Defining Food

This recent election has inspired me in many ways. In my 43 years I have spent 17 in a relatively conservative Missouri and 17 in a comparatively liberal Minnesota. Those 9 years in the middle I  visited every state except Hawaii. I also lived, worked and paid taxes in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Wisconsin, Arizona and Tennessee. The chance to know people across this country from all walks of life has given me the unique ability to witness both the anger and frustration as well as the joy and excitement brought on by this election. From this, all I see is a serious need to listen to one another.

So how does this relate to nutrition? Well, most of my anger and frustrations are tied up in the approach to food in this country. I am of the opinion that if we don't have access to healthy food, or don't utilize it if available-what do we have? A lot of my displeasure resides in the healthcare crisis we are currently facing, and how it directly relates to the food choices being made. So instead of loudly expounding on my anger, this election has inspired me to listen.

 A recent talk by Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything, really forced me to question the definition of food in this country. He noted that quite a large percentage (I believe it was around 40%) of what we see on the market today as food, would not fit the definition of actual food. The word 'food' is defined as, "any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink in order to maintain life and growth." This means that the food you put in your mouth, to be defined as food, needs to contain nutrients. Nutrition means the promotion of health, or in other words, "the act or process of nourishing or of being nourished." A lot of what we consume in the U.S. today would not fit this description, and we are seeing the repercussions in the epidemic of chronic, preventable, conditions and illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention :

"Chronic diseases and conditions-such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and arthritis-are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems.....Health risk behaviors are unhealthy behaviors you can change. Four of these health risk behaviors-lack of exercise or physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and drinking too much alcohol-cause much of the illness, suffering and early death related to chronic diseases and conditions."

Although it makes us feel better to blame the government or the president, the reality is that a tremendous amount of healthcare costs are going to the treatment of conditions that are preventable.  I choose to eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods; preferably organic and locally grown, ideally from my own garden. I do this because it is important to me that my family and I are able to function optimally. This means healthy enough to accomplish physically demanding tasks, healthy enough to weather common illnesses without the need for antibiotics or progression into secondary conditions, and in enough of a healthy state to make good choices and decisions. When others choose not to do so it is directly affecting my family in many ways, but primarily via healthcare costs. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, healthcare costs now make up around 17% of our economy. In 2014 that was 2.9 trillion dollars. 2.9 trillion dollars!! The top two contributors to this sum: diabetes and heart disease.

I assume you all understand what a healthy diet looks like, so why would you/do you make unhealthy choices? 
My boss once said to me, "Food means different things to different people." What is food to you?