The Glorification of Food
For those who can afford it…
When I was training to become a dietitian, there was a lot of focus on food. On nutrients. Digestion. Metabolism.
Lots of lessons about what a balanced diet included and how to help people plan meals and snacks.
An emphasis on eating enough, but not too much.
I developed a deep understanding of food and its components.
Need some vitamin C? Add some citrus fruit to your plate!
Low in iron? How about some beef or beans? If you pick the beans, don’t forget the vitamin C to maximize absorption!
I learned food plays a big role in our overall health.
That the nutrients found in food, and the collective variety and amount of food we eat, largely influence our health.
Food Hierarchy
Today, we live in a world that places a top-down valuation on food.
A hierarchy where fresh, organic, “clean” food sits at the top and processed, salty, sweet, boxed or bagged “junk” falls to the bottom.
We glorify some foods and berate others.
It’s the good-for-you food versus the bad-for-you food battle.
(By the way, “clean” food suggests there is “dirty” food, and nearly everything we eat is processed somehow. We don’t latch on to the cow to drink our milk!)
Although this hierarchy of food may be helpful, especially in discerning a nutritious diet, it’s also harmful.
Do No Harm: Access and Affordability
Reality check: Our food choices are based on our socioeconomic status.
A big food budget might allow you to purchase organic meats and dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, and sample a variety of cuisines.
A generous food budget allows you access to whatever you want to eat.
A small budget, however, looks different. It may mean letting the circular determine your menu, taking advantage of the 2-for-1 sales, and skipping nutritious foods to stay within budget.
It could mean passing on the produce aisle, the deli, or the butcher sections, and sticking with store brands.
In other words, a small budget limits access to food and food choices.
Organic, fresh, “clean” food is available to those who have access and who can afford it. Those who don’t, or can’t, make food choices based on their financial situation.
Food is Food
As a nutrition professional, it’s my job to guide and advise folks on a nutritious diet.
If course, I know what makes up a healthy diet.
However, I’d be an insensitive oaf if I didn’t consider the socio-economic factors the precede food decisions.
A knucklehead if I ignored a family’s cultural food practices and values.
Single-minded if I perpetuated a food system that ignores the realities of socioeconomic constraints, not to mention individual food preferences, health considerations, and cultural values.
Yes, some foods are better-for-you than others.
And many foods are nourishing, even though they fall at the bottom of society’s food hierarchy.
Although there’s nothing wrong with aspiring for better food and “healthy” diets, we must remember for many folks, economics, preferences, and values influence what they choose to eat.
