Food, Industry and Us

The New York Times published an article last week about a New York mother on a junk food crusade. MeMe Roth had her children stash anything given to them aside from their school lunch in Tupperware so she could inspect it when they came home, that is until the day her daughter tried to save a juice pop and the teacher told her to "eat it or lose it". Roth is pushing for an overhaul of the school's food service, and apparently without much tact. Her aim is true–she is concerned for the health of her children and the ever-increasing obesity epidemic–but her words are fierce and her actions somewhat outlandish. Roth's children probably feel alienated, and they probably have a secret stash of chocolate in their closets.

Yesterday the Times printed a review on Dr. David A. Kessler's new book, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. Kessler, who himself has struggled with overeating, investigates how the food industry makes its way into the consumer brain via marketing and perfect chemical concoctions. While Roth is trying to pry junk food out of the people's hands, big name corporations are setting us up to desire it.

Food is a complicated thing for many people. There is a huge abundance of food in our country. It's everywhere, it's fast and it's cheap. There is also a huge amount of founded and unfounded information about how one should and should not eat–certain times and certain foods and certain amounts. It's enough to make anyone's head spin, expecially if they are looking to lose weight or get healthier.

The truth is that there is no such thing as a good or bad food. Food is good. Food is fuel; it is not a harbinger of fat. Fettuccini alfredo is not a "fattening" food. Lifestyle choices can be fattening, but food provides energy and sustenance.

Surely there are better ways to eat; fresh and local produce is incredibly good for you and a balanced diet is hailed by all health professionals. But the best way to eat is to eat what you want and to eat it with relish, and, if possible, with your family and friends. Depending on one's mindset, a fresh green salad can be just as nutritious as an unshared pint of ice cream. It's like going to the gym–exercising is good for you, but so is taking a day or two to relax or get something else done.

The food industry can be a war zone. We are encouraged to consume, and the more we consume the better for the industry. Individual health and peace of mind is not a corporate goal. Another notable in the Times from a few months back explained the new ad campaign of Lay's baked potato chips. The spokesperson for Lay's essentially stated that the ads preyed on women's natural feelings of guilt. Women feel guilty more often than men, especially about their food choices. Women also are more prone to snacking than men. Yes, human psychology is the basis for a solid ad campaign. Did anyone notice the change in TV commercials when the economy tanked? All of a sudden everything was sunshine and feel good and ridiculous humor.

Pair a dishonest food industry with impossible standards of beauty and you've got a population rife with disordered eating. Our food is manipulated, our information about food is manipulated and we constantly strive to be physically who we are not. The result is a huge disconnect between mind, body and soul.

The cure for disordered eating is feeding–feeding the mind, body and soul everything they need. Understanding the food industry and good nutrition, getting to know and love one's body and basking in the fields of joy, movement and creativity are all imperative foodstuffs.

We are a population out of balance with the world we live in, therefore many aspects of our daily lives tip the scales. There are too many of us, we work too much, we eat strangely, and, at the end of the day, many of us are full yet unfulfilled.

Anything can be improved upon with enough awareness and persistence. People like Michael Pollan and Dr. Kessler show that we are on our way to a food revolution, one that involves getting back to basics–growing our own food, visiting the market, indulging without guilt, having fun in the kitchen and most of all, appreciating and enjoying both the food we eat and ourselves.

Enjoy the food you eat today and take part in the revolution.

So I thought, Maybe I'll start a blog.