Beyond Hunger

Food insecurity affects mental health, causing depression, anxiety, mood disorders and suicidal ideation.

“I feel panicked. I get very nervous when the cupboards start getting scarce.”

• Forty per cent of people who are food insecure struggle with anxiety and other mood disorders.
• People living with food insecurity account for one-third of hospitalizations related to mental health.

“I just had a friend commit suicide because she couldn’t get the help she needed. A lot of people feel that way—that no one cares.”

Food insecurity creates barriers to employment because of physical and mental health challenges, lack of energy and motivation, and the costs associated with getting a job.

“I sometimes have to miss shifts at work to access food. The food I access is worth more than the one to two hours of work.”

• Nearly one-third of respondents said that the time it took to meet their food needs and/or the general instability that comes with being food insecure interfered with their ability to find and keep work.

“When you haven’t eaten for days, you don’t feel motivated to get up and look for work. You’re just thinking about food.”

Mental health issues connected to food insecurity led to low self-esteem, questions around self-worth and intelligence, and negativity around prospects.

“If you don’t have enough to feed yourself, then there is no ladder to climb.”

• Food insecurity also made some of our respondents feel that the choices available to them were limited. Nearly one-third said that their food situation trapped them in survival mode.

“One reason I couldn’t finish school was because I was so sick, and I was so sick because of lack of food.”

Food insecurity causes social isolation and limits people’s ability to participate fully in society.

“I get really nervous at work when people ask me to go out for lunch, and I say no.”

• People living on low incomes are six times more likely to be socially isolated. Social isolation has negative health effects, leading to a number of chronic diseases and mental health problems.

“Someone will invite me somewhere, but I can’t keep asking them for money. [Being alone] makes me really bored—and, at times, that makes me feel like ending everything.”

Food insecurity creates barriers to participating in cultural events and holidays. This can make people feel excluded from their culture.

“Celebrating doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t remember the last time I celebrated a holiday. I have to make compromises.”

“My daughter’s birthday was hard. I had to borrow money just so she could see other kids and eat pasta.”

“I want to make tamales and croquetas. I can’t afford to get to places that sell them or to make my [traditional] food. Today is All Saints’ Day and Día de los Muertos. I would like to make tamales to offer to the dead, but I can’t.”

Food insecurity can strain relationships with loved ones as people often skip important gatherings or feel strained by finances.

“I feel ashamed that I don’t have food. I don’t know how to tell family members that I don’t have food or am experiencing depression as a result.”

• Sixty per cent of the people we surveyed said they would skip gatherings with family and friends because they couldn’t contribute.

“A lot of our society is centred around food. ‘Let’s go for lunch,’ ‘Let’s grab a coffee,’ ‘Let’s have dinner.’ I have to explain that I don’t have enough food or money to do that. Then they don’t invite me over because I can’t have them over.”

Food insecurity has lasting effects on the lives of children. Children who experience food insecurity are at risk of hyperactivity and inattention and are more likely to experience mental health challenges as adults.

“I had to go to food banks, and that was so tough. It wrecked the quality of my children’s lives. It was awful. I was trying so hard after coming out of a difficult marriage. My daughter once said, ‘We’re just white trash, Mom. We’re eating from food banks.’”

• Research shows that adults think they’re doing a better job of concealing their lack of food from their children than they really are. Kids employ their own strategies to deal with food insecurity, such as eating less at meal time or asking their siblings not to snack.

“If we go somewhere that serves food, my son will want a snack. I make sure he’s fed before, but he’ll keep saying, ‘I’m hungry, I’m hungry.’ I get so embarrassed because I think people assume I’m not feeding him. We can’t afford that food out though.”