Food Insecurity PDF

Food Insecurity & Public Health What is food insecurity and what are the two primary types Food insecurity is household inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active healthy life ○ lack of food ○ lack of healthy and nutritious food in sufficient...

Food Insecurity & Public Health What is food insecurity and what are the two primary types Food insecurity is household inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active healthy life ○ lack of food ○ lack of healthy and nutritious food in sufficient and safe quantities What is the cycle of food insecurity and chronic disease Food insecurity drives chronic disease chronic disease drives further food insecurity which leads back to more food insecurity that causes disease ○ cyclical How does food insecurity affect adults? Children? Adults ○ cancer ○ heart disease ○ diabetes ○ functional limitations ○ hyperlipidemia ○ hypertension ○ obesity children ○ behavioral or social emotional problems ○ poorer developmental outcomes ○ iron deficiency anemia ○ frequent stomach problems ○ headache ○ poorer educational performance and academic outcome ○ lower overall health related quality of life What are the social determinants of health and their role in disease? Conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that shape health ○ socioeconomic status ○ education ○ neighborhood ○ physical environment ○ employment ○ social support networks ○ access to health care a lot is based on the area that you live, not about willpower, money, etc.. addressing social determinants ○ improve health and reduce longstanding disparities in healthcare address overlapping challenges posed by social determinants of health What is the Food Environment and how does it impact our food choices?What does the food environment in the US look like? Where you live impacts what you eat Define food dessert, food swamp & oasis? Why do they occur? Food Desert ○ characterized as geographic areas where people lack access to affordable fresh and healthful food ○ rural, suburban or urban, minority, and low income areas often at risk ○ 23 million Americans live in food deserts ○ the relationship between location and food access is complex ○ socioeconomic factors influence dietary quality and local food environment also plays a role convenience foods are often cheaper than fresh food fresh food selections may be poor or not culturally appropriate  ○ unhealthy food is economically cheaper in the short term but translates to higher health costs in the long term Food Oasis ○ higher access to supermarkets and shops Food Swamp ○ overabundance of cheap food options ○ people’s choices about what to eat are severely limited by the options available to them and what they can afford What are signs of poor food quality in children? 11.4 % of children have ADD/ADHD 1 in 5 children are obese 1 in 5 adolescents has prediabetes 50% of schools has fast food served in cafeterias nearly 20% of calories for ages 12 to 18 comes from fast food, versus just 6.5 percent in the late 70s being underweight, overweight or obese constipation or changes in bowel habits being pale or lethargic tooth decay poor physical growth behavioural problems sleep issues problems with emotional and psychological development poor concentration or difficulties at school How does processed food impact our behavior? What is the role of processed food in disease? Understand common reasons for food processing. When might it be beneficial? When might it be harmful and why? What is ultra processed food and its primary characteristics?How does it impact the body? Ultra processed foods ○ Designed to be convenient and hyperpalatable and contain low cost ingredients that translate into bigger profits for food companies Made from substances extracted from foods and contain additives Example ○ Artificial colors ○ Stabilizers ○ fats ○ starches ○ added sugars Contain unevenly high ratio of calories to nutrients Understand the primary reasons why people choose processed food Cheap price easily accessible easy to prepare advertising biology of who we are food engineering to make us addicted to foods Define food engineering and describe how it impacts brain function and peoples choices around food. Food that is engineered to be more palatable as well as enticing as possible ○ sugars used can stimulate the brain’s reward centers through dopamine like other addictive substances ○ PET scans show that high sugar and high fat foods work like heroin, opium, or morphine in the brain show that obese people and drug addicts have lower number of dopamine receptors this makes them more likely to crave things that boost dopamine  stimulate release of body’s own opioids like morphine in the brain What role does food engineering play in weight and weight maintenance? Scientists create enhanced flavor profiles using highly palatable chemical additives terms like “mouth feel,” “maximum bite force,” “vanishing density,” “sensory specific satiety,” are used to rate the varying level of appeal highly palatable flavors keep us “engaged longer” with processed foods ○ we eat more There is NO DSM-5 diagnosis for food addiction Is Food Addicting Drugs used to block the brain’s receptors for opioids Naltrexone also reduce the consumption and preference for sweet, high fat foods in both normal weight and obese binge eaters People develop a tolerance to sugar. They need more and more of the substance to satisfy themselves obese individuals continue to eat large amounts of unhealthy foods despite severe social and personal negative consequences animals and humans experience “withdrawal” when suddenly cut off from sugar just like drugs after an initial period of enjoyment of the food the user no longer consumes them to get high, but to feel normal What is sugar's role in brain chemistry? Can have addictive properties that stimulate through brain’s dopamine receptors ○ reward center that is excessively used by foods and sought after What is the role of public health policies & initiatives in food & nutrition? What are the benefits? What are the downsides?  Food policy makers create policies that establish funding to support health promotion and food safety, promote program development, and provide health services often focus on the amount of calories given, but not the type of calories that are given What role do Big Food Corporations play in public health? Often lobby for benefits from food policy makers ○ large recipients of welfare stamps which our taxes pay for ○ make food as palatable as possible through food engineering and product design ○ promote consumption and misinform the consumers about their food products ○ make healthy foods less available while their processed foods are more available for cheaper ○ lower the cost to promote more sales contribute to campaigns to increase access to policy makers sponsor “research studies” about food information and studies give out more to increase credibility of organizations delay or block health litigations to promote their agenda or cases What are their common business practices? What are their common political practices? Marketing food more complex now since it’s predominantly on the internet 1 hour of TV viewing higher intakes of sugar sweetened beverages, fast food, and overall calories ○ children watch more than 3 hours of television 50% more likely to be obese than children who watched less than 2 hours ○ food ads 50% of all ad times on children shows How does advertising impact our food choices? What are the impacts on children? Food ads on television ○ make up 50% of all the ad time on children’s shows 34% candy and snacks  28% cereal 10% fast food 4% dairy products 1% fruit juices 0% fruits and vegetables What role does Big Food Corporation play in the environment?What steps can individuals take to help improve their health status via nutrition? Food Industry and Climate Change One of the primary drivers of climate change driving factors include ○ deforestation ○ chemical fertilizers ○ soil erosion ○ factory farming of animals ○ food transport ○ refrigeration ○ processing ○ packaging of food the food system influences what people eat, via intense advertising, self regulation and by offering highly addictive food at extremely low prices Solutions Take control of your food prepare and cook food at home as much as possible buy local support grocery stores, farmers markets when possible purchase frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, dried beans and whole grains to save money add nutrient dense foods into your diet ○ nuts and seeds ○ herbs and spices ○ superfoods create meal plans and shopping lists  keep your body “biologically fed” to decrease temptation for snacking don’t drink your calories, drink water over packaged beverages eat Whole Foods daily