Where do we go from here?

In the process of writing this blog, some of my friends and classmates asked me what my topic was on. When I informed them that I was writing about "Food Deserts", 9 out of 10 people did not know what one was, and had never heard of one. One of my friends even replied with "That's great! Are you going to be posting recipes of desserts you bake?"

Even if you type "food desert" into google images, half of the pictures that come up are of a delicious-looking baked goods. EVIDENCE

My Point: The concept of a food deserts and its nutritional and health implications is still relatively unknown, and the general population's awareness is low.

Lately, there have been a slowly but gradually increasing amount of media coverage on food deserts in Canada, but from my experience over the past few weeks, it seems as though the US is making far greater strides in terms of raising awareness and making change. In terms of research on Canadian cities, I only came across 4 different studies, conducted in Toronto, London, Montreal and Kingston. In comparison to the USDA food desert locator, this is pretty weak indeed Canada.

As I've repeated many times on this blog, this issue is very multi-faceted. Where do we start making change? Is it on the individual, community, provincial or Federal level where the biggest impact can be made?

What we do know is that obesity is on the rise, and changes need to be made. In my opinion, to help combat the issue, it will require multiple levels of government, as well as community co-operation and awareness. Small scale initiatives such as the "Garden Fresh Box Program" and the "Mogro" mobile grocery (both of which I've previously discussed) are great steps in the right direction. However, I think we need to implement much larger initiatives as well, such as what is being implemented now in the US, in regards to their online food desert locator. This way we have a baseline for us to make change via community planning and future research.

I've learned a lot in the process of writing this blog, and I hope that with increased awareness, we can start to make positive changes towards ensuring that there is healthy and affordable food available to Canadians.

Thanks for reading,

Karoline

USDA Food Desert Locator

Although the name of my blog is in regards to “Canadian Food Deserts”, I wanted to share this great tool that is available, even though it is only in regards to the United States.

            The US Department of Agriculture created an online map of the US, indicating areas all over the country where low-income families have little to no access to fresh, healthy food. It is called the Food Desert Locator. The USDA qualified an area as a food desert with the following criteria:

“To qualify as a low-income community, a census tract must have either: 1) a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher, OR 2) a median family income at or below 80 percent of the area’s median family income. To qualify as a low-access community, at least 500 people and/or at least 33 percent of the census tract's population must reside more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (for rural census tracts , the distance in more than one mile”.

It is pretty cool! Just like google maps you can click onto your area of interest, and the map shows statistic on the selected population .

Here’s what it looks like:

Now I can zoom in on any of the areas where research has been done, click on a region and I am provided with relevant statistics such as: how many children have inadequate access to food, percentage of people with low access. Etc.

What’s the point of a tool like this?

Ideally, it would be used to present data and information on food desert census tracts for optimizing community planning, policy-making, and agriculture. It can also be used for unending research purposes, to explore the possible solutions that are being proposed. It is part of the Obama administration’s 400 million dollar Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). This initiative was launched with the goal of bringing grocery stores and other food retailers to under-served communities, to make healthy food more readily available [7]. As we already know, this issue cannot be solved with only one plan of action.

What about Canada? If this kind of tool proves to be useful in the US, maybe the government will provide funding for a similar initiative.

Thanks for reading,

Karoline

Garden Fresh Box Program

What are some possible solutions to the food desert problem?

Although this is a complex social issue, there are already some small scale strategies being launched to help combat the problem.

Some cities in the US have proposed the idea of “portable supermarkets”, which are essentially food trucks which target neighbourhoods that are not within the vicinity of a grocery store. The food trucks sell fresh fruits, vegetables meat and dairy products. A company called “Mogro” (short for mobile grocery) is in operation in New Mexico, with the goal of providing healthy and affordable food to people facing physical, social and economic barriers to food. [5] They make deliveries twice a week to a central location, providing a variety of fresh, frozen and refrigerated food. Pretty cool!

Here in Guelph where I go to school, the Guelph Community Health Centre has come up with their own strategy to address barriers to accessing heathy food. According to their website, "The Garden Fresh Box Program is a non-profit, fresh produce buying service created to help people access affordable fresh fruits and vegetables and also to support our local farmers"[6].

Check out this you-tube video for some more information!

I had heard of the garden fresh box earlier in my University Career, but never got around to giving it a try. Participants of the program go to one of several central locations in guelph to make their order and pay for the food box.  Food boxes are delivered to participant's neighbourhoods on the 3rd Thursday of every month [6].

There is the option of a large box for $20 or a small box for $15.

Here is an example of what you can expect to receive:

Sample Large Box ($20)

10 apples

2 lbs Spanish onions

1 large cabbage

1 butternut squash

2 lb carrots

1 lb candycane beets

1 head garlic

1 pie pumpkin

4 pears

1 bunch leeks

1 head lettuce

5 lb potatoes

Sample Small Box ($15)

5 apples

2 lb Spanish onions

2 lb carrots

1 lb candycane beets

1 head garlic

1 pie pumpkin

4 pears

1 red pepper

1 head lettuce

2.5 lbs potatoes

[6]

Interested? I copied the following message off of their website:

           "If you are interested in purchasing a Garden Fresh Box, volunteering or setting up a host site in your neighbourhood, or if you are a grower interested in selling your produce, please call (519) 821-6638 ext. 344 or emailgfbox@guelphchc.ca."

For additional information, please click HERE

How effective are these strategies with actually connecting people with healthy food and improving their intake? Are they actually improving the day to day diets of someone living in a food desert? It's difficult to evaluate. As many health problems are, the issue must be tackled using a multidisciplinary approach.

Although it appears that there have been no studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these projects, they are certainly a great start.

Thanks for reading!

Karoline

My week in review

Sorry I am delayed on my post on how my week went. I  made it!

All kidding aside, it’s important to remember that I was only following this regimen for a week, which is virtually no time at all in the grand scheme of things. This week gave me the opportunity to make a 3-day food record, to get an idea of any major shortcomings of my usual intake. For those that don’t know, a 3-day food record is basically what it claims to be. I simply record everything I ate for 3 non-consecutive days, including what types of food, in what amount and how I prepared it.  I also am going to post a 24 hour recall (virtually a 1-day food record) just so people can see what I was actually eating.

As a fairly healthy eater and a nutrition student, I have the advantage of having some extra knowledge to help me make healthy choices. This allowed me to choose some of the healthier options available over a lot of the unhealthier ones. Without any knowledge in nutrition, and if I had just chosen what was easiest or available in the largest supply, I suspect my diet would be a lot worse.

I plugged my 3-day food record in eaTracker. (Check it out: http://www.eatracker.ca/) This site is an amazing tool, put on by Dietitians of Canada. In their own words:

“The purpose of eaTracker is to help consumers better understand their eating and activity choices.  This interactive web tool lets consumers track their eating and activity choices, analyze their recipes, plan meals and set goals for healthy eating and physical activity” 

I used it to get a breakdown of what food groups I was consuming, and to see any major short-comings in my diet. According to my food record, on an average day last week I was eating:

• 1958 calories
• 115 grams of fat
• 2 servings of fruits/vegetables (out of a recommended 7 to 8)
• 7 servings of grain products (out of a recommended 6 to 7)
• 3 servings of milk and alternatives (out of a recommended 2)
• 0.5 servings of meat and alternatives (out of a recommended 2)

I was majorly lacking and fruits and vegetables. Because of the lack of availability in the store, I only got 25% of my recommended fruits and vegetables, usually supplied by a single apple and some frozen veggies. Another major shortcoming in my diet was meat and alternatives. Luckily because of the eggs available, I was able to eat some from that food group, but other than that, there were NO other sources.  In terms of micronutrients, I did very well for calcium intake, and the whole grain bread helped me fulfill my fibre needs. However, I was majorly lacking in iron, and my sodium intake was well above the recommended level.

To sum it all up, the lack of availability of fruits, vegetables and meat would likely get me into some trouble if I were to follow this diet in the long term.

Want to know what an average day looked like?

• Breakfast – instant oatmeal with peanut butter, brown sugar and milk, and a glass of 2% millk
• Snack – raw apple
• Lunch – 2 slices of whole grain toast, 1 scrambled eggs, some margarine and a chocolate pudding
• Afternoon snack – Nature Valley granola bar, 2 pieces of licorish
• Dinner – Grilled Cheese (made with the same whole grain bread and margarine), bowl of tortilla chips, salsa and some steamed frozen broccoli
• Snack – package of M&M peanuts

Now as unexciting as reading everything that I ate in one day is…the purpose of this was to emphasize my overall lack of fruits and vegetables as well as NO meat/alternatives (other than eggs). As well, because of the easy availability of so much candy and chips, I definately ate more of those kinds of foods than I normally would.

Eating well at a convenience store is harder than it looks!

- Karoline

Update!

I am currently on day 3 of my convenience store diet, but because I’ve been so busy with school, I couldn’t post until today.

                So far it hasn’t been as difficult as I expected. The convenience store that I shop at has surprisingly competitive prices! Although my theoretical goal should technically be to drive home the emphasis of how shopping at convenience stores are evil and expensive, I would be lying if I said this particular convenience store costs any more than the average grocery store.

                Some things to note: This is definitely NOT a scientific study, and just because my particular convenience store has affordable prices, does not mean that this is the norm.

In terms of access to healthy foods there are definitely both positive and negatives.

First the positives:

There is a pretty extensive dairy section! Not only was there skim, 1% and 2% milk but also lactose-free and soy alternatives as well as a few varieties of cheese. They were also all sold at a price which is pretty comparable to what you would see in the grocery store

There were eggs! A delicious, versatile and affordable way to get complete proteins.

They also offered whole wheat bread, cereal made with whole grains, oats and a few varieties of granola bars

(mmm....bread)

-          The canned goods section had some good options such as lentils, beans and healthy soups

Some negatives:

Although there is a small cooler up front with a few apples and oranges, that is pretty much the extent of the fruit selection. This is obviously a huge obstacle when it comes to meeting your fruit and vegetable consumption.

There were exactly 2 bags of frozen vegetables for sale.

In terms of meat, beyond the eggs and a few packages of bacon it looks like I am out of luck

At the end of the week, I’m going to enter in a 3-day food record so I can get a fairly accurate idea of my usual food intake. This will allow me to get a better idea of any severe nutrient gaps (or over-consumption of certain nutrients....)

So, just a little update on what’s available to me in my “food desert diet”

Thanks for reading,

Karoline

My food desert

                I’m hoping that my last few posts have given you an idea of what the implications of living in a food desert are, and some of the challenges that they pose to eating a healthy diet.

                As I briefly mentioned in my introductory post, I want to experience a small glimpse of what it may be like to rely solely on fast food and convenience stores for my diet. I will begin this “diet” starting on Monday and go until Sunday. Now I know a lot of people who have adopted a certain lifestyle or diet for their blog have volunteered to do the diet for as much as 2 months. That is pretty impressive and hats off to them! However, I’m not sure my wallet could handle the financial strain for that long, and my fear of scurvy is making me hesitant.

                So, a week it is. Welcome to my “food desert”.

                Now in reality, I don’t ACTUALLY live in an area which is far enough away from affordable food and grocery stores to really be a food desert. I am restricting myself to this convenience store by choice. As far as convenience stores go, this one is pretty great! I am in there quite a lot during midterms and exams when I need some emergency chocolate or icecream to keep me going. The couple who owns the store is very sweet, and they have agreed to let me write about their store and take pictures to put on my blog.

                I am mostly going to be looking at the diversity of food that the store offers, and how feasible it is to eat a healthy balanced diet from food sold there. I am also going to look at their prices, and see how they compare to a grocery store such as no frills (my usual grocery store of choice). Exciting!

                On an unrelated note, I thought I’d share a picture of my Halloween costume. For the nutrition students out there, what could be scarier!?

Just kidding. I love McDonalds.

Thanks for reading!

Karoline

Closer to Home...

To start out this post, I wanted to post a 5 minute clip I found on you-tube from the feature length documentary “Polycultures: Food Where we Live”. It talks a little bit more about food deserts in urban areas, but in a more interesting and engaging way then I can. It was shot in Ohio, but the same concepts can be applied to the conditions here in Canada.

Looking into some of the research conducted here in Canada, we are a little bit farther behind than our Southern neighbours (more on that later). When I first heard about food deserts, I immediately thought about Toronto. Sure enough, a study conducted at the University of Toronto actually mapped out the areas in inner-city Toronto and their respective “closeness” to a grocery store[3].

The areas that are shaded with grey are the areas within 1 kilometre of a grocery store, basically within walking distance. This makes up about half of the map. The other half of the map, shaded with pink and purple do not fall within 1 kilometre, and these are the areas that are considered to be in “food deserts” [3]. This map also incorporates income into the equation. The lighter colours indicate lower income, meaning that these communities likely have a smaller food budget, no access to a vehicle, and basically less resources[3].

HOLY COW, what are those communities eating?

 …probably not a lot of fresh produce, dairy and milk. As mentioned before, a lot of their diet comes from convenience stores and fast food outlets. AKA high in fats, sugars and sodium. 

 

What about here in Guelph?

                Unfortunately, I have not yet encountered a study on the prevalence of food deserts here in Guelph. However, I luckily found a study done in London Ontario, a smaller city more similar to where we live than Toronto. The article that came out of the University of Western Ontario showed startling results. Just like the previous study, they use a Geographic Information System to map out the areas in the vicinity of grocery stores, including changes from the 1960s up until now. What shocked me was that back in 1961, about 75% of London had access to grocery stores. Now, in 2005, that number has gone down to 20%![4]

 ...Just a little bit to think about. I'm planning on starting my week-long convenience-store diet soon, within the next 2 weeks.

Thanks for reading,

Karoline