Feast or Famine in South Texas
“It’s an all-too-typical health paradox. South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley is home to many people who are both food insecure – meaning they lack reliable access to nutritious food – and are facing the health consequences of diets of excess. Research has shown poverty and obesity go hand in hand, and the four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley – Starr, Willacy, Hidalgo and Cameron – have plenty of both. About 80 percent of Valley residents are overweight or obese, according to the health nonprofit It’s Time Texas, and Valley cities are regulars on lists of America’s fattest and poorest places.”