US High Costs, Inflation- Healthy Food Out of Reach for Millions; Could Raise Risk for Diseases
- ‘I felt like I failed’: inflation puts healthy food out of reach for millions of Americans,' The Guardian, Sept. 30, 2022. - Ed.
- Public health experts worry rising grocery costs could increase the risk for diet-related diseases in the long run. -
In April, Kimberly Hart made a resolution to lose some weight on the advice of her doctor. Hart, who is 61 & lives in New Haven, CT,. has high blood pressure & cholesterol. This, combined with her age & weight, put her at an elevated risk for developing diabetes. She wanted to do whatever she could to prevent that from happening. One element within her control, Hart thought at the time, was her diet. She started seeing a nutritionist, a cost covered by Medicaid, & eating more healthily. But it wasn’t long before her efforts clashed with the reality of rising grocery costs. In May, Hart began to really feel the pinch of higher prices, & by June, she realized she had to completely upend the way she put food on the table for her & her son.
She swapped wheat bread for store-brand white bread, “which is too bad” she said, “because I know that it's healthier for me, but I also know that white bread is cheaper”. She switched from frozen vegetables to cheaper canned ones, despite lower nutritional value & higher sodium content, & no longer buys fresh fruit. Four months since her April resolution, she said, the scale hasn’t budged. * “The more color a plate has the healthier it is, because you get your color from fresh vegetables,” she said. But because of her financial situation, “I can’t really do that.”
- Inflation is pushing healthy eating out of reach for millions of people like Hart, a trend that public health experts worry could increase their risk for diet-related diseases in the long run.
Over the past year, grocery prices have risen rapidly as agricultural supply chains bowed under the pressure of food scarcity, labor shortages & high fuel costs. By the end of July, the cost of eating food at home had increased by more than 13% compared to the same period a year ago, according to the Consumer Price Index. A survey conducted by the Urban Institute in June & July showed that more than 20% of adults reported experiencing food insecurity within the past 30 days, an increase of more than 6% from spring of last year. - Scientists have long pointed to links between poverty & obesity. - This week, the Biden administration launched a national strategy to tackle the country’s “urgent, nutrition-related health crisis”, including the “rising prevalence” of diet-related diseases such as obesity.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/27/executive-summary-biden-harris-administration-national-strategy-on-hunger-nutrition-and-health/
In response to higher prices, people are buying cheaper, processed foods high in calories, sugar & sodium over costlier options like fruits & vegetables, protein & whole grains, according to public health researchers & experts. “Highly processed foods are still the most affordable for people & they can stretch longer & they have a longer shelf life,” said Mariana Chilton with Drexel Univ. “People want to buy healthy food, but then they make the choice to get food that is not as healthy but that stays on the shelf longer & can stretch & helps their kids feel fuller.” Over the long term, researchers have found that food insecurity – defined by the USDA as uncertain access to nutritionally adequate food – is probably associated with obesity, a condition that in turn raises the risk of problems including diabetes, heart disease & strokes.. Public health experts emphasize that food insecurity takes more than just a physical toll – it can also have harmful psychological impacts...
- More, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/30/inflation-healthy-food-eating-america * 'Food deserts' in places are also an issue.
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- Also: 'US launches effort to end hunger by 2030 by expanding benefits and access to healthy foods,' The Guardian, 9.27.22,
Plan includes multiple ambitious proposals, such as expanding benefits like free school meals and food stamps
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/27/us-biden-effort-end-hunger-2030-expanding-benefits-diet-food-deserts