Appetite for Change launches video promoting healthy eating

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Remember "Hot Cheetos and Takis," that ode to junk food that went viral, racking up 7 million views around the world?

A non-profit in North Minneapolis is flipping the script on that video to show how junk and fast foods are hurting their community.

In that part of the city, it can be hard to find foods that are healthy and fresh.

But Appetite For Change is using music to plant the seed with young people to change their eating habits.

The group created a video for students in its summer youth program to rap about the importance of urban farming and the dangers of junk food.

The first verse starts out with, "You see in my hood there ain't really much to eat. Popeye's on the corner, McDonalds across the street."

The kids also give a shout out to the Beats and Rhymes program at the Northside YMCA, which helped with the song and video.

"It really was the most accessible format to talk about issues that are related to food and the food climate in North Minneapolis," Appetite For Change Communications and Development Manager Molly Cherland said.

But the group doesn't just drop beats. It grows beets as well, along with collard greens and tomatoes in nine urban plots teenagers farm in the summer.

Larrion Davis, who appears in the video, said being part of the program has given him some food for thought.

"I stopped drinking soda pop. I drink a lot more water, and [eat] vegetables. I'm in sports, so I shouldn't be eating none of that anyway, and it helps me stay on track,"  Davis said.

But in the end,  Appetite For Change hopes the message in the music is enough to help this food desert begin to bloom.

"I hope the video shows North Minneapolis is more than just Hot Cheetos and Takis. Yes, we're a neighborhood where there are a lot of convenience stores and limited options, but that's not all that's happening here," Cherland said.

The video was posted a couple of weeks ago and already has more than 33,000 views.

If you'd like to watch the whole thing for yourself, click here.