Zero Draft of Research Paper

This is the zero draft of my research paper regarding food deserts. It contains my intro paragraph and my first body paragraph about obesity being a negative effect of food deserts. Please keep in mind that this is a very rough first draft so don't judge too much.

Typically when thinking about people that lack nutritious food in their diet, most would assume that these people live in a third world country. It would not even cross some people’s mind that these individuals could live in the United States. The truth is that millions of Americans live in what is called a food desert. Food deserts in America are defined as areas that lack healthy and affordable food. Furthermore, 23.5 million Americans live in a food desert and half of those people are from low-income families according to the U.S Department of Agriculture. These food deserts are a huge threat to the health of Americans and generations to come. Some of these threats include diabetes and obesity. In this essay, then, closely examining food deserts and the negative effects of them will show that action needs to be taken to provide grocery stores in low-income urban areas.

One of the negative effects that come with living in a food desert is obesity. This has been a growing problem among Americans as obesity rates have doubled over the past 35 years. Furthermore, the average American today weighs 24 pounds more than the average American of 1960 [state of obesity website]. It is probable that this rise in obesity has came about largely because of food deserts. Think about it; if someone lives in a low-income urban area with a grocery store more than a mile away, where will they buy their food? Most likely at their neighborhood convenience store. Let’s not forget what is offered in those places. Mostly they sell the cheap unhealthy foods such as chips, soda, candy, etc. It is no wonder that people who live in food deserts have a higher chance of becoming obese. In addition, studies have shown that access to a supermarket reduces the risk of obesity and vice-versa, access to a convenience store increases the risk of obesity. [U.S Department of Agriculture report]