I haven't been cooking as much lately - at least not trying much new. We've just completed the first week back at classes, and to be honest I'm just trying to get by these days. Salads, and other quick but tasty and healthy foods are the norm right now. Heck, we all go through this - as I tell my students - it's about maintaining your ability to choose proper foods in the face of challenges that tests your commitment to changing your nutrition for the better.
From time to time we all get inspiration from outside, and I am certainly no different. Recently my good friend "C" sent me a link to a BBC interview with one of my favorite people - Jamie Oliver. The BBC has a great website and show called BBC GoodFood, and they did a pre-holiday interview with Oliver, which is divided into sub-sections here. He talks about his Fifteen concept, where he helps out troubled youth by giving them an opportunity to work and learn in his Fifteen restaurant, and many of these students go on to do fabulous things after. He also talks about the magic of growing his own foods, as well as his plans for the upcoming year. It's Jamie at his stream-of-consciousness best!
A stateside parallel to this show (and website) is the NPR Splendid Table show and site (found here). This show explores many food-related issues, from sustainability to the food/culture relationship and beyond. I encourage you to listen in - it really is good stuff.
Four Requirements
All of the talk of being busy and making good choices was strangely illustrated recently by a story I found in the L.A. Times, that focused on current research about the impact of the food-related environment on people's dietary choices. Here is the link to a pdf version of that article:
DOWNLOAD FILE
Unfortunately, I really have to disagree with several of the points in this article, not the least of which is blaming corporations and government for what is essentially a problem of consumer control. The market responds to one very strong stimulus: demand. For as long as our demands as consumers are limited to foods that only meet the following 3 requirements, we will be burdened with poor choices:
- Fast
- Tasty
- Cheap
Food producers are responding to the changing demands of the consumer. Just see the popularity of stores like Trader Joe's and, to a lesser extent, Whole Foods. I feel that, for the most part, Trader Joe's embodies what happens when we add a 4th requirement: quality. Many of foods at Trader Joe's are pre-made for busy people. But, the added quality requirement sees the quality of the food increase dramatically, without the slightest decrease in taste or speed, or for the most part cost. There have been many times that I have filled a sizable TJ's grocery bag with goodies for $20 or less.
The following quote from the article also presents an interesting contradiction:
"[The study's authors] argue that automatic behaviors can be controlled, but only for a short time (the reason most diets ultimately fail). A more effective approach, they say, would be to decrease the accessibility, visibility and quantities of food people are exposed to, and the environmental cues that promote eating."
What is interesting about this quote is that it is meant to prove the point that government should step in and "do something," yet the final part of the quote is highlighting a longstanding solid, behavioral principle called Stimulus Control. I won't bore you with the science-y bit, but basically it calls for the individual to restructure their environment and avoid high-risk cues to the problem behavior. Let me repeat....it calls for the INDIVIDUAL to do this. As strongly as I support the notion that certain corporations go out of their way to offer bad nutritional choices - I feel that the only real, lasting solution to this lies in consumer demand. We need to work harder at demanding quality foods that are affordable to all. In this scenario, the poor nutritional choices still exist, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In this scenario, these high-calorie, low nutrient-density foods are offered as a treat, or a guilty pleasure, not a meal option. After all, this is how these foods originated.
Please, demand better.
-C
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1 comment:
i LOVE this--as with much in our world, we do tend to try to shift blame & not accept responsibility for our own actions on the environment & consequently, our own health. I know i need to to make changes to my diet but i also know who's repsonsible for my health & my weight. I respect someone like Jamie Oliver for not only accepting his own responsibility but taking on the challenge of helping kids have the tools to change their own future.
Nice thoughts.
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