🌟Redefining Public Health: A Compassionate and Inclusive Approach to Combating Food Insecurity 🌟
Public health, a field with so much potential to improve the lives of entire communities, is simultaneously one of the most fatphobic and shame-based fields. While experts have demonized those experiencing obesity, they have made significant pushes to address food insecurity and diets… for all the wrong reasons. If we start looking at food insecurity as a systemic issue from a weight-inclusive lens, we can identify that there are many more health complications from the circumstances that expand far past the obsession with solving “the obesity epidemic," including developing eating disorders.
To change for the better, we need to look through a holistic lens. Here are a few great ways to start so that we can ensure communities access proper nourishment while limiting the harmful, fatphobic ideals that many programs currently push.
🍴Meal Coaching: Instead of saying “organic, healthy foods” (which are extremely stigmatizing), let’s educate communities on how accessible food IS capable of being nourishing. ALL foods have nutritional value, so let’s teach communities how to make nourishing meals with what they have access to.
💸 Financial Education: We want people to be able to eat regularly to maintain homeostasis in their bodies, right? Let us teach people how to meal plan and create a budget that can stretch each pay period AND can fuel their bodies throughout the entire time.
🏛️ Food Regulations: We must shift the focus from personal blame to systemic change. Instead of “stop eating high sugar/salt foods,” we study the additives being manufactured into our food and lobby for regulation on the chemicals and addictive aspects of food in the US?
📚 Clinician Education & Universal Health Care: EVERYONE deserves access to quality care, including access to educated and weight-inclusive professionals. Shaming people for their weight will never solve “obesity,” nor will it ever help solve the issue of food insecurity. Let’s provide education to clinicians re. health at every size AND let’s provide access to registered dietitians for everyone. Let’s teach them that eating disorders are not exclusive to white, affluent communities, and screen for EDs and other health conditions.
🏪Accessible Groceries: Public Health’s big push is to always bring in more “healthy” grocery stores. But what if any grocery store can change lives? We can help prevent price gauging. We can give people the ability to buy those “fresh” options, limit food waste, and ensure proper budgeting by dismantling food deserts and allowing people to go to the store more often. We can provide people with more jobs and resources to access health!
If we can look at public health issues that revolve around food from a lens that discounts the communities’ weights, we can focus on nourishing everyone’s bodies and minds. Health seems more accessible now.
Congratulations to RWJBarnabas Health on being awarded a grant to embed SNAP Navigators in all 12 acute care hospitals. This program will make a significant difference in addressing food insecurity and improving access to nutritious food for patients in need. Thank you for your dedication to enhancing the holistic well-being of individuals in our community!