On World Diabetes Day, a 35-foot trailer packed with healthy foods made its debut at the Texas Diabetes Institute in San Antonio.
Green rice is on the menu at the Mobile Mercado.
Chef Lila Bernal of the San Antonio Food Bank is preparing a no salt, low fat dish that’s diabetic-friendly.
"We’re making some green rice using seasonal produce, things that we can find growing in Texas ready right now," Bernal explained.
The Mobile Mercado is part demonstration kitchen, part rolling grocery store, with rows of fresh fruits and vegetables along with other healthy items people who live in this neighborhood may not buy on a regular basis. They live in what’s called a food desert, a place where access to affordable fresh food is limited by location and income.
"A lot of people don’t have access to transportation and are very limited mobility-wise," said John Velasquez of the Food Bank. "They can actually do their shopping and go home instead of having to find transportation to go to H-E-B."
Kelly Carter of the Diabetes Institute said access to good food can actually stave off the disease. "
Losing weight, exercising, eating a healthy diet, all those are ways that you can actually decrease your risk of developing diabetes," Carter stated.
The Mobile Mercado will visit TDI once a month, and other parts of the city as well.
