Gean: Nutrients as Medicine

The connection between health and food is well-documented, as Gean knows first-hand. She is 63 and has a number of health problems, all of which can be triggered with unhealthy eating. In order to remain healthy, she needs fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

With visits to 2 food pantries a month and Gean’s SNAP benefits, Gean and her housemate piece together enough food.  And this gives them an appreciation for the fresh produce and healthy options offered at the Food Pantry. “Oak Park [River Forest Food Pantry] treats you right… they give you things you can actually  use instead of canned goods you don’t even know what it is,” she said.

She finds the produce and dairy to be the high quality items she needs in her diet. She starts every month with a trip to the food pantry to see what she can get. She fills in the rest of her need with her link card which allows her to go to the grocery store. But she often finds herself walking past the fresh produce at the grocery store, “the produce in the store, you can’t afford it, you just walk past and say ‘oh that’s pretty.’”

In addition to working on her diet, Gean focuses on staying active. “I like swimming and I joined the Silver Sneakers program.”

“I didn’t know how to utilize resources but I learned from the Food Pantry how to tap into resources from the community.” For Gean, figuring out how to stay healthy is a puzzle. A puzzle that with the Food Pantry gets a bit easier.