Food Deserts

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Food Deserts
Food deserts has always been a nationwide issue and has increased to a widespread of neighborhoods. Food deserts is described as a geographic area where there is no access to healthy, affordable food. These food deserts are often found in neighborhoods of low income families and often times those of color. Some believe that food deserts contribute to our nation’s obesity epidemic, diabetes, and heart disease. Healthier foods are generally more expensive and those in low income areas suffer from not being able to acquire those fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead, they are limited to eating what is local and affordable which is commonly fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, etc. Many movements and organizations are building awareness of this problem and finding ideas that can hopefully eliminate food deserts. A major characteristic of food deserts is socioeconomic and is commonly found in Black or Hispanic neighborhoods. Camp wrote, compared with the national average of 14.9%, significant rates of food insecurity were
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Children are taught in school the importance of eating healthy and making sure each child is getting the proper intake of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meats. Families struggling to make ends meet make it hard to provide these foods for their children. Some parents don’t have the time or money to pack a lunch or make it home in time to make dinner which results to the children eating cheap, fatty fast foods. Teaching children about balanced eating habits can influence long-term behaviors and decisions. Sometimes it goes beyond just teaching children about better eating habits but also providing those foods for them. Many programs have made it possible for those children in food deserts to get a free lunch. (Morin 2015). Michelle Obama also created the “Let’s Move” campaign to encourage kids to get up and exercise to decrease childhood