Fresh Focus Podcast: NNM® Series 12 EP# 68
Host: Sara Peidle, MS, RDN, CD, FAND from Salt Lake City Veterans Health Administration, Ogden CBOC
Title: Food insecurity Podcast
Welcome to another episode of Fresh Focus, I'm Sara, and I am back as your host.
In the next several episodes, you will be hearing nutrition tips and tricks as we recognize and celebrate National Nutrition Month this year. From previous episodes, you may remember that dietitians work closely with your healthcare team to assist and guide you in making healthy lifestyle choices using a whole health approach.
National Nutrition Month can be a good reminder for all listening that it's important to know how to contact your local RDN with any of your nutrition-related concerns. You can do a number of things like: Call your local VA to schedule an appointment or ask your local VA about same-day appointment availability. You can ask your VA PACT or health care team, like your doctor/Nurse Practitioner or nurse, for a referral, and you can log in to MyHealtheVet and send a Secure Message.
In this episode, I want to take a closer look at food security and explore a dietitian's role in helping you reach your health goals and with using this year's theme, helping to "fuel your future" if you are facing a barrier of food insecurity.
In the United States, the USDA indicates that 13.8 million people are considered food insecure. Food security is a federal measure of a household's ability to provide enough food for every person in the household to have an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is one way that we can measure the risk of hunger. During the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity increased among families with children and in communities of color, many of whom were already facing hunger at higher rates before the pandemic. Hunger doesn't always look the same, and every community in the country is home to families facing hunger. Rural communities are often hit harder than urban and suburban ones. To make matters worse, many families who experience hunger do not qualify for many of the federal nutrition programs designed to reduce food insecurity. Many of these families are relying on food banks and food pantries to close the gaps between food purchases.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 11% of veterans were living in a food-insecure household, and 5.3% lived in a household with very low food security, meaning that eating patterns were disrupted and food intake was reduced. You have likely noticed rising food costs due to inflation. Groceries are approximately 11-13% higher than they were just one year ago in 2021! There are many factors that influence this and there is no telling how long it will go on for or even if it will improve much in the next year. The rising cost of food has been hitting just about everyone over the past 12-18 months, but there are things that we can do to manage it. Today I am going to talk about some ways to help manage the rising cost of food and how a VA RDN can help.
The first thing that we can do is to eat at home more often. If you have noticed the grocery store prices rising, know that this has a direct effect on restaurant pricing as well. Lately, dining out is an expensive proposition, and one many people are not taking lightly. Oftentimes the meals that you get at a restaurant can be made at home for a fraction of the cost. There may still be some low-cost deals at fast food restaurants, but that reduced cost will later impact your health. It's best to limit or avoid fast foods most of the time. Remember that whatever your favorite dishes are, you can almost certainly find ways to make them at home and ultimately save money.
Smart grocery shopping can also help to fight the rising costs. First off, shop with a plan. If you have gone food shopping and come home and ordered a pizza, you may have experienced shopping without a plan! Make a food plan and create a list of items that you need. Remember to start your "shopping" right in your own pantry and fridge/freezer to make sure that you use up items that you already have on hand. Remember to never shop hungry or without a list if you want to make the most of your shopping trip. It's also important to put on the blinders when in the store. Most of us don't put Oreos on the list, but we also didn't know that that new flavor came out, either! These items may wander into your cart without you really paying attention, so double-check the list and remember your budget.
When we're preparing more meals at home, we will either pay in time or money. This means that we can buy pre-prepped or processed/convenience foods or do it ourselves from scratch. If the store employee cuts up your onion for you, it will be more expensive than coming home and chopping it yourself. Pre-cooked and more heavily processed foods may also have a negative impact on your health over time. Time management is a very important skill when we want to nourish ourselves and our families with good food but with limited time to do so. Find a day and time when you can shop and prep ahead. Oftentimes, parents find it best to leave small children at home while shopping if they are able. There are also options at many stores to order your items online and pick them up, avoiding the temptation of going in at all. Many stores will do this free of cost as well.
Bulk buying may ultimately save time and money if you plan it out well. Be sure to pay attention to the cost per unit savings and make sure that you have a place to store it at home. Bulk items such as canned tomatoes or household items like toilet paper can often be used without fear of waste. Bulk stores such as Sam's Club and Costco may have savings as well if you are already a member. Other stores may offer food-saving coupons or cards, which may also be used for gas (which is another rising cost to contend with these days!). It may also be worth looking through mailers and checking more than one store to find the best savings. This is a compromise between driving more (and thus using gas) and saving money at the store. A good plan and not shopping too often can make this worth it, though.
Buying in bulk can lead to a well-stocked kitchen which will limit the need to shop as often or buy as much. Staple items can often last in the pantry, and frozen items will often keep for up to 6 months or more. This can include leftovers which will cut down on both cost and food waste. This also provides the opportunity to only purchase items when they are on sale. Take inventory of your kitchen consistently, so you know where your food is going.
Paying in cash can also help to curb unwanted spending. Oftentimes it can feel easier to spend more when we know that we have that credit card on hand. To save money and pay attention to what you spend, take what you plan to spend in cash and pay attention to the cost of items. Look for options that are cheaper such as generic brands and recipe substitutes. If you need ground beef but ground turkey is on sale, it is an easy substitution to make! You can do this with many other food items and save money (and possibly cook something healthier) when you shop. In some cases, cash-back credit cards or cash-back apps such as Ibotta are a good idea if you are organized and able to limit your spending on credit.
Perhaps as you listen to this, you may be feeling as if you are able to help others. There are many ways to volunteer or to provide resources to organizations working to decrease hunger in this country. If we can help, it is important to know that adults who experience food insecurity are more likely to have decreased access to healthy foods and eat fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Many food pantries and food banks try to get healthier food items to provide to families in need. When helping, we can always call the panty and ask what they may need, provide money instead of food items, or look for healthy, shelf-stable foods like beans, whole grain pasta, and low-sodium canned vegetables to donate. Food pantries are non-profit organizations, and they can often make your money go further than you can, so donating money is the most efficient way to help. You may also decide that you want to donate time stocking shelves, handing out food bags, or helping with paperwork. Food banks are often in need of volunteers, so look for one near you.
Within the VA, there are many resources to help veterans who are struggling with food insecurity. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists can assist with meal planning on a budget, making healthy food substitutions, and help to find ways to reduce food waste. The VA also has social workers who can provide information on resources within and outside of the VA. If you or another veteran you know is affected by food insecurity or needs some specific help for your situation, please reach out to your local VA. Thank you for listening to Fresh Focus. Be sure to leave a review, subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts and stay tuned for future episodes!