Recently, I have been spending my weekends doing community service, delivering, organizing, and packaging meal parcels for senior citizens and elders. What I learned through this experience extended far past how to navigate around the winding apartment complexes of the Bronx; many elders struggle to find healthy meals, as they cannot even leave their homes to travel to grocery stores or food pantries. For many lucky enough to do so, it becomes increasingly difficult to find healthy, organic, and naturally-sourced meals. Although research shows that populations with the highest average age at death rely on a Mediterranean diet, many seniors eat only ultra-processed fast foods, unaware that it can shorten their lifespan by 10% due to complications such as heart disease and diabetes. This discrepancy can be largely attributed to the lack of access to the Mediterranean cuisine for seniors, given the increasing scarcity of affordable, non-fast food options like this diet of plant-based foods, whole grains, and healthy fats like avocados, fish, and chia seeds. We all know too well the outrageous—and only rising—price of eggs, a key healthy-fat-enriched food. Through my community service, I have witnessed the prevalence of food poverty throughout all five boroughs of New York City, and I am committed to extending my service to address policy changes regarding the diets of senior citizens living both in nursing homes and around New York City.
Possible changes that can and should be managed by Congress include:
- Increasing awareness about the benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet (healthy-fat, whole grain, and plant-based food)
- Requiring fast-food restaurants/chains to publicly acknowledge the detrimental effects of the food they cater, specifically to senior citizens, so that the older population may remain cognizant about the dietary decisions they make
- Lowering prices for Mediterranean diet foods for senior citizens, nursing homes, and food pantries
- Promote retirement savings among lower and middle-income workers so that it may be easier for them to afford Mediterranean diet foods
Brains for Change 