Welcome to our follow up project to the $3 Diet! Into the (Food) Desert will be an attempt to simulate a food desert, and once again Mark will attempt to maintain a healthy diet with the assistance and coaching of Kerryn.
We learned a lot from our first project, and the idea for Into the (Food) Desert is an outgrowth from some of the discussions we had around the $3 Diet. In particular one of the criticisms of the $3 Diet was that since Mark still lived in suburbia and had access to a nice grocery store, the experiment wasn't realistic enough to simulate what it would be like to live on $3/day, since most people who live on $3/day also live in food deserts - or so it was suggested.
What is a food desert? Here's how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines the term:
Rules: For the purposes of this experiment, Mark will restrict his consumption to only food he can buy in convenience stores. He will not eat at fast food restaurants, even though that is included in the USDA definition. Mark has had basic blood work done and will have it redrawn at the end of the experiment. He will track his daily intake of food, to include cost and calories. He will also track his level of physical activity using a FitBit, and he will report his weight daily. Kerryn will analyze Mark's blood work (pre and post) and provide appropriate dietary recommendations. She will also conduct nutrient analysis during the 30 day experiment to determine the overall nutritional quality of his intake.
What we are trying to learn: The implication of the food desert theory is that it is not possible to eat healthily under these constraints. One of the things we want to experience first hand is just how hard it is. Shopping in a convenience store is clearly not the same as shopping in a Whole Foods, but can you find a reasonably healthy diet there, with enough attention and care? We're going to find out. We'll also be interested to compare the differences in prices between convenience stores and regular grocery stores. So we'll be doing some comparisons there.
We hope this experiment provides some insight into the effects of living in a food desert.
We learned a lot from our first project, and the idea for Into the (Food) Desert is an outgrowth from some of the discussions we had around the $3 Diet. In particular one of the criticisms of the $3 Diet was that since Mark still lived in suburbia and had access to a nice grocery store, the experiment wasn't realistic enough to simulate what it would be like to live on $3/day, since most people who live on $3/day also live in food deserts - or so it was suggested.
What is a food desert? Here's how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines the term:
Food deserts are defined as urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options. The lack of access contributes to a poor diet and can lead to higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. (emphasis added)The USDA has an interactive map you can look at to see what parts of the country are meet the USDA's definition. It might yield some surprises. You may find there are food deserts near you that you didn't realize existed. You might also find that some areas you expected to be food deserts aren't. A lot depends on your definition, and the definition is a source of debate in the public health field.
Rules: For the purposes of this experiment, Mark will restrict his consumption to only food he can buy in convenience stores. He will not eat at fast food restaurants, even though that is included in the USDA definition. Mark has had basic blood work done and will have it redrawn at the end of the experiment. He will track his daily intake of food, to include cost and calories. He will also track his level of physical activity using a FitBit, and he will report his weight daily. Kerryn will analyze Mark's blood work (pre and post) and provide appropriate dietary recommendations. She will also conduct nutrient analysis during the 30 day experiment to determine the overall nutritional quality of his intake.
What we are trying to learn: The implication of the food desert theory is that it is not possible to eat healthily under these constraints. One of the things we want to experience first hand is just how hard it is. Shopping in a convenience store is clearly not the same as shopping in a Whole Foods, but can you find a reasonably healthy diet there, with enough attention and care? We're going to find out. We'll also be interested to compare the differences in prices between convenience stores and regular grocery stores. So we'll be doing some comparisons there.
We hope this experiment provides some insight into the effects of living in a food desert.
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