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Regina Barber (3:39)

Is known by many as the land of abundance. We have large portions, a variety of cuisines and grocery stores of all sizes. But Shawna Spence says it's a misconception that all areas of the US Are equally abundant.

Shawna Spence (3:54)

A lot of times when you're in a big city, people assume there's so many grocery stores and people can just walk into any places and just buy food. And that's not necessarily true. Even here in New York, we do have food deserts.

Regina Barber (4:09)

A food desert is a term that was coined in the 1990s in the UK to describe neighborhoods that had limited access to nutritious and affordable. The USDA added nuances to the definition over time to note that people most affected by deserts were low income, and then to refocus on the issue of what kinds of food are available for certain communities. Because food insecurity is more than just certain foods being out of people's price range, it also sometimes refers to the lack of options available at your local corner store. Like do you have a ton of fruit and vegetables and slabs of meat, or are you only able to get canned goods?

Shawna Spence (4:46)

So our body needs all three macronutrients, which are protein, carbohydrates and fat. Right? Healthy fats. And so a lot of times, yes, a lot of processed foods, the ones that they sell in, like bodegas or delis, are going to be heavy in carbs. But a lot of times these snacks, the low nutrient dense foods, they're not going to be heavy in something like protein, something like fiber, or even like the healthy fats. So that's when people are missing out on nutrients. Even the micronutrients like our vitamins and minerals, those are also going to be missing as well.

Regina Barber (5:26)

To stay healthy, our bodies need protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and even fats in a healthy balance. These faster, cheaper and sometimes better tasting foods are often less nutrient dense and make it harder to reach those nutrient goals. But sometimes they're the Only option. So what happens to our body when it's hungry? According to Roger Figueroa, a nutritional behavioral scientist at Cornell University, as food insecurity.

Roger Figueroa (5:53)

Gets worse, people can start experiencing hunger.

Regina Barber (5:57)

That's when the ghrelin hits.

Roger Figueroa (6:00)

There is this hormone known as ghrelin that is produced by the stomach, and it's known as the hunger hormone. It stimulates appetite and it sends a signal to the brain that it is time to eat. So typically, when someone is hungry, the levels go up. And if you're full, luckily, then the levels drop.

Regina Barber (6:19)

When those levels get out of whack and stay elevated, the long term physical effects can become serious.

Shawna Spence (6:26)

The longer we go without food, the worse our symptoms are going to be, Right? So that irritability and lightheadedness seems nothing in comparison to the signs of malnourishment. You know, definitely losing a lot of muscle. You know, that gaunt look in the.

Regina Barber (6:44)

Face that's linked to chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Malnourishment can also hurt child development. Not getting enough nutrients can stunt growth, weaken their immune system, lower bone density, and delay cognitive development. Some studies have also linked it to infertility in adults. And there's a mental toll, which can start with stress. Elevated cortisol levels. From bargaining with yourself about your expenses, stretching your medicine or running your air. Condition less, maybe even skipping rent to afford food. The stress of having to make these decisions can package itself into our mental health conditions too.

Shawna Spence (7:23)

Anxiety, depression, there's also probably trauma. You know, a lot of times that PTSD can also have an effect. If we're just used to going without food, that definitely can take a toll.

Regina Barber (7:37)

And if that wasn't enough, anxiety, depression, and PTSD are all linked with loneliness. And you may have heard us say before, the is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. Angela says food scarcity can be another layer food anxiety.

Angela Odoms Young (7:54)

So we think about what happens with the stress process and cortisol and other things that when people are trying to make ends meet, the household stress that goes along with that, potentially the social isolation that goes along with that. Social isolation was deemed one of the most significant public health issues in the.

Regina Barber (8:17)

US I don't know about you, but until this episode, I had not fully considered the extent to which my social life is centered around food. But when I want to catch up with a friend, we go out for a meal. I want to celebrate my kid's birthday. I throw a party for her and her friends and grill in the backyard. I sometimes go to happy hour with Coworkers, I treat myself to a fancy meal out with my partner when I've had a rough week. None of that can happen if I can't afford my next meal. And Shauna says the trauma of food insecurity in childhood can lead to eating disorders later in life that even when presented with healthy options in adulthood, that unhealthy relationship with food can carry over.

Shawna Spence (8:57)

They can still choose to maybe hold out on meals because of that trauma from childhood. They don't feel comfortable eating fully from childhood.

Regina Barber (9:08)

Anorexia, binging, overeating, because you couldn't before. Shauna says the size of somebody's body does not tell the whole story.

Shawna Spence (9:17)

Malnourishment doesn't have, I should say, a look. This happened when I used to work in clinical. We get people, you know, in larger bodies and they would, you know, be malnourished, but they don't have that gaunt look in their face. They don't have, you know, the withering body and they're dismissed. However, they're not. Their bodies are still deteriorating, believe it or not, because they're not getting access to those macronutrients like good source of protein, good source of carbohydrates, fat.

Regina Barber (9:49)

And Roger says there are other negative impacts of food insecurity from a social standpoint.

Roger Figueroa (9:54)

Food insecurity also can lead to feelings of embarrassment and social withdrawal, especially because the solutions we have in place often are not the most sensitive or inclusive. People may not feel like they are sort of, you know, embedded within the fabric of society that normalizes food access. Often the efforts that we do have can perpetrate the stigma associated with receiving free food or food that's affordable to individuals with low income.

Regina Barber (10:26)

Both Roger and Shawna told me that hunger is everywhere. It could affect your neighbor, your kid's roommate, your friends, or even you. After some unforeseen event like when the COVID 19 pandemic hit, food insecurity increased. We're still technically in the pandemic, and food insecurity is getting worse in the U.S. so what can be done? Angela Odoms, young nutritional scientist from earlier, says everyone needs to think of hunger differently.

Angela Odoms Young (10:54)

It's not only one group, you know, non urban urban, it's all of us. It's not political, even though policy is a driver of it. But we need to really remember this is American issue. It's not a one side or, you know, this is an overall issue.

Regina Barber (11:15)

Food insecurity affects every state in the US from 2021 to 2023. The highest prevalence rates of households who were food insecure were in Arkansas at 19%, followed by Texas at 17%. The national average in 2023 was 13.5%.

Angela Odoms Young (11:32)

This is an issue that can impact society generally and the consequences can impact society. And so it's important that we come together, from my perspective, and support families and individuals to make sure that they have enough to eat.

Regina Barber (11:52)

Then I asked her, what does that mean for you or me? Anyone listening to this podcast who may want to translate all of the science and theory into tangible action?

Angela Odoms Young (12:01)

Volunteer work is critical and we need more young people because a lot of that burden falls on older people in churches and faith based settings that are doing distribution. But young people can really participate in that. And so yes, volunteer, volunteer, volunteer.

Regina Barber (12:26)

With the pause in SNAP benefits, there's lingering uncertainty in the community of recipients. Some worry it may be taken away again, which adds to the stress and anxiety around food insecurity that they may already be feeling. If you liked this show, check out our episode on Loneliness and the Brain. To learn more about the ways you can find free and low cost food, check out NPR's Life Kit episode on the topic. We'll link to both of these episodes in our show Notes. This episode was Produced by Burleigh McCoy. It was edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez and Tyler Jones. Check the facts. Robert Rodriguez was the audio engineer. Beth Donovan is our Vice president for podcasting. I'm Regina Barber. Thank you for listening to Short Wave from npr.

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