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Food Insecurity and Waste5/25/2021 Hundreds of thousands of Americans are hungry everyday and don't have access to a constant food supply. At the same time the U.S. wastes 108 billion pounds of food each year. It makes zero sense why people are going hungry when we are throwing away that much food. The food waste alone could almost solve food insecurity in the U.S. There is a company trying to tackle both problems, it's called Move for Hunger. They have volunteers around the states who will come and pick up any nonperishable foods from your house and bring them to a food bank at no cost. If you are fortunate enough to have food security do your part by volunteering, donating, or spreading awareness. For more information go to moveforhunger.org
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Food insecurity is a big problem with individuals who are experiencing homelessness. According to the article, Cumulative Risk Factors Associated with Food Insecurity among Adults who Experience Homelessness, It states that within domiciled adults 11.8% experience food insecurity while 25%-59.5% of individuals who are homeless experience food insecurity. Some overlook this within the homeless population because it's hard for us to understand food insecurity and how it comes about. Three factors that can lead to food insecurity within homeless individuals is poor health and risky health behaviors, personal and sexual victimization, and household disruption.
A high portion of the homeless population experience poor physical and emotional health which directly correlates to food insecurity. If one is struggling to achieve basic social expectations then this can lead to a higher risk of depression within this population. Because of poor physical and mental health this can lead to the struggle of practicing lifestyle health behaviors such as planning out meals for them to eat and even thinking about nutritious sources of food. Another factor correlated to food insecurity is alcohol use disorders and addiction. 29%-63% of houseless individuals experience an alcohol use disorder and also smoke cigarettes to cope with the struggles of being homeless. With these problems, some people with highly addictive behaviors will spend their money on alcohol and tobacco rather than gaining a nutritious diet. Another factor that can lead to food insecurity is personal and sexual victimization. Within women who are homeless, there are more frequent reports of physical or sexual abuse and also within homelessness there is a higher possibility of witnessing violence. In homeless individuals that experience sexual and physical abuse there is a lack of legal action which could risk higher probabilities of violence and creates more problems. With living on the streets and trying to fend for yourself some may have no choice but to turn to trading sex for goods such as food, money, shelter and other things. Those individuals who have poor food security are more likely to experience sexual and physical abuse. Trough experiences during childhood and family disruption and conflict can also lead to increased experiences with food insecurity. There are many children that are put through the foster care system and this has an increasing factor of becoming homeless once they become adults. Because of family conflict this can create the downfall of a child's life to lead them to homelessness and can increase the probability of food insecurity. Also with family conflict and disruption this can lead to incarceration with members of the family and connects to limited employment opportunities, economic mobility and limited earnings. With these factors it is hard for anyone experiencing these things to have good food security. In order to have good food security you need to think about availability, access, stability, and utilization. Thinking about these factors that we have gone through can help us understand the homeless population and food insecurity and potentially help us find ways to help this problem. Source:
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Food Insecurity and Waste5/17/2021 Hundreds of thousands of Americans are hungry everyday and don't have access to a constant food supply. At the same time the U.S. wastes 108 billion pounds of food each year. It makes zero sense why people are going hungry when we are throwing away that much food. The food waste alone could almost solve food insecurity in the U.S. There is a company trying to tackle both problems, it's called Move for Hunger. They have volunteers around the states who will come and pick up any nonperishable foods from your house and bring them to a food bank at no cost. If you are fortunate enough to have food security do your part by volunteering, donating, or spreading awareness. For more information check out moveforhunger!
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College students across the country face the realities of housing and food insecurity as they navigate the path to graduation. Temple University Hope Center for College, Community and Justice's annual assessment of college students' needs revealed that in 2019, 17% of students surveyed from 123 universities had experienced housing disparity in the previous year; 45% had experienced food insecurity within the previous month.
Individual states like California and Tennessee have recently taken steps to address this issue, passing legislation to make housing and nutrition programs more accessible for students; however, the College Student Hunger Act of 2019 cosponsored by Elizabeth Warren - which aimed to broaden student eligibility nationwide for the supplemental nutrition assistance program - was shot down by Congress. Food insecurity - a problem that encompasses a lack of proper nutrition, as specified by guidelines set forth by the USDA - often goes hand-in-hand with housing disparity. The NCBI recognizes the need for continued research in this area, and the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth links homelessness experienced by youth to increases in obesity and nutrient deficiencies. The infographic below, created by the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness, demonstrates how this trend affects students of all ages, highlighting the continued importance of the National School Lunch Program. More national legislation and nutritional programs are dire necessities for the future and health of our nation's youth.
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Mental Illness and Nutrition4/29/2021 Mental illness and nutrition are all closely related. They are also all issues in many people who are experiencing homelessness. Whether or not you experience mental illness or addiction, nutrition is still important. Our brains are constantly on, even when we are sleeping. Our brains monitor our heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen content, and more. Whatever we eat matters for our health, but especially for our mental health. Around 25% of American's who experience homelessness have some type of serious mental illness and 45% have some type of mental illness. Although nutrition is not going to necessarily cure mental illness, nutrition can provide a degree of clarity and reduce symptoms.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps mediate moods and inhibit pain. 95% of this serotonin is produced by your gastrointestinal tract. Since the majority of serotonin is produced by your gastrointestinal tract, your gastrointestinal tract has a major influence on your emotions. Not only does the serotonin affect this but also the billions of bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria provide a strong barrier against toxins and bad bacteria, improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food, and they limit inflammation. Inflammation affects your mood and energy level, so it must be avoided when possible. Another aspect of mental illness is being deficient in many nutrients. Not only is fuel being put in the body not efficient, but it is lacking. Many people who experience mental illness are deficient in essential vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Eating foods rich in these vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids is shown to reduce the severity of mental illness. In order to properly feed the homeless population, we must give food to fuel their body instead of deteriorating it. As the statistics above state, slightly less than the majority of people experiencing homelessness have some type of mental illness. With the proper nutrition, their serotonin levels could increase, they could get the necessary minerals and nutrients they need therefore helping the severity of their mental illness. For more information on the effects of nutrition on mental health, check out the link below. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626
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The Struggle To Access Food4/27/2021 Take a quick second and think about your daily routine and what it consists of? My guess is that most of you would answer similarly to waking up, brushing your teeth, and then eating breakfast. After this, I would assume that the average American would then head to work and clock in, take a lunch break at some point, and then later that evening, clock out, eat dinner, and go to bed. There’s nothing special about this day as it is just an average day for most American citizens. Now think about what your day would look like if you weren’t sure how or if you would be able to acquire food, water, or shelter. For a person struggling with homelessness, being able to have access to these basic necessities on a regular basis would be a dream.
In the Portland metropolitan area, a little over 4,000 people are currently experiencing homelessness. These people struggle to find places to sleep, food to eat, and water to drink. There are meal programs out there that offer food for these people who are struggling however, these programs are struggling themselves. Their food supply has been limited due to the Covid19 pandemic. Blanchet House, a meal program located on 3rd Ave. explains that they are “…really concerned about running out of food.” Grocery stores are unable to donate as much food due to Covid19 thus, less donations are coming in which leads to less food available for serving. In addition, it has been explained that the results of Covid19 have increased the demand for food which is making it even more difficult to get all the mouths fed. Blanchet House is not the only one experiencing this struggle. Rescue Mission and Stone Soup have had the same problems and reportedly said that they all “…have similar concerns- our lines are getting longer.” So, how can you make an impact? How can you help those dealing with homelessness and provide them with good nutrition? What can you do to make someone’s daily struggle a little better? It’s simple. You can donate food to these organizations as they aren’t able to access the same amounts of food as they were able to before the pandemic. You can also donate containers and brown paper bags. Being that we are all in the midst of Covid19 and Governor Brown has called for social distancing, these meal programs have to serve food to-go. The more bags and containers that these organizations can get, the easier it is for the homeless to receive their to-go meals. Do what you can to make someone’s difficult daily routine a little less difficult. Donate now by calling: 503-241-4340 or donating online: https://blanchethouse.org Sources:
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Access to Nutrition4/27/2021 In New York there are over 91,000 people who are homeless on any given night. That is just over 16 % of the population. As you can see homelessness is a major issue not only in New York but all over the Nation. Many homeless people are occupied with trying to find a place to sleep, get some money, and food to eat. It is more important that they find food rather than if the food is nutritional. According to the World Health Organization people should be eating at least 400g of fruit and vegetables. I bet a handful of people who aren't homelessness don't meet the nutritional guidelines. If it is hard for someone who has resources such as a job, house, and work to eat nutritional food. Now imagine how hard it would be for someone who doesn't have those resources or they are limited. For more information check out Hearts for the homeless
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If you were asked where a homeless individual could go for a warm nutritional meal you might respond by suggesting a Soup Kitchen. They are in fact quite common across the United States with a rich history stretching as far back as 1929 during the Great Depression. They are best described as shelter feeding facilities where food is usually offered for free to the homeless by volunteers or organizations. They are important, according to the Our Father’s House Soup Kitchen Association, not only because of the free meals they offer to the hungry and homeless but because they provide a place for the homeless to belong. However, though Soup Kitchens might provide meals to the homeless, this does not mean it meets the adequate nutrition needed by homeless individuals as many might assume.
According to public health reports, Soup Kitchens usually provide foods that are appropriate for emergencies or supplement to usual dietary intakes which do not meet all the nutritional needs required by the body. Although Soup Kitchens do provide free meals, they still do not meet the standard for good nutrition recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). For example, in one New York study, it was discovered that the menus at Soup Kitchen can often fall short of nutritional recommendation. The lack of proper nutrition is further exacerbated by the amount of food provided by Soup Kitchen which can typically only serve 1.4 meals per day per homeless person. Not to mention Soup Kitchen’s do not typically serve food all day long. Thus, 1.4 meals per day is far below the Harvard Health Publishing suggestion of 3 meals per day. To tackle the issue of homelessness and nutrition, we must acknowledge where we can better focus our efforts. Thus, one way we can all start is to better educate ourselves on all facets of the matter. This includes exploring how the current systems which offer nutritional aid to the homeless, like Soup Kitchens, meet or do not meet nutritional requirements. But this also includes looking for ways in which we can help solve the issue. So I encourage our reader to look into the sources which I have gathered below and to explore the research for yourself. Let us know what you think in the comments section below! Sources:
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Nutrition and Homelessness4/24/2021 An often overlooked aspect of homelessness is nutrition, or the lack thereof. While everyone has seen a homeless person begging for money or a meal, we rarely think about how a lack of nutrition is contributing to the homelessness problem. People without homes are not eating often, but when they are they are eating foods low in fiber and of poor nutritional value. Whether it is fast food found in the trash or food provided at a shelter, homeless people are consuming high fat, nutrient low foods. While there is no quick fix to the homelessness problem, there are solutions to keep every person in this country fed. Many homeless people that are eligible for food stamps are not receiving them. We need to create a system in which everyone entitled to food stamps are aware, especially homeless people.
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Homelessness Correlation to Nutrition4/24/2021 The city of Portland has a chronic issue of homelessness on its streets. "Multnomah County’s 2019 PIT showed an estimated 4,015 people were experiencing homelessness, a number that was slightly down from previous years"(KGW8). The homeless population does not have the comfortability physically and mentally to be at their best for both aspects of self care. As a homeless person you are subject to sleeping outside, going through depression and anxiety, and having underlying health problems which are harder to take care of when you do not have the funds or resources to take care of yourself. Homeless people do not have the quality of what food is on the front of their minds. The main focus is to eat anything that will fill their stomachs and what is cheaper for the money they have.
All over the country it is more expensive to eat healthier for most meals, which is hard for ones without a home to access due to their situation. When shopping for healthier food you must most times go to the grocery store and shop for what is needed. For the homeless it takes up a lot of energy and time. After buying food they must then carry it around with them everywhere they go which leaves them open to get robbed by others just as hungry or even hungrier. Processed food is the inexpensive and safest way to go. Eating healthier also may take more to get you full which is not a luxury that they have. Also, they must have the tools to then cook the food that they purchase. Not many homeless have pots and pans with them to cook healthier food. It is smarter, in the short term, to eat more substance rather than healthier. Even when the homeless find a shelter for the night it is not the most nutrition efficient either. "Food available to homeless individuals through shelter feeding facilities are high in fat, low in fiber, and lack the required daily nutrients, according to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council"(House for the Homeless). Places where they feel comfortable physically do not have the good nutrition needed for healthier living. Some homeless have health issues where eating a certain way is imperative to their survival, such as diabetes. The way of eating as a homeless person does not line up with certain dietary needs. This makes their health problems even more dangerous. Overall it is important for all people to have access to their dietary needs. It will be combated through work from CDC's and city planning to reach the goal of homeless people to get what is needed both physically and mentally. Being homeless can cause depression and anxiety. There are many places for the homeless to sleep, through shelters but not food choices. There should be just as many food sources for them as it is to sleep! Hands on Greater Portland Sources:
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