Healthy Ecosystems Feed Healthy Communities

My Community: Food Access

Lesson 2.5

Locations of Food Deserts (blue) & Reservations (orange)

Food Insecurity Demographic Data

Type 2 Diabetes

Occurs when a person eats too many sugary foods for a long time, and their body can no longer digest the sugar. The sugar they eat then builds up in their blood. High levels of sugar in a person’s blood can damage their kidneys, liver, and other important organs.

High Cholesterol

When a person eats too many fatty foods, plaque can build up in their arteries and veins, stopping blood from getting where it needs to go.

Coronary Heart Disease

When the arteries in your heart become clogged and full of plaque. This is due to a diet high in calories and cholesterol. It can lead to heart attacks and can require major surgery to alleviate.

My Community: Food Access

We know that eating Indigenous, whole foods helps support a resilient ecosystem and a healthy community. Eating foods that are from our local area reduces the pollution required to transport food from one place to the next and can also promote a better relationship with “Good Fire.” Good fire promotes growth of many Indigenous, whole foods, that nourish our bodies and prevent disease.

One reason that communities today have such high rates of disease is poor nutrition/ eating habits. Due to relocation of communities away from the natural environment and into built urban environments and the neglect of forests and other ecosystems, access to healthy traditional foods has lessened, leaving Native communities to rely on grocery stores.

Today, you will explore your state and local communities to determine whether or not your community has enough access to healthy foods.

Interactive Map Exploration

Click on the link: https://www.healthyfoodaccess.org/access-101-research-your-community

1. In the search bar, type in the name of your county (ex: Sonoma County)
2. Click on the button in the top left that says “NEW MAP”.
3. When the choice bar comes down, click “Health”
1. Click “Fruits and Vegetables” then “Fewer than 5 a day”
2. Using the data key on the map, what percentage of people eat less than 5 fruits or vegetables a day?
3. What percentage of people eat less than 1 fruit or vegetable a day?
1. Tip: If you click inside the county lines, it will give you an exact percentage.

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• Click “Physical Inactivity.”
• Using the data key on the map, what percentage of people in your county�have been physically inactive (did not exercise or move very much)?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• Click “Diabetes.”
• Using the data key on the map, what percentage of people in your county�have been diagnosed with diabetes?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• Click “Deaths from Coronary Heart Disease”
• Using the data key on the map, what percentage of people in your county have died of heart disease?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

Zoom in to your city (or type your city name into the search bar.)

7. What do you notice about the disease rates now? Is every place in your city the same?

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• Why do you think there are health differences between the neighborhoods and areas of your city?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• Click on “Community Health Centers”
1. Are the health centers in your city spread out or centralized in one place?

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• How many health centers are in your city?

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• Are there some people in your city that would have to travel a long way to get to a health center if they needed care?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• Click on “Grocery Retail Locations”
• How many grocery retail locations are in your city?

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• What are some common grocery stores you notice on the map (click the orange squares for info)?

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• Do you think these grocery stores sell Indigenous foods? If so, which ones do you think they sell? Which foods are unlikely sold in these stores?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• Click on “People” then “Families in poverty” (make sure the orange squares are still visible! If they aren’t, go back to the NEW MAP menu and select “Grocery Retail Locations” again.
• What kinds of grocery stores do you notice in the dark green areas? The light green areas?

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• Why do you think the grocery stores in these locations differ?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• Remove the “Grocery Retail Locations” tab (click on little x) and add “Farmer’s Markets” from NEW MAP menu.
• How many Farmer’s Markets are in your city?

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• Do you think the vendors at the market sell Indigenous foods? Which ones might they sell? Which ones are unlikely sold?

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Interactive Map Exploration cont.

• If you were to give a “grade” for food access, what would you give it?

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• Explain the grade you gave to your community:

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A B C D F

Easy access to healthy foods

Very little access to healthy foods

California Indigenous Foods