Food Choices are Complicated
My relationship with food is difficult, to say the least. I never dealt with food scarcity or having to live in a food desert. I always knew that when the dinner hour rolled around, there would be something to eat on the table. But my parents worked incredibly hard to do so, and by necessity, a lot of the foods we had were canned or frozen; therefore, they were oversalted and mushy. That included the fruit we ate. And like most kids, I didn’t exactly have a sophisticated palate to start with. So my early experiences with these foods formed a huge bias that I had to overcome, something that I’m still doing decades later.
On top of these preconceived notions, there’s the constant influx of “bad” and “good” food messages. People aren’t allowed to just eat. Our food choices are constantly being picked apart and dictated by trends and crazes. One day eggs are good for you and the next they are too high in cholesterol and are going to give you a heart attack.
And when you’re fat, it’s even worse! If you’re fat and eat a doughnut, it’s proof that you are fat because you overeat and stuff yourself full of sugary foods. If you’re fat and eat a salad, it’s “so inspirational” that “you’re doing something good for yourself” and “trying to lose those extra pounds!”
Food does not have an inherent value. It is not good or bad. There are some foods people can’t eat because they are allergic or sensitive to it. I have a problem with soy and some dairy, other people are allergic to shellfish or peanuts. Some people have to avoid gluten. I have diabetes and need to manage my carb intake. But all of that is and should be determined by an individual person’s needs and not by any arbitrary ideas of what constitutes a “good” food.
No one can even agree on what “eating healthy” means, though I think this definition sounds about right:
“Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good, and have energy. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals.”
Eat what makes you feel good and gives you what your body needs to function. Look, making food choices is complicated. And it is complicated for everyone. The food experiences and challenges we face early on can inform how we approach food for the rest of our lives. Like I said, I am still unpacking decades of issues with different foods, especially the ones I know I need to eat more of to manage my chronic pain and diabetes. But the foods I need to eat are not the same as the foods you need to eat.
I feel like the main theme of my blog boils down to “Mind your business and the world will be better.” And if that’s all anyone takes away from me, I’ll be happy with that.