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Culinary Corner

Help stamp out food insecurity

For many people in Durango, food is a hot topic, with conversations ranging from where to get the best local and organic products to which diet trend – dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo – is the greatest. But for a large segment of the population, those are conversations they can’t really afford to have.

Unbeknownst to most, 13.2 percent of the La Plata County population and 18.5 percent of the county’s children are faced with food insecurity issues. Food-insecure households face the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food and lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis.

Studies have shown that food-insecure children are at a higher risk of behavioral challenges, physical health problems and stunted early development. Counter-intuitively, food insecurity also is associated with obesity, as cheaper food options tend to be lower in nutrients but higher in calories. But food insecurity isn’t just a health issue, it also hinders the child’s ability to excel and thrive in school. Even just missing breakfast can lead to the inability to concentrate, headaches, stomach aches and higher rates of anxiety, depression and irritability. These symptoms in turn can result in poor academic performance that affects the ability of these children to break out of the poverty cycle in the future.

So what can we do about it? On a local level, consider donating to the Durango Food Bank, which distributes food to residents in need, or Manna Soup Kitchen, which serves daily meals to the homeless and the working poor.

Cooking Matters Southwest Colorado is another effort, as part of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign that is working to end childhood hunger by teaching cooking classes and nutrition to low-income families. On a national level, support legislation that protects funding for anti-hunger programs, such as School Lunch, SNAP (formerly food stamps) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children).



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