There are an estimated 13 million children living in food insecure homes in the U.S (1). How can we let this happen? Food is a basic need! It’s heartbreaking to think of so many children and their families trying to cope with the many negative impacts of food insecurity. How can children learn and grow and thrive if their bodies aren’t getting enough food? Food insecurity increases risk of depression, anxiety, illness and poor academic performance. And as Anna mentioned in a previous post, food insecurity increases the risk of developing disordered eating behaviors. This certainly makes sense. When your body doesn’t consistently get enough food, it makes physiological and psychological adjustments to help you survive. Your body sends messages to eat what is available NOW because there might not be enough tomorrow. When this happens, you might feel ashamed. You might feel that the loss of control is your fault. Actually, it’s not your fault. It’s your body finding a way to get what it needs when food is available. …