Burger, gas station and fried chicken – It’s hard to find good food in low-income neighborhoods. Fresh production in dollar reserves has the same quality as expensive chains.
Supermarket and groceries are rare. You may have to travel miles to find fresh fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, fast food is abundant.
So what do you make for dinner?
For families looking for healthier options, even in these so-called “food deserts”, it may be the best option to turn to a bargain or “dollar” chain store.
In a new study, researchers from Nevada University, Las Vegas (UNLV), published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, looked at the quality of the production and other healthy eating options on discount stores and found that it is very good is.
In fact, fruits and vegetables are just as good at the dollar stores as you find at the regular grocery store. The price of food was generally comparatively good, and sometimes even cheaper.
Extension option
Researchers say that the findings have real implications for nutrition and public health.
“By recognizing these outlets as community assets, we can expand options within the community food environment for public health outreach and interventions,” Courtney Coffnor, PhD, first author and assistant professor in the School of Community Health Sciences, Healthline told.
“Cost, quality and availability are obstacles for healthy eating. As part of the food system, the recognition of these stores can extend the reach of some people, who did not otherwise have, and / or could provide a less expensive alternative. “
Coffnor and his colleagues indexed every grocery store in the metropolitan Las Vegas area. Using the general definitions of the store (national or regional chain groceries, for example), they see the availability of different types of food items, their prices and quality.
Using a tool called Nutrition Environmental Survey (NEMS-S) in the store, the researchers collected and computed different points based on these factors.
The NEMS-S system is divided into two categories. “Acceptable” is defined as a high quality, fresh produce that is strong and clean. The “unacceptable” yield is fertilized, old, mousy, broken or moldy.
As expected, conventional grocery stores scored a considerable amount in “availability”, which indicates the healthier options of different types of fruits and vegetables as well as other types of food such as whole-grain bread is.
However, in the case of quality, the discount store kept it with itself.
“There was not a significant difference in the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables,” the authors wrote.
High quality, low cost
There is a possibility of paying less at the discount store.
According to research, about 85 percent of yield and 90 percent of non-produce items were far less expensive than conventional grocery stores.
“While they have fewer options, they are a source of high quality, more affordable options. If you are on a budget, or just shopping for your family, then buy at dollar discount stores that sell produce, savings can have results, “said Caffnor. “And there are additional studies for brands that are loyal, which find nutritional equality from on-brand and off-brand products.”
Nutrition is an important part of public health, yet access to good quality food for low-income persons can be problematic. Today, 11.5 million people in the United States live in areas that are more than one mile from the nearest grocery store. Living in these “food deserts” makes eating healthy more difficult.
According to Cafénor, their research highlighted the importance of discount stores to bridge the gap for low-income neighborhoods and to gain access to superior quality food.
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“Some of the world’s cheapest foods are healthier. Beans are a great example of this and it can be found drought or canned in many dollar stores. Frozen fruits and vegetables without any extra sugar are also an example, and in the end, many whole grains can be bought at dollar stores, especially brown rice. “Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, a licensed, dietician, told Healthline.
He said, “The key is knowing what to do with these materials. Many of my patients eat more beans if they know how to prepare them, or the idea that frozen vegetables are lower than the fresh, which is not the case in many cases. Education is prominent. “
Source : Healthline
