s society, the increase in rates of obesity and related chronic diseases such as heart attack and diabetes is continuously rising due to unhealthy diet and this is because some people have limited access to supermarkets and fast food advertisements on television negatively impacts and appends to epidemic of obesity among children and adolescents. The issue, healthy foods are so expensive. With the continuous rise of gas, insurance, and other expenses, we are being forced to manage our budget even tighter. This may not affect large cities as much as in smaller town. People that live in rural areas may not have access to supermarkets, grocery stores, or other food retailers that provides a large selection of foods needed for a healthy diet such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fresh dairy and meat products. People in these areas are likely to depend on food retailers or fast food restaurants that only offer more limited varieties of foods. The lack of access to full-service grocery stores and the easier access to fast and convenience foods can be the main reason to poor diets and unfortunately, to obesity and other diet-related diseases.
Mark De Leon 2
More than two million households in the United States live more than a mile from a supermarket and do no transportation. The problem with people that lives in small areas is that they are limited to small grocery stores that may not carry the foods that they need for a healthy diet which in most cases, healthy foods are being carried somewhere else, where (far from where they live) the price are more than likely to be doubled. Also, low-income shoppers are likely to shop for food where they are cheap. Convenience stores may not carry fresh vegetables, canned fruits, and nonfat or skim milk which give shoppers no choice but to purchase foods that are high in saturated
References: Carlson, Andrea, and Elizabeth Frazão. Are Healthy Foods Really More Expensive? (May 2012). Retrieved from: http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/600474/eib96_1_.pdf Hellmich, Nanci. Healthy food no more costly than junk food, government finds. (May 2012). Retrieved from: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-17/healthy-food-cost-USDA/55018070/1 Food Research and Action Center. Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity. (2010). Retrieved from: http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/why-are-low-income-and-food-insecure-people-vulnerable-to-obesity/ Hitti, Miranda. Top 11 reasons for fast food popularity. (December 2008). Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20081202/top-11-reasons-for-fast- foods-popularity Ver Ploeg, Michele. Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences. June 2009.Retrieved from: http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/242675/ap036_1_. pdf Chou, Shin-Yi, Rashad, Inas, Grossman Michael. Fast-Food Restaurant Advertising on Television and Its Influence on Childhood Obesity. December 2005. Retrieved from: http://www.nber.org/papers/w11879