Can Salad Boost Latino Health in NY’s Least Healthy County?

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Restaurant owners and a nonprofit group are working to push a new salad on menus in hopes of improving health in the Bronx, New York’s least healthy county.

The Bronx Salad aims to appeal to the large local Latino populations with familiar ingredients, including plantain chips, corn, beans, red onions, cilantro, and a dash of hot sauce, according to a report by NY1.

The salad was created by Chef King Phojanakong.

“When you think of the Bronx, maybe think of hot dogs, Yankee Stadium, a lot of fast food,” Phojanakong told NY1, noting the Bronx salad as a healthy alternative that locals can make easily themselves with lettuce from a rooftop garden and veggies from other community gardens. “We didn’t want to create a salad with things that are so difficult to get.”

Access to healthy food isn’t common in the Bronx, Phojanakong said.

In fact, 78% of local adults eat less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day—a worse rate than the rest of the state and nation, according to a Salud America! Salud Report Card on Bronx County.

In response, five local restaurants are rolling out the Bronx salad.

“We’re going to prove to New York that the Bronx can also be a healthy neighborhood,” Antonio Vinchis, owner of restaurant Mexicozina, told NY1.

They hope to get more restaurants and even bodegas (corner stores) and schools to offer the Bronx Salad by early next year.

“I’m hoping this can be something like a Caesar salad, right up there,” Phojanakong said.

Go here to learn how to boost Latino access to healthy food.

Create a report card now to see if your local area has access to healthy food.