CHICAGO, the capital of the bountiful Midwest of the United States of America, breadbasket of the world, and yet a city where hundreds of thousands of residents have lived in “food deserts” – neighborhoods lacking access to fresh fruits and vegetables – and where one in three children are overweight or obese.
The families in the book reside in impoverished, violence-scarred neighborhoods on the South Side of the city, places that are too often dead-ends for ambition.
A good student, the 1,000 Days became Jessica’s favorite subject. She craved knowledge of how to achieve the best for her child, and worked with a doula from Chicago’s Ounce of Prevention Fund to prepare. But an escalation of violence in surrounding Chicago neighborhoods had her worried about keeping her new family safe.
Jessica, Marco, and 6-day old daughter Alitzel
And she heeded lessons about the importance of nutritious foods for mother and child during the 1,000 Days. A pot of vegetable soup was often simmering on the stove. “I want her to be a healthy girl,” Jessica said, “just eating healthy things.” And she wanted to set an example for her daughter, often doing homework throughout the night; she graduated from high school and set her sights on college.
LEFT: Jessica and Alitzel—1 year
RIGHT: Alitzel—2 years
She realized, too, that vitamins, minerals and proteins were essential nutrients for physical and cognitive growth. Quintana sought to bring a dietary discipline to her use of U.S. federal food-access assistance programs like WIC and SNAP, purchasing the most nutritious food she could afford.
Quintana and ShaLawn—18 months