By Sara Benitez, Research Analyst, Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation
In March 2011, more than thirty families let us into their lives—some even into their homes—to tell us about the measures they take each day to put a healthy meal on the table. That’s when I hit the road, traveling with Kara Ryan to three states, to learn about the nutrition experiences of Latino children and families.
In San Antonio, I had the honor of meeting Crystal, a 26-year-old mother of three, whose experience shows the resilience and savvy of families trying to eat healthfully on a limited budget. Like all of the parents and caretakers we met, Crystal only wants what is best for her children. Crystal has big dreams for her children, and with five-year-old son Carlos recently diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, she is acutely aware that she must do everything she can to help all of her children meet their dietary needs. When we met Crystal, she was temporarily unemployed and feeding her family on a budget of $125 per week, which is just short of the $140 the USDA estimates it costs to feed a family of four a healthy diet. In spite of these challenges, Crystal was determined to do whatever it took to feed her children healthy foods. Her resolve to eat better came about two years ago when Crystal took a class on childhood obesity at a community-based organization. From this class, Crystal learned about the nutritional value of different foods and how to shop for healthy food on a budget.
Crystal began by making small changes, such as exchanging flour tortillas for corn, and whole-grain wheat bread in place of white bread. The family also started eating at home more, saving them money and bringing them closer together. When talking about these changes, Crystal pointed to her family’s dining table to show us where her family now sits down to eat dinner and talk about their day. In reflecting on these changes and their impact on her family, Crystal proudly told us that after a few months of switching to healthier foods both she and her kids have lost weight and one day her daughter looked at her and said, “Mom, I feel better.”
As you’ll hear in the video, Crystal feeds her family by searching for the most affordable, nutritious food she can find. She compares prices on frozen and fresh produce, pinching pennies while trying to maximize the nutritional value of foods. In fact, Crystal calls herself a bargain shopper who carefully plans her weekly shopping trips by reviewing newspaper ads, writing a precise grocery list, and going to more than one store to find the lowest price.
Crystal does not have it easy—she is raising three children, including one with a serious medical condition—on a tight budget. Crystal’s firsthand account and the experiences of other Latino families can not only help us better understand the challenges Latino families face, but also how to overcome the barriers that make it hard to access healthy food. For example, Crystal’s story shows us that education is an important and integral part of the solution for improving child nutrition, yet it is only one piece of the puzzle. What Crystal learned through education helped her change her family’s eating habits. But her family continues to live just on the edge of hunger, challenged by the high prices of healthy foods. Food shopping strategies that she learned at a community-based organization, access to more lower-cost, healthy foods, and better income security would all help Crystal and other Latino families buy the nutritious foods they want their families to eat.
As I think about Crystal, I think about the millions of Latino families just like hers, who are learning about good nutrition and doing everything they can to put healthy food on the table. I believe that by telling their stories we can build support for policy changes that will make it easier for Crystal and others like her to feed their families.
You can help us tell the story of Latino families by forwarding Crystal’s video to your networks, reading the storybook, and viewing the full film.
For more news and resources about Latino families and nutrition, please visit NCLR’s Healthy Foods, Healthy Families web page at www.nclr.org/nutrition.