A Mother's Struggle with Eating Healthy

By Megan Burks

Programs in City Heights have gained national recognition for bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to families in low-income, urban areas.

First Lady Michelle Obama toured the New Roots Community Farm there in 2010 as part of her campaign to end childhood obesity. This month, The New York Times followed refugee shoppers through the community's vibrant farmers market, where organic produce is affordable thanks to innovative subsidy programs [PDF].

But getting good food on the table isn't always idyllic in City Heights. Not everyone knows about programs that put healthy foods within reach of low-income families.

Latonya Frazier, a mother of two on a fixed income, didn't know she could double her Women, Infant and Children (WIC) vouchers at the farmers market until being contacted for this story.

"When I went and signed up for the WIC program, they don't tell you anything about farmers markets at all," Frazier said.

So a few times a month, Frazier and her 7-year-old daughter, Glone, walk through their hilly Colina Park neighborhood to catch a bus to the nearby Food-4-Less. They try to fill their basket with healthy foods, but struggle to afford lean meats and the herbs and spices that kick up the flavor of low-calorie meals.

For them, City Heights' food landscape is a bit murkier than the outdoor market and community gardens that have caught on among refugees in the neighborhood. Shopping trips to liquor and convenience stores can be as common as visits to grocery produce aisles, Frazier said. The Louisiana-born mom said good nutritional habits don't come as easily to her as for refugees accustomed to eating off the land.

Read the rest at Speak City Heights:
http://www.speakcityheights.org/2011/10/despite-farmers-market-success-some-struggle-to-eat-healthy-in-city-heights/

Video Production Brian Myers, Media Arts Center San Diego
Transcript:

Latonya Frazier, Mother of two and on a fixed income:
I try to shop at the beginning of the month, in the middle of the month and close to the end of the month. Most of the time I'll try to get extra, so that I won't have to come back. We were always grown up on eating junk. Friends, family, anything, nobody really taught us how to eat healthy. Both of my parents worked, so they were always gone before we go to school and always still gone when we come home from school. So, we had to fend for ourselves and the only thing that was in there was the quick microwave food. So, this is something I got to learn new, on my own.

The cost of food is very expensive for me, because I'm on a fixed income. When I went and signed up for the WIC program, they don't tell you the other stores they have like the CalFresh stores, they don't tell you anything about farmers' markets at all. There's another market where they double the coupons as far as getting your vegetables and getting your fruits. Say if you spend $10 they will give you an extra $10 to cover that. That market took me awhile to find out about because I didn't know anything about the program.

Lakeysha Sowunmi, Network for a Healthy California:
The Network for a Healthy California, we have recipe cards and perform the cook-in demonstrations, and also post the signs about eating healthier and making healthier choices.

Latonya Frazier:
They have a recipe here in the book; black eyed peas over white rice and gravy.

Lakeysha Sowunmi:
We have the recipe cookbook and we actually have those same soul food recipes, but it has healthier alternatives to it.

Latonya Frazier:
There are a lot of liquor stores here in City Heights. Some markets have healthy food and some markets don't. No fruits, no vegetables, anything. So, it's basically all junk food there. Sometimes I have to go as far as getting my milk and cereal. But usually when I go get some stuff there it's out of date. That's why I don't really like to shop there. But, I mean, if I have to, I have to.

Lakeysha Sowunmi:
76% of African-Americans in California are overweight or obese. So, with the campaign, we're trying to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables and to get more physical activity. I think we're taking steps to see different changes. I think everybody is getting onboard, like different local businesses, trying to make sure that their stores are carrying the fresh produce.

Latonya Frazier:
I think that there is a challenge to eating healthy, because we have a lot of restaurants, burger restaurants and things like that. So, it's challenging. But, as long as someone can talk to you one on one to let you know of the program, I think it will be willing for a change.

Видео A Mother's Struggle with Eating Healthy канала Speak City Heights