In this map I am pointing out the few supermarkets that are in the area of The Bronx of Organic food.
People say the world revolves around money; I beg to differ. The world revolves around food. We consume it all the time and without it we cannot live, food is a huge part of us. The moment it touches our mouths; our bodies start appropriating it. Food digests into very small particles that end up being determining factors in certain actions of our bodies. It is so important that it could determine our health. In cities like New York, more specifically in the borough of The Bronx, eating habits are not the healthiest. Introducing organic food to The Bronx could help resolve many issues. Although organic food can be expensive, it should be consumed because it is better for the environment, it could improve people’s health, and create a healthier lifestyle.
It is important to define that organic food is “the product of a farming system which avoids the use of man-made fertilizers.”(Lewin) Fertilizers contain chemicals like phosphorous that are very dangerous to the environment. The use of these chemicals can lead to an excess of nutrients and leads to the lack of oxygen for animals and plants; this is known as eutrophication. “Eutrophication is characterized by excessive plant and algal growth due to the increased availability of one or more limiting growth factors needed for photosynthesis (Schindler 2006), such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrient fertilizers”.(qtd, Chislock) The production of organic food itself takes care of our ecosystem at the same time it takes care of those who consume it.
In The Bronx, organic food could be hard to access. As shown in the map supermarkets exclusively for organic foods are far apart and there are not many of them. It is important to introduce that 1 out of 3 people in The Bronx suffer from diabetes and that these supermarkets could provide food alternatives that would not add the current health issue. If the importance of these foods were advertised by these same supermarkets perhaps more people would do the extra effort of reaching them and making changes in their eating habits that would improve their health. After all, though the supermarkets are far, the transportation system in The Bronx could facilitate their access and this is yet another thing these supermarkets should stress. In “What Does ‘organic’ Mean, and Should You Buy Organic Foods?” (youtube) it is explained how these organic foods go through a series of regulations that requires these foods to go through little to none chemical alterations. Moving away from these chemicals does not only sound more attractive so people go more towards purchasing them than junk food, but when consumed, our bodies react better than if they were not organic.
Our lifestyle is defined by what we feed our minds and stomachs. The common Bronx lifestyle consists of full-time jobs or school in order to pay rent. Mostly, these occupations take up most of the citizen’s of the Bronx day making it hard to pay attention to their nutrition. Once informed about the benefits of organic food it is hard to shake the thought that a few more free hours are better than using the time to prepare your own meals. Organic food is bought raw forcing consumers to prepare their meals. Inorganic foods are more attractive due to the fact that they tend to already be prepared and are more readily available to consumers. Organic food can even go as far as motivating someone to cultivate their own food. It helps us better our habits.
Organic food is underestimated. The Bronx’s population is not very informed about its benefits. Organic food at first thought is known to be good to our bodies but it even goes beyond that. Organic food is also crucial for the improvement of our ecosystem’s health. Organic food forces us to create a healthier lifestyle for ourselves. Organic food is an overall well-rounded solution for many of the Bronx’s current issues.
Works cited
“What Does “Organic” Mean, and Should You Buy Organic Foods?” SciShow, video, 2018
“What does organic mean?” Jo Lewin, text, 2013
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