What Are You Eating This Thanksgiving?

When some people think about Thanksgiving, they have a Norman Rockwell image of a mother in an apron carrying a large golden turkey to a table filled with many other tasty dishes. That’s a great image, but that is not the reality in many households throughout Pennsylvania.

Approximately 12% of Pennsylvania residents face food insecurity which means they have limited or uncertain access to food for a healthy and active life.

There are many factors that cause food insecurity including:

• Economic Factors – The rise in food costs with the price of nutritious items ranging from lean meats to fruits and vegetables significantly increasing.
• Socioeconomic Barriers – Some people have difficulty accessing the foods they need due to a combination of social, financial, educational and geographic barriers.
• Transportation – Some communities do not even have grocery stores and residents lack the transportation needed to travel to areas where the stores are located.
• Stigma – Some people are reluctant to seek assistance because they feel shame in needed help.
  Food pantries can provide assistance when people are facing financial hardship by bridging gaps, but they do not always provide the most nutritious foods. Often people are given processed and ultra-processed food because they are non-perishable.

“Processed foods can be any food that has been altered from its natural state, such as canning, freezing or adding preservatives to extend the shelf life,” explained Deloris Gibson, MHS, RDN, CDCES, Coordinator of Diabetes Quality, Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Educator for Penn Highlands Healthcare. “Ultra-processed foods usually contain high amounts sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats as well as artificial flavors, and other additives.”

According to Deloris, consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

How can you help?

There are many ways you can help.

• Support your local food bank by supplying nutritious items.
• Volunteer at a food bank, soup kitchen or other feeding program.
• Adopt a family in your community that may be in need of food due to unemployment, family illness or a host of other factors and provide them with fresh nutritious items.
  With the holidays coming, it is important to focus on your nutrition needs too. Do you eat healthy? If your diet relies heavily on fast food, processed foods or junk foods, it may be time to meet with a nutrition counselor.

Penn Highlands Healthcare offers nutrition specialists who will teach you how to read food labels, understand carbohydrates and map out meal plans plus provide you with recipes that are easy, healthy and tasty. For more information, visit www.phhealthcare.org/nutrition.