Low income Chicagoans can still eat healthfully, nutrionists say

Put down the Honey Bun.

“Families should plan out meals and snacks,” said Jennifer McCaffrey of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. “We try to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables – especially the ones that are in season, since they’re cheaper. In Chicago, berries are very in season now, and melons will be in July and August.”

Low income families in the city are bearing the burden of rising food prices more than wealthier Chicagoans, but that doesn’t mean they have to sacrifice their health.

“Many people are without cars or can’t afford transportation,” said Vernell Jones, a nutritionist in Rogers Park who works with the Women, Infants and Children program. “So they rely on convenience stores or corner stores – and they don’t have skim milk or diet soda.”

Studies have shown that people in poorer communities do not have the same access to health care or even grocery stores, and according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, women in poverty were about 50 percent more likely to be obese than women with more money.

“I think there are many reasons obesity and income are linked,” said McCaffrey. “Most have to do with living environment; in low income homes, there’s usually not a lot of time and parents may not want their kids outside playing, so there’s less opportunity for physical activity. There’s usually not a lot of grocery stores and not a lot of access to healthy foods.”

The Expanded Food and Nutrition team, a University of Illinois Extension Program, works with people who have low incomes to provide food assistance by offering several resources, including cooking classes to expose people to new, healthy foods.

Despite an increase in efforts, McCaffrey said participants are struggling to feed their families.

“The price of cereal, dairy foods and meats is going way up,” she said. “Plus, with the cost of gas, we find that more people are signing up for public aid and going to food pantries.”

Nationally, people receiving food stamps rose 6.1 percent from February 2007 to February this year. This is the first year since 2003 that the increase was greater than the increase from the previous year. From February 2006 to February 2007, it was only a 2.3 percent increase.

The allotted amount of food stamps a family receives is adjusted each year in October, but they still struggle to keep food in their homes.

They become so desperate by the middle of the month that some stores on the South Side are opening at midnight on the first day on the month to provide necessary, but temporary relief.

McCaffrey and others teach low income families not to skip meals to save money, but rather to watch portion sizes and between-meal snacks. They encourage parents to give kids walking home from school healthy snacks and talk to them about choosing better foods instead of grabbing a bag of Fritos.

Food stamps are not the only help available to low income families, but WIC recipients struggle as well. WIC food costs in Illinois rose 5.4 percent from 2006 to 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but 0.56 percent from 2005 to 2006. For the past year, monthly benefits increased by $1.66 per household.

Depending on family size, WIC recipients are allowed five gallons of milk, 36 ounces of cereal, 46 ounces of juice, up to two pounds of cheese, one dozen of eggs and one pound of beans or peanut butter.

“WIC is designed to supplement income,” Jones said, but offered ways a family could eat if they only had WIC to rely on. She recommended cereal and juice for lunch, beans and rice for lunch and a homemade soup for dinner. Although this is a bare-bones and monotonous plan, Jones said it could provide the essential vitamins, iron, and protein.

In addition to monthly benefits, some WIC recipients are able to shop at farmers markets, depending on their location. They are given $15 per family member per month to spend on fruits and vegetables during the summer and fall.

“There are farmers markets further down in the city and on the South Side, but not here on the North Side anymore, so our clients aren’t eligible,” Jones said.

Many people in Rogers Park have turned to discount stores, such as Aldi’s or Food-4-Less, for affordable meats and produce. Dana Howse, who is married with three children, is not eligible for WIC or food stamps but still has to make sacrifices when she shops.

“I go to Aldi’s because they have cheaper fruits and vegetables,” Howse said.

She has adjusted her family’s eating routine by cutting out coffee, sweetened beverages and unnecessary snacks. “If it’s not on sale, we don’t get it,” she said.

Even though she looks for bargains, Howse said she still has trouble keeping up with price increases. It’s hard to keep healthy food in the house and has been running out of fruits and vegetables quickly.

With food prices expected to rise 4.5 percent this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Aldi’s spokeswoman Martha Swaney said the company is dedicated to providing affordable options and will be adding stores throughout Illinois this year.

“Our prices are up to 50 percent lower, especially on fresh products like soy milk and produce,” Swaney said. Aldi’s skimps on advertising, has fewer employees and provides a deposit system for their shopping carts to reduce costs and pass the savings on to customers.

Aldi’s has also made a conscious effort to supply healthy foods with their new Fit & Active products. Aldi’s, a privately owned company, would not comment on whether business has increased or customer demographics changed.

She said, “We appeal to customers of all walks of life.”

Do Discount Stores Really Help?

Here’s a comparison of basic foods at Aldi’s on North Broadway with Dominick’s, also on North Broadway. Items were compared by using the lowest price for the same sizes, regardless of brand.

Saving $7 each day, along with eating leftovers and minimizing snacks and take out, could save one person about $200 each month. Though larger families need more food, buying in bulk and preparing one skillet meals, as Jennifer McCaffrey calls them, will reduce food costs.

(*with Dominick's savings card)