To listen to the accompanying audio story, click here. To watch the accompanying documentary, click here.
“A Taste of America” presents a sobering look at the everyday challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the United States, especially for low-income individuals like Tiarah Paterno.
A young Argentinian immigrant living on her own, Tiarah juggles school and part-time work while struggling with limited access to affordable, nutritious food. Her refrigerator often sits nearly empty due to financial constraints. Without a car, she relies on public transportation to reach distant grocery stores, where healthier food options are more affordable than those available at nearby convenience stores. This highlights a broader issue of food accessibility and the geographic and economic barriers many Americans face in their pursuit of a balanced diet.
This photo essay underscore how structural issues in the U.S. food system disproportionately affect low-income populations. Tiarah is often forced to shop at convenience stores, where fresh produce is both limited and overpriced. The widespread presence of bioengineered ingredients in cheap, processed foods further exacerbates health disparities.
National trends point to a significant portion of the population not consuming the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, and increasing food prices continue to make nutritious choices harder to afford. Even seemingly small efforts to eat healthy — like buying a bag of apples — can be financially burdensome, especially in high-cost areas like Miami.
Tiarah’s hectic schedule leaves little time for meal preparation, pushing her toward frequent takeout and fast food consumption —behaviors mirrored by millions of Americans. This reliance on convenience foods, compounded by sedentary routines and lack of walkable infrastructure, contributes to the country’s high rates of obesity and low physical activity.
In contrast to her more active lifestyle in Argentina, Tiarah’s experience reflects the struggles many immigrants and low-income individuals face in adapting to life in the U.S., where staying healthy often requires time, transportation, and resources they simply don’t have.
Without a car, Tiarah relies on public transportation to reach grocery stores, adding time and effort to her search for affordable, healthy food. Fruits, vegetables, and ethnic foods were more expensive in local food stores in walkable areas and cheaper in larger stores, further away, requiring transport for those on a budget. (Cambridge, 2021).Tiarah shops at a convenience store because she does not live close to a big-box retailer. In 2025, prices for all food are predicted to increase 3.4 percent (USDA, 2025). The high cost of fresh produce makes a healthy diet less accessible and attainable.Tiarah examines the small produce section at the convenience store, where choices are scarce, and the price of fresh items is often inflated due to limited supply. Low-income groups often rely on cheap, convenient foods that lack nutrients because healthier options in convenience stores are priced higher than in larger grocery stores (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).The label on processed foods like Oreos highlights bioengineered ingredients, which are commonly used to reduce production costs but may contribute to unhealthy diets in communities with limited access to fresh, affordable food. Bioengineered ingredients are also known as GMOs. The U.S. is the lead producer of genetically bioengineered produce, contributing to 40% of global GMO crops. (Wunderlich & Gatto, 2015)After buying a pack of apples, an attempt to eat healthier, Tiarah has a 30-minute bus ride home. About 75% of Americans fail to eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, which may contribute to America’s high obesity rates (CDC, 2013).Choosing the healthiest option can come with a big price. Tiarah’s bag of apples cost her $6. Miami is reported as the highest average weekly grocery spending of any major metro area at $327.89(HelpAdvisor.com, 2024)(ERS, 2025).Tiarah arrives with the bag of apples because she tries to eat as healthy as she could, despite having a limited budget. The United States Department of Agriculture predicts a 3.9% rise in all food products for the rest of 2025.After venturing out to get groceries, Tiarah decides to order take out because she does not have ingredients at home. UberEats has 131 million users in the U.S. and is a common solution for the fast-pace American life. Lack of time to prepare healthy meals is a common barrier to a healthy diet for 23% of Americans (Cleveland Clinic, 2023).Tiarah orders take out multiple times a week because she does not have time to cook meals between her classes and job. The average American orders take out about once a week (US Foods, 2023).Tiarah finished her meal, including a triple cheeseburger, fries and a Dr. Pepper. About a third of Americans eat fast food on any given day, and Americans aged 20-39 consume the most fast food on any given day. (CDC, 2018).After eating, Tiarah usually naps or scrolls on her phone because she is mentally tired from school and work. Back in Argentina, she was more active because she walked everywhere. Because of Miami’s landscape, she has to take the bus or Uber, having little to no activity at all other than at her job. Data says that only 28% of Americans exercise enough, whereas 55% of people in Argentina do. (Porterfield, 2023)(Argentina.gob.ar, 2023).
Giana Agostinho is a trilingual student at Florida International University, majoring in Digital Communications and Media with a focus on broadcasting. She aspires to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, specifically within the sports industry, hoping to amplify athletes' stories and create engaging content for fans.
Carolina Alvarez is a Florida International University student currently in her sophomore year and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in digital communications. She enjoys film, music, and fashion.
Angelica Wells is a junior at Florida International University studying digital journalism and hopes to write for a local news station or be a photographer for a magazine after graduating. In her free time, she is an automotive photographer and enjoys editing pictures in Photoshop and works as an email marketer and creates graphic designs for her clients.
