Free Essay: Processed Food vs. Healthy food for African-Americans

While the discussion about the healthfulness of carbohydrates, sweeteners, salt, and fats continues to rise, the nutritional message encourages people to eat unhealthy meals. On the surface, it is evident that high calories in adults are found in foods such as chips, sweetened beverages, burgers, and grain-based desserts. As known, disparities in food consumption lead to inequalities in health. This paper will elaborate more on processed and healthy foods and how African Americans are affected.

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African Americans have less access to healthy food

Research has shown that healthier foods are more expensive and hard to find in urban neighborhoods. The study also showed that African-Americans have higher chances of living in food deserts than whites. Due to racism, black lack the access to healthy foods which make them live troubled lives. The situation has also made them lose their farms due to the overrepresentation in food processing industries and agricultural labor.

For many years, America has been experiencing rising cases on the supplication of nutritious food to urban cities. What missed in this plan was the understanding of the structural causes of food. Instead, America focused on citizens' responsibilities by educating them on suffering due to health problems and hunger. The reason why the country took this move is that racism never allowed blacks to understand how the food system works.

The food organizations also overlooked the issue of self-sufficiency due to institutionalized racism. Even though funds contributed could demand outside organizations to deal with the allegiance of food supplication, the developed racial disparities would not allow them. Throughout America, most communities of color and low-income communities go through the food crisis daily.

A study conducted by the Department of Agriculture in 2010 showed that approximately 17.2 million citizens are struggling to eat healthily because of financial issues. Despite food insecurities, most urban areas existed in grocery gaps or food desserts locales, and this denied them the opportunity to purchase health, fresh food due to the existence of a wet environment. Due to this, convenience and fast food stores were developed to feed the population.

Due to the high levels of income inequality and racial segregation, most urban areas lack access to food they need due to the insufficiency of finances. In Los Angela's, for instance, the upper-income areas have more supermarkets than low-income neighborhoods. A suitable example is West Oakland, where 77 percent are the African-American people. However, the place consists of zero grocery stores, thirteen fast foods, and three liquor stores. Urban communities of blacks that have grocery stores often get higher prices and low-quality products compared to the suburban supermarkets. It is for this reason that makes people with color depend on junk foods.

Effect of Processed Food to African Americans

African Americans portray dietary preferences born from cultural necessity and influences. Such a choice also comes with a specific type of cuisine they call soul food. These meals have afflicted African Americans with health problems. In soul food, the main dishes include fatty meats with gravies and fried foods. Some of the foods are also associated with social interactions derived from the slavery era.

Convincing this group to eat healthy foods is difficult because they always claim that they are eradicating the trend used in the black culture. Research has shown that people can still eat soul food but in a healthier way to curb down the high rates of cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Every time people of color families meet, their social interactions direct them to take soul food. Such cuisines