Food Insecurity Essay

Words: 509
Pages: 3

A contributing factor to food insecurity is the presence of food deserts. Food deserts are areas or communities that lack access to healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, due to the deficiency of grocery stores in a close proximity of around one mile (“Food Deserts”, 2017). As a result, the people living in these communities are deprived from having access to good quality food. These areas exist due to grocery stores having to shut down because of the economy, thus making it even more difficult for certain individuals to go to a grocery store, especially if they do not own a car (“Food Deserts”, 2017). Food deserts contribute to health disparities due to the limited choices available to the members of the community. Since there are no …show more content…
Food insecurity causes people to alter the types of food they choose to consume. These families have no choice but to consume energy-dense food full of refined grains, added sugars and fats, and low in nutritional quality (Seligman et al., 2010). This is the types of food they are able to afford and have easy access to. Adults have low intake of fruits, vegetables, and dairy containing different essential vitamins and mineral such as, iron, zinc, and calcium, and the deficiency can lead to the development of various chronic conditions (Seligman et al., 2010). In addition, other negative health conditions can also occur due to food insecurity. One example is the prevalence of obesity in specifically women in food insecure families. This can be due to high caloric intake early in the month when food stamps are available since they know they are unable to have sufficient food in the latter part of the month (“Food Insecurity and Hunger”, 2013). Another example is the negative impacts of inadequate nutrient intake on the development of children. Some of the effects include impaired growth, poor academic performance, social setbacks, and overall development (“Food Insecurity and Hunger”, 2013). These are just a few of the many negative outcomes attributed to food