Suffolk Community Gardens
Discover the community gardens around Suffolk and get your hands dirty growing your own food!
Suffolk Farmer's Market
Visit the local farmer's market and stock up on food grown fresh around our area.
Starting Your Own Container Garden
Virginia Tech and Virginia State University have tons of resources for starting your own container garden or backyard vegetable garden.
Food Deserts
Discover why large parts of Suffolk are considered Food Deserts, and what can we do about this problem.
America's Health Rankings for Virginia
See the 2015 annual report information about Virginia as gathered by the America's Health Rankings.
Virginia Food Access Network
Bringing together state agencies, national, regional, and local nonprofits, local governments, schools, and private businesses with data sharing, research, and resources.
The Impact of Nutrition on Your Health
(Taken from the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition)
Unhealthy eating habits have contributed to the obesity epidemic in the United States: about one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese.1 Even for people at a healthy weight, a poor diet is associated with major health risks that can cause illness and even death. These include heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer. By making smart food choices, you can help protect yourself from these health problems.
The risk factors for adult chronic diseases, like hypertension and type 2 diabetes, are increasingly seen in younger ages, often a result of unhealthy eating habits and increased weight gain. Dietary habits established in childhood often carry into adulthood, so teaching children how to eat healthy at a young age will help them stay healthy throughout their life.
The link between good nutrition and healthy weight, reduced chronic disease risk, and overall health is too important to ignore. By taking steps to eat healthy, you'll be on your way to getting the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy, active, and strong. As with physical activity, making small changes in your diet can go a long way, and it's easier than you think!
