Table of Contents
Throughout history, 人类社会一直受到一个简单问题的挑战:我们如何确保每个人都有足够的好食物吃?
Here in the 21st-century United States, with all our resources and technological prowess, we still struggle to answer that question. Though hunger is less widespread than it once was, 粮食不安全仍然笼罩着数千万家庭的生活. And in recent decades, we’ve created a new problem: not a shortage of food, but too much of the wrong kinds.
Eating ourselves sick
Diet-related illnesses like diabetes, 高血压和心脏病对人类的生命造成了可怕的伤害, 幸福, and healthcare costs. 这些健康影响对我们社区中最脆弱的成员打击最大. 有确凿的证据表明,这种代谢性疾病的流行与国民饮食中加工食品和添加糖的含量过高有关.
We know how to make ourselves healthier: eat more fruits, 蔬菜, whole grains and lean proteins, and cut down on added sugars, processed foods, 和肉. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 由美国农业部和卫生与公众服务部(HHS)每五年出版一次,长期以来一直在向公众传达这一基于617888九五至尊娱乐的信息.
Unfortunately, 其中一个关键角色明显无视美国政府的营养建议:美国政府. 联邦农业政策继续刺激玉米和大豆的过度生产, which are mostly used to produce—you guessed it—added sugar, processed foods, 和肉. 我们需要新的政策来帮助美国农民种植健康食品.
Increasing access to local and regional food
帮助人们吃得更健康的一种方法是通过农贸市场将他们与附近的农民联系起来, community-supported agriculture (CSA) operations, or food hubs. By buying food from local, small-to-medium-sized farms, 消费者可以为他们社区的经济健康以及他们自己的福祉做出贡献. 2018年《517888九五至尊娱乐》等立法旨在帮助农民找到新的当地市场,同时改善当地居民的粮食供应, especially low-income communities and communities of color, where fresh, healthy food is often in short supply.
Ensuring healthy meals for kids
A healthy diet is especially important for children. 他们的身体还在生长发育,他们的品味和习惯还在形成. 此外,数百万美国儿童生活在食品不安全的家庭中. 为学校供餐提供补贴的联邦项目在确保每个教室里的每个孩子都营养充足并做好学习准备方面发挥着至关重要的作用. 重要的是,这些项目要符合营养质量的高标准, 但加工食品行业极力游说降低标准.
Preserving safety nets
根据美国农业部经济研究局的数据, more than one in 10 US households, and more than one in seven households with children, 2017年经历了粮食不安全,这意味着在一年中有时, 他们要么无法获得足够的食物来满足日常需求, 或者不得不采取应对策略,比如减少饮食的多样性,或者从社区食品储藏室获取紧急食品. 营养计划,如补充营养援助计划(SNAP), 又名食品券)的存在是为了帮助这些家庭始终如一地将有营养的食物摆上餐桌. SNAP is a smart investment, lifting millions of families out of poverty each year, improving health and academic performance, and reducing medical costs. 然而,每次授权它的立法都需要更新, SNAP becomes a political target. 我们需要继续捍卫这一成功的、具有成本效益的项目.