A good chunk of Terre Haute and parts of the surrounding Wabash Valley are considered food deserts – areas without nearby grocery stores or food markets. If you don't have easy access to healthy foods, research shows you may be at higher risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular problems. The experts at Union Health can help you counteract the barriers of living in a food desert.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture designates food deserts on census tracts across the country as "low-income and low-access" areas (the USDA stopped using the term "food desert" in 2013). These census tracts have either a high poverty rate or low median income. Additionally, at least one-third of the people in the tract must live greater than a half mile from a larger grocery store or supercenter. The requirement increases to 10 to 20 miles in rural areas.

As there are many food deserts in urban communities, some activists have started using the term "food apartheid" instead. Their view is that a desert is a vibrant, living landscape. However, "apartheid" reflects the economic and racial discrimination that has created underserved communities likely to have greater food insecurity.

Multiple studies have found that people who live in food deserts have a higher risk of developing heart disease. However, research is ongoing to determine how much of an impact the lack of healthy foods has versus the effect of poverty itself. But if you live in a food desert and have heart disease, you are statistically more likely to have an adverse cardiovascular outcome such as heart attack or death. Another study found patients with peripheral arterial disease who lived in a food desert were 17% more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or die. Other research has found that even very young people in these areas are at risk for heart disease.

If you live in a food desert, your only options may be driving several miles for fresh foods or eating unhealthy processed foods. Try these tips to get started increasing your access to nutritious foods:

• Plan ahead. Creating a meal plan makes it easier to only make one weekly trip to a store across town. Additionally, you'll probably save money.
• Tackle transportation. One of the biggest problems facing many people in food deserts is a need for more reliable transportation to travel to bigger grocery stores. If you have a car, offer a weekly carpool to a store with your neighbors. If you don't have a car, try to get a neighborhood carpool started. Also, be on the lookout for community shuttle services that may be able to transport you to a store and back.
• Welcome fresh vegetables. Many local farmers markets take EBT/SNAP, and often they double your benefits, meaning you get twice the fruits and vegetables. You can also start a garden in your yard – or in containers on your porch – and easily grow vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers at a minimal cost. You can also use EBT/SNAP to purchase seeds or small plants. If you don't have a yard or porch, look for a community garden at a church or school nearby.