Healthy Neighborhoods Are Surrounded By Healthy Choices

The article I chose was “Availability of fresh food, exercise linked to healthy living” by Stephanie Hemphill. One really interesting point that this article brought up was there are nearly twice as many fast food restaurants in black neighborhoods as compared to white neighborhoods. I was shocked that there were that there was that big of a difference in ratios when it comes to race. This obviously also has to do with income level because white neighborhoods will tend to have a higher income than a black neighborhood. Another point that was brought up was that the availability to exercise greatly affects the health of the community. When they brought up this point I was expecting them to talk about how cities have more gyms or workout facilities, so those people would be more in shape. However this article makes the argument that neighborhoods with more bike paths and hiking trails will likely have better exercise opportunities for its occupants. This actually does make quite clear sense to me because people who can enjoy their exercise while biking or hiking and enjoying nature will likely exercise more, versus someone who just runs monotonously on a treadmill for a hour or so.

            An article that relates to this above article “Healthy neighborhoods can reduce the risk of diabetes” by Dr. Ayala Laufer-Cahana. Obviously diabetes is a huge health concern with our society. This type of disease can cause life-long problems. This article strongly agrees with the point the original periodical is trying to make. Dr. Laufer-Cahana agrees that better food choices (less fast food and more supermarkets) causes a healthier overall lifestyle. If people really think about it this makes complete sense. I would like to say most people would choose the healthier choice if it was as convenient as the less healthy choice; however it often takes about a half hour or more to cook a healthy meal, while an unhealthy meal is only five minutes away. It’s up Americans to decide which is more valuable, their health or their time.