Ana Ramos of The Food Trust is acting as a personal shopper for Trenton residents. At the New Way Deli Market, she was offering coupons to inspire new ways for folks in this low-income neighborhood to think about what they consume. Things like avoiding salty and sugary food and drinks.
“You can add some fresh spinach or lettuce to your lunch sandwich,” Ramos said to a customer.
Customers were engaged in conversations about consumption. One woman asked about sugar in juices.
“Sometimes, like with some of those, if it says it’s 50 percent or 60 percent, it does. But if it says a 100 percent juice, the sugar is straight from the fruit,” said Osvaldo Hernandez, project associate for The Food Trust.
Residents gain lessons in nutrition, plus free blood pressure, body mass index, stroke and heart disease screenings.
“I was diagnosed with high blood pressure last summer,” said customer Alonzo Leary Jr. “This is like a fixer-up to keep me on point.”
Capital Health Community Health Educator Barbara Greene says such readings are typically higher in low-income neighborhoods than in others.
“My thing is to follow up with your physician, have regular checkups, and also to walk and exercise,” Greene said.
Leary says smarter nutrition isn’t always easy and accessible in this blighted neighborhood.
“It’s the food that they put in our communities,” said Leary. “Most of it is salty. It’s not good for us. It’s killing us, it’s like poison.”
Health advocates say this statewide initiative is about reversing some potentially deadly trends in New Jersey, such as New Jersey is one of six states where the adult obesity rate is actually increasing, and the rate among toddlers in low-income communities, like this one in Trenton, is the second highest in the nation.
The Heart Smarts campaign, with its list of corporate sponsors, has set out to change that. It’s encouraging corner stores to carry and offer fresh fruits and vegetables. New Way Deli does and so does scores of others in Camden, Newark, Plainfield, Vineland, and Asbury Park in this multiyear campaign.
“I feel happy because I can help my community,” said New Way Deli Market owner Paul Feliz.
“The first thing is stores want to offer fresh fruits and vegetables, they just don’t know how. They don’t have the refrigeration, they don’t know where to purchase the foods, how do I make a profit from this,” said Darrin Anderson, associate executive director for the NJ YMCA State Alliance.
“Oh, this is great, this is good. This is a nice thing that they’re doing,” said customer Yvonne Ellis.
They do it here the third Thursday of every month, and they’re trying to get many more corner stores in New Jersey signed up like this one that’s in state Sen. Shirley Turner’s district.
“It’s not only just saving lives, it’s also about saving taxpayers’ money because we know that people get sick. If they are unhealthy, we are all going to be paying more,” Turner said.
Penny-wise and Heart Smarts.
