nutrition

For the almost two million Alabamians grocery store shelves loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables are often out of reach. That’s because they live in what are called food deserts. Those are rural and urban settings where poverty is higher, education is lower, and supermarkets are often non-existent. That leaves so called “dollar stores” as the only grocery option for a growing number of Alabamians facing food insecurity. Last week, we reported on what changes to food stamps might mean for Alabama’s hungriest residents. Today she teams up with a local chef to better understand the challenges of Alabamians living in food deserts.

Hartford Bakery, Inc. is voluntarily recalling six lots of its “Lewis Bake Shop Artisan Style 1/2 Loaf” as this product may contain undeclared hazelnuts. People with a nut allergy or severe sensitivity to hazelnuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products. This brand of bread is sold in Alabama.

Hundreds of thousands of Alabamians could be impacted by a budget plan under consideration in the U.S. House. The Republican majority is looking at three hundred billion dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as SNAP. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says about three quarters of a million Alabamians used the federal food program in 2024.

If a doctor has ever told you to change your diet, chances are they handed you a piece of paper with a list of foods. And most likely none of it looked appealing. But doctors in coastal Alabama are on the forefront of a delicious health trend hoping to change that.

Alabama legislation to expand Medicaid coverage and regulate firearms outlaw are just two state bills being watched by children’s advocates. Lawmakers may try to prevent the use of devices to turn weapons into machine guns. Another measure may try to make Medicaid more available to pregnant women to reduce infant mortality.

State officials are providing help for families with hungry students. The Alabama Department of Human Resources is doing this by extending summer Pandemic benefits for the third consecutive year.

Since 2010, the Druid City Garden Project has operated teaching gardens in Tuscaloosa city and county elementary schools. The gardens enhance students’…