Healthy Food Access for All

Consuming nutritious foods is common advice we often hear, yet accessing or affording them can pose a challenge. Not only are healthy foods beneficial for your overall well-being, but they can also enhance your immune system, aid in a healthy pregnancy, fortify your bones, and offer various other benefits.

What are healthy foods?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests a diet rich in fiber, such as whole grains, nuts, and legumes, as well as calcium and vitamin D sources like fortified dairy products, salmon, mushrooms, and spinach. Make sure to include potassium, which can be found in bananas or 100% fruit juices. Additionally, it is advised to reduce added sugars, substitute saturated fats, and limit sodium intake.

Access to healthy foods

So where do we find these foods that are good for us? While we know we can find them at our local grocery stores, where else? The Food Bank of the Golden Crescent has a local farmers market that is open every Wednesday and Saturday in the Public Health Department parking lot. The local Farmer’s Market is a great place to find locally grown produce, dairy, meats, baked goods, plants, jams, jellies, and so much more. Recently, our farmers' market began accepting SNAP benefits to make these healthy food options more accessible to everyone!

Creating a community garden

Another way to access healthy foods is to grow them yourself! A central area of focus for the Health Disparities grant is ensuring community members know of places to get healthy food access and providing resources to create your own ways to grow nutritious foods. We have implemented this by partnering with local community gardens and assisting schools to establish their own gardens. As a result of this initiative, five schools have initiated their own community garden. Students have gained knowledge on garden construction, researched fruits and vegetables suitable for specific seasons, and worked with their classmates to plan a workday to get everything planted.

The feedback from the students and community on the gardens has been great. During the recent garden workday, a student expressed that he felt like he was starting a whole new life! The students were enthusiastic as they watered their plants, observed their growth, and made salsa.

How can I start a community garden?

If you'd like more information about starting a community garden or want to increase your access to healthy foods, you can join us at one of our monthly FitVic meetings. Meetings are held on the last Wednesday of every month by our Community Engagement Grants department at the Victoria County Public Health Department. You can also call us at 361-578-6281 ext. 3413. Also, check out our Facebook page for upcoming programs, events, and classes.

Lisa Kainer is a Community Health Worker under the Health Disparities grant at the Victoria County Health Department. She has been with the County since 2023 and is dedicated to providing public health education & programming.