The food that built me
Every kid grows up differently. A big part of this has to do with food. Growing up I’d say I had a pretty balanced diet. My mom definitely had good health in mind, but convenience foods also had a presence in the house. I think my mom has learned a lot about healthy eating and made adjustments as she got older, so she didn’t want me eating the way her and her friends did back then. Fruits and veggies could always be found around our house and lunches, but the occasional oatmeal cream pie, fig newton, or hostess snack was not too rare of a find in my school lunchbox. Whole wheat and organic were also things I grew up with. Dinners usually contained some sort of meat, and most of the time it was chicken. I think this is probably because my father and I love meat. However, salads and vegetable dishes alone were on the table a decent amount as well. One thing that was a huge favorite in our house was the midnight, or bedtime snack. Inspired by my father, this was something I always looked forward to. My dad said that his dad used to always eat vanilla ice cream with peanuts on it, and most times this was the snack we would eat at night. It was a cool tribute to my Grandpa. I enjoyed it, and knowing it was special made it even better. Sometimes it was different variations of ice cream, or not ice cream at all. Maybe it was a piece of pie, or cheesecake. Either way, midnight snack was a memory I’ll never forget. Even though it wasn’t every night, it was enough nights during my elementary days to say that it probably wasn’t the greatest choice from a health standpoint. However, it was fun and delicious and sometimes that’s okay. Another common thing in our family is Alibi pizza on Sunday. We don’t usually eat dinner together because we are all busy and on different schedules, but this is something we treat ourselves to and all eat together. Nowadays, my family is very healthy. From the way they exercise to the way they eat, they are killing it. We are a religious family, and whenever Lent comes around everyone is either giving up pop, sweets, or something else they want to cut out of their diet completely. This is their time to lay down the law for themselves and quit a habit that they find simply unnecessary. I am an athlete and I go to the gym often. I try to make healthy choices with foods. My parents and sister are on another level, though. They go to Lifetime Fitness or Planet Fitness every day, and watch out for carbs and sugars in everything. It is not too excessive or anything, and I don’t see it as negative in any way. It is more so just impressive. My mom and sister stopped eating meat a few years ago as well. So, many dinners are made with only my dad and I in mind, and the girls find something else to eat. I’d say they're missing out, but they don’t miss it at all. Don’t get me wrong, my family isn’t a freakish health family, they just do a lot of things right and think about what they put in their bodies. Therefore, they look good and feel good. This rubbed off on me, of course. It would be tough for it not to. Now, when I shop, I check labels for sugars and compare products. I avoid too much processed food, and barely buy frozen food. I buy whole wheat and whole grain products and have also turned to organic due to my mom’s influence. Up until now it’s not like I ate horribly. I ate a lot of food, processed food here and there, sugary breads and drinks, all of it. I was just being a kid, and I didn’t really think too much of it. Whatever was in the house was what I ate. That’s the difference. Now I think about the foods I eat, where they came from, and what I’m putting into my body. My family adopted this mindset toward eating, and now I look at it the same way. Along the way I did have a little hiccup in my eating habits. We all have a food experience that changed us in one way or another. For me, it was a few related incidents that gave me a certain wrong idea about food. It has to do with vomit. Yes, I said it. First, something didn’t sit well at my uncle's house and I blamed it all on the broccoli I remember eating that day. Of course, there was a few years of my life where I avoided that dreaded broccoli completely. Obviously this wasn’t the cause of my upset stomach, but as a kid I knew this was the reason for sure! Then, my sister eats Dairy Queen up north one year and she has issues. Myself nearby, her issues became mine if you know what I mean. Sure enough, I thought Dairy Queen was poison for a while. Next came food poisoning at a hockey tournament. We ate breakfast at the hotel and two of us got sick and missed the game. You can probably guess whether or not I fancied eating continental breakfast any time soon after that. Now, I know this is ridiculous and not reasonable, but I was young and scared at this point. The act of having food come back up was my biggest fear from this point until only a couple years ago to be honest. Every time I ate I would ask my mom or dad if it was going to make me sick because I lost trust in all food combinations. I thought every food would have difficulting settling with other foods in my stomach and had to be convinced that I’d be fine. This was a weird phase of my life for sure, and it was all because of food and a few unfortunate situations I found myself in. It’s funny how food can do this to a person, and I still look back on those times and laugh. I learned from it, though. Growing up and maturing took care of the problem on its own, but it was a struggle for me for a chunk of time and it wasn’t fun. I just wanted to eat, but my mind would take the idea and twist it into a horror story in my head. So, this is a food experience that changed my approach to eating in a large way, but not forever or currently. Today, I’d say I eat pretty well, and I prefer a healthy option every time. Being a college student obviously means I eat some frozen foods and quick meals, but I truly try to eat right and I’m proud of this. I thank my family for my habits, and I know my body appreciates it too. In this country it’s hard to eat healthy. Our food systems favor mass production, unhealthy and unsafe foods, and everything processed. These are easy to put on the shelves, and they put money in the pocket of the food industry. I’m trying my best to fight it, and I think I do a decent job. It makes me feel good and I think I do it because it’s a challenge, and that’s healthy.
My food, my life
Every kid grows up differently. A big part of this has to do with food. Before taking this class I was unaware of just how much food could say about a person. Furthermore, the only relationship I had with food was eating it. That’s it. I never thought about what was on my plate, or how it got there. I was unaware of the processes that made it all happen, and I didn’t think too much about how it affected me. I honestly was not too concerned about it. Throughout this course, the many different topics of study have certainly opened up my mind.
Growing up I’d say I had a pretty balanced diet. One of the biggest shapers of my personal diet was my mother. She was the one that made all the school lunches and prepared all of our dinners. My mom definitely had good health in mind, but convenience foods also had a presence in the house. As we have learned in class, convenience is one of the biggest factors that influence our decisions. This was no different in my family, and sometimes we were simply crunched for time. We were fortunate enough to be able to buy certain brands of products as well as things like organic foods which are more expensive. So, my mom would buy these products often. I think she has learned a lot about healthy eating and made adjustments as she got older, so she didn’t want me eating the way her and her friends did back then. Fruits and veggies could always be found around our house and in our lunches, but the occasional oatmeal cream pie, fig newton, or hostess snack was not too rare of a find in my school lunchbox either. After reading Pandora’s Lunchbox, I am definitely not proud of this. I even occasionally had lunchables! These are some of the worst things you can eat, and I would not feel the same about eating these foods today.
Whole wheat and organic were very prevalent in my house. However, so was meat. Dinners usually contained some sort of meat, and most of the time it was chicken. I think this is probably because my father and I love meat. I am not a vegetarian, and I am catholic. I had no factors to influence my meat-eating other than myself. I chose to do it. Talking about obesity and health in this class has definitely changed my view. With the many health problems that can be eliminated or managed by a plant based diet, I feel that I should limit the amount of meat I eat. Additionally, we have learned that it is harmful to the environment in many ways. The debate we had about eating animals exposed me to the topic at all angles, and it is now clear to me that eating meat as much as I want without thinking twice is kind of ridiculous! This is where this class has changed me the most, because I have always loved me, and I always will to some degree. However, salads and vegetable dishes alone were on the table a decent amount as well. One thing that was a huge favorite in our house was the midnight, or bedtime snack. Inspired by my father, this was something I always looked forward to. My dad said that his dad used to always eat vanilla ice cream with peanuts on it, and most times this was the snack we would eat at night. It was a cool tribute to my Grandpa. Even though it was probably not the healthiest thing, everyone in my house could justify it a little bit because it was something my late Grandpa would do, and we all loved him. This is one of the biggest ways in which family and tradition influenced my eating habits. Without this generational trickle down effect, I would never have eaten later than dinner time, for the most part. I enjoyed it, and knowing it was special made it even better. Sometimes it was different variations of ice cream, or not ice cream at all. Maybe it was a piece of pie, or cheesecake. Either way, midnight snack was a memory I’ll never forget. Even though it wasn’t every night, it was enough nights during my elementary days to say that it probably wasn’t the greatest choice from a health standpoint. However, it was fun and delicious and sometimes that’s okay.
Another common thing in our family is Alibi pizza on Sunday. We don’t usually eat dinner together because we are all busy and on different schedules, but this is something we treat ourselves to and all eat together. I’m not sure how normal this is anymore. Eating together and catching up about the day is traditional, but busy American families is also a common theme in today’s world. This is related to the popularity of fast food and once again, convenience. Either way, my family rarely finds time to do this anymore.
Nowadays, my family is very healthy. From the way they exercise to the way they eat, they are killing it. We are a religious family, and whenever Lent comes around everyone is either giving up pop, sweets, or something else they want to cut out of their diet completely. This is their time to lay down the law for themselves and quit a habit that they find simply unnecessary. I am an athlete and I go to the gym often. I try to make healthy choices with foods. My parents and sister are on another level, though. They go to Lifetime Fitness or Planet Fitness every day, and watch out for carbs and sugars in everything. It is not too excessive or anything, and I don’t see it as negative in any way. It is more so just impressive. In our culture we value discipline. This includes not eating foods that are considered bad for you, getting to the gym a few times a week, and staying in good shape while living a healthy lifestyle. Discipline is something not everyone has, which raises its value. It applies to many things, but it is seen strongly in my family concerning exercise and diet. My mom and sister stopped eating meat a few years ago as well. So, many dinners are made with only my dad and me in mind, and the girls find something else to eat. This kind of divides our family as far as dinner goes. My mom and my sister are on a different page than myself and my dad. I’d say they're missing out, but they don’t miss it at all. My family isn’t a freakish health family, they just do a lot of things right and think about what they put in their bodies. Therefore, they look good and feel good. This rubbed off on me, of course. It would be tough for it not to. Children tend to pick up on family habits at a young age. Growing up, it is the biggest influence you have. Like we saw in the movie A Place At the Table, kids are going to eat like their parents. This is mostly due to socioeconomic status. Parents buy what they can buy and spend their money based on what works. Then, the kids eat what they can based on what their parents buy and provide for them. There is not much choice involved, and this repetition and conditioning creates habits. Now, when I shop, I check labels for sugars and compare products. I avoid too much processed food, and barely buy frozen food. I buy whole wheat and whole grain products and have also turned to organic due to my mom’s influence. Up until now it’s not like I ate horribly. I ate a lot of food, processed food here and there, sugary breads and drinks, all of it. I was just being a kid, and I didn’t really think too much of it. Not to say all kids are the same way, but in general there is just a lack of knowledge. I didn’t know what was good or bad for me, and I didn’t have certain dietary goals. I knew I was very active, so I think I just figured I could eat whatever I wanted. Whatever was in the house was what I ate. That’s the difference. Now I think about the foods I eat, where they came from, and what I’m putting into my body a little bit more. My family adopted this mindset toward eating, and now I look at it the same way.
Along the way I did have a little hiccup in my eating habits. We all have a food experience that changed us in one way or another. For me, it was a few related incidents that gave me a certain wrong idea about food. It has to do with vomit. Yes, I said it. First, something didn’t sit well at my uncle's house and I blamed it all on the broccoli I remember eating that day. Of course, there was a few years of my life where I avoided that dreaded broccoli completely. Obviously this wasn’t the cause of my upset stomach, but as a kid I knew this was the reason for sure! Then, my sister eats Dairy Queen up north one year and she has issues. Myself nearby, her issues became mine if you know what I mean. Sure enough, I thought Dairy Queen was poison for a while. Next came food poisoning at a hockey tournament. We ate breakfast at the hotel and two of us got sick and missed the game. You can probably guess whether or not I fancied eating continental breakfast any time soon after that. Now, I know this is ridiculous and not reasonable, but I was young and scared at this point. The act of having food come back up was my biggest fear from this point until only a few years ago to be honest. I was about 10 when this all started. Every time I ate I would ask my mom or dad if it was going to make me sick because I lost trust in all food combinations. I thought every food would have difficulting settling with other foods in my stomach and had to be convinced that I’d be fine. This was a weird phase of my life for sure, and it was all because of food and a few unfortunate situations I found myself in. It’s funny how food can do this to a person, and I still look back on those times and laugh. I learned from it, though. Growing up and maturing took care of the problem on its own, but it was a struggle for me for a chunk of time and it wasn’t fun. I just wanted to eat, but my mind would take the idea and twist it into a horror story in my head. So, this is a food experience that changed my approach to eating in a large way, but not forever or currently.
Today, I’d say I eat pretty well, and I prefer a healthy option every time. Being a college student, however, has made it harder to eat as healthy as I would at home. In college there is not a lot of time for things while balancing school and the many responsibilities we have. Quick meals and frozen foods have certainly become more relevant in my life because of this. Not all college students would say this, but I think we all would say that time is tough to come by. I guess it just comes down to me managing it. The positive thing is that I recognize this. I don’t eat these foods without thinking like I used to. From watching Food Inc. to reading Pandora’s Lunchbox, there are certain things ingrained in my mind now that tell me it isn’t a great thing to do. I know these first couple years at MSU will be a small period of learning and figuring out how to eat a healthy diet no matter what. Moving forward things will be better, because I will make sure of it. That is also a testament to this class.
I thank my family for my habits, and I know my body appreciates it too. In this country it’s hard to eat healthy. Our food systems favor mass production, unhealthy and unsafe foods, and everything processed. These are easy to put on the shelves, and they put money in the pocket of the food industry. I’m trying my best to fight it, and I think I do a decent job. It makes me feel good and I think I do it because it’s a challenge, and that’s healthy.
Finally, I would have to give credit to this class for the knowledge that I have gained on pretty much all things food. The things that have stuck out to me the most are eating animals and processed foods, coupled with convenience. Living with two vegetarians in my house has never influenced me. I let them do their thing, and my mom still makes me foods with meat. After this class I will never be so ignorant to not pay attention or understand why they do it. Additionally, I have learned way too much to continue to eat meat as I please and never question it. I can’t say I have limited my meat consumption yet, but having the knowledge of why I probably should is the first step. Finally, processed foods and convenience foods have always been around in my life. I am very active, and have always played multiple sports. However, I have learned that there are still things I can do to not only stay in shape, but maintain a healthier body. I think twice about drinking pop, and I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to. That goes for all of these foods. When you know what is in the food, or drink, and you know how it is harmful to your health, or animals, or the environment, or all of the above, it is impossible to consume it without having second thoughts. This is what this class has done for me. I would be lying if I told you that my diet has completely changed, or that I am now a vegetarian. In all honesty, it’s not even close to that. However, I have all of these things on my mind when I am shopping or eating, and they are slowly influencing my actions. That is the part of this class that will follow me out the door when I leave the room on the last day.
Growing up I’d say I had a pretty balanced diet. One of the biggest shapers of my personal diet was my mother. She was the one that made all the school lunches and prepared all of our dinners. My mom definitely had good health in mind, but convenience foods also had a presence in the house. As we have learned in class, convenience is one of the biggest factors that influence our decisions. This was no different in my family, and sometimes we were simply crunched for time. We were fortunate enough to be able to buy certain brands of products as well as things like organic foods which are more expensive. So, my mom would buy these products often. I think she has learned a lot about healthy eating and made adjustments as she got older, so she didn’t want me eating the way her and her friends did back then. Fruits and veggies could always be found around our house and in our lunches, but the occasional oatmeal cream pie, fig newton, or hostess snack was not too rare of a find in my school lunchbox either. After reading Pandora’s Lunchbox, I am definitely not proud of this. I even occasionally had lunchables! These are some of the worst things you can eat, and I would not feel the same about eating these foods today.
Whole wheat and organic were very prevalent in my house. However, so was meat. Dinners usually contained some sort of meat, and most of the time it was chicken. I think this is probably because my father and I love meat. I am not a vegetarian, and I am catholic. I had no factors to influence my meat-eating other than myself. I chose to do it. Talking about obesity and health in this class has definitely changed my view. With the many health problems that can be eliminated or managed by a plant based diet, I feel that I should limit the amount of meat I eat. Additionally, we have learned that it is harmful to the environment in many ways. The debate we had about eating animals exposed me to the topic at all angles, and it is now clear to me that eating meat as much as I want without thinking twice is kind of ridiculous! This is where this class has changed me the most, because I have always loved me, and I always will to some degree. However, salads and vegetable dishes alone were on the table a decent amount as well. One thing that was a huge favorite in our house was the midnight, or bedtime snack. Inspired by my father, this was something I always looked forward to. My dad said that his dad used to always eat vanilla ice cream with peanuts on it, and most times this was the snack we would eat at night. It was a cool tribute to my Grandpa. Even though it was probably not the healthiest thing, everyone in my house could justify it a little bit because it was something my late Grandpa would do, and we all loved him. This is one of the biggest ways in which family and tradition influenced my eating habits. Without this generational trickle down effect, I would never have eaten later than dinner time, for the most part. I enjoyed it, and knowing it was special made it even better. Sometimes it was different variations of ice cream, or not ice cream at all. Maybe it was a piece of pie, or cheesecake. Either way, midnight snack was a memory I’ll never forget. Even though it wasn’t every night, it was enough nights during my elementary days to say that it probably wasn’t the greatest choice from a health standpoint. However, it was fun and delicious and sometimes that’s okay.
Another common thing in our family is Alibi pizza on Sunday. We don’t usually eat dinner together because we are all busy and on different schedules, but this is something we treat ourselves to and all eat together. I’m not sure how normal this is anymore. Eating together and catching up about the day is traditional, but busy American families is also a common theme in today’s world. This is related to the popularity of fast food and once again, convenience. Either way, my family rarely finds time to do this anymore.
Nowadays, my family is very healthy. From the way they exercise to the way they eat, they are killing it. We are a religious family, and whenever Lent comes around everyone is either giving up pop, sweets, or something else they want to cut out of their diet completely. This is their time to lay down the law for themselves and quit a habit that they find simply unnecessary. I am an athlete and I go to the gym often. I try to make healthy choices with foods. My parents and sister are on another level, though. They go to Lifetime Fitness or Planet Fitness every day, and watch out for carbs and sugars in everything. It is not too excessive or anything, and I don’t see it as negative in any way. It is more so just impressive. In our culture we value discipline. This includes not eating foods that are considered bad for you, getting to the gym a few times a week, and staying in good shape while living a healthy lifestyle. Discipline is something not everyone has, which raises its value. It applies to many things, but it is seen strongly in my family concerning exercise and diet. My mom and sister stopped eating meat a few years ago as well. So, many dinners are made with only my dad and me in mind, and the girls find something else to eat. This kind of divides our family as far as dinner goes. My mom and my sister are on a different page than myself and my dad. I’d say they're missing out, but they don’t miss it at all. My family isn’t a freakish health family, they just do a lot of things right and think about what they put in their bodies. Therefore, they look good and feel good. This rubbed off on me, of course. It would be tough for it not to. Children tend to pick up on family habits at a young age. Growing up, it is the biggest influence you have. Like we saw in the movie A Place At the Table, kids are going to eat like their parents. This is mostly due to socioeconomic status. Parents buy what they can buy and spend their money based on what works. Then, the kids eat what they can based on what their parents buy and provide for them. There is not much choice involved, and this repetition and conditioning creates habits. Now, when I shop, I check labels for sugars and compare products. I avoid too much processed food, and barely buy frozen food. I buy whole wheat and whole grain products and have also turned to organic due to my mom’s influence. Up until now it’s not like I ate horribly. I ate a lot of food, processed food here and there, sugary breads and drinks, all of it. I was just being a kid, and I didn’t really think too much of it. Not to say all kids are the same way, but in general there is just a lack of knowledge. I didn’t know what was good or bad for me, and I didn’t have certain dietary goals. I knew I was very active, so I think I just figured I could eat whatever I wanted. Whatever was in the house was what I ate. That’s the difference. Now I think about the foods I eat, where they came from, and what I’m putting into my body a little bit more. My family adopted this mindset toward eating, and now I look at it the same way.
Along the way I did have a little hiccup in my eating habits. We all have a food experience that changed us in one way or another. For me, it was a few related incidents that gave me a certain wrong idea about food. It has to do with vomit. Yes, I said it. First, something didn’t sit well at my uncle's house and I blamed it all on the broccoli I remember eating that day. Of course, there was a few years of my life where I avoided that dreaded broccoli completely. Obviously this wasn’t the cause of my upset stomach, but as a kid I knew this was the reason for sure! Then, my sister eats Dairy Queen up north one year and she has issues. Myself nearby, her issues became mine if you know what I mean. Sure enough, I thought Dairy Queen was poison for a while. Next came food poisoning at a hockey tournament. We ate breakfast at the hotel and two of us got sick and missed the game. You can probably guess whether or not I fancied eating continental breakfast any time soon after that. Now, I know this is ridiculous and not reasonable, but I was young and scared at this point. The act of having food come back up was my biggest fear from this point until only a few years ago to be honest. I was about 10 when this all started. Every time I ate I would ask my mom or dad if it was going to make me sick because I lost trust in all food combinations. I thought every food would have difficulting settling with other foods in my stomach and had to be convinced that I’d be fine. This was a weird phase of my life for sure, and it was all because of food and a few unfortunate situations I found myself in. It’s funny how food can do this to a person, and I still look back on those times and laugh. I learned from it, though. Growing up and maturing took care of the problem on its own, but it was a struggle for me for a chunk of time and it wasn’t fun. I just wanted to eat, but my mind would take the idea and twist it into a horror story in my head. So, this is a food experience that changed my approach to eating in a large way, but not forever or currently.
Today, I’d say I eat pretty well, and I prefer a healthy option every time. Being a college student, however, has made it harder to eat as healthy as I would at home. In college there is not a lot of time for things while balancing school and the many responsibilities we have. Quick meals and frozen foods have certainly become more relevant in my life because of this. Not all college students would say this, but I think we all would say that time is tough to come by. I guess it just comes down to me managing it. The positive thing is that I recognize this. I don’t eat these foods without thinking like I used to. From watching Food Inc. to reading Pandora’s Lunchbox, there are certain things ingrained in my mind now that tell me it isn’t a great thing to do. I know these first couple years at MSU will be a small period of learning and figuring out how to eat a healthy diet no matter what. Moving forward things will be better, because I will make sure of it. That is also a testament to this class.
I thank my family for my habits, and I know my body appreciates it too. In this country it’s hard to eat healthy. Our food systems favor mass production, unhealthy and unsafe foods, and everything processed. These are easy to put on the shelves, and they put money in the pocket of the food industry. I’m trying my best to fight it, and I think I do a decent job. It makes me feel good and I think I do it because it’s a challenge, and that’s healthy.
Finally, I would have to give credit to this class for the knowledge that I have gained on pretty much all things food. The things that have stuck out to me the most are eating animals and processed foods, coupled with convenience. Living with two vegetarians in my house has never influenced me. I let them do their thing, and my mom still makes me foods with meat. After this class I will never be so ignorant to not pay attention or understand why they do it. Additionally, I have learned way too much to continue to eat meat as I please and never question it. I can’t say I have limited my meat consumption yet, but having the knowledge of why I probably should is the first step. Finally, processed foods and convenience foods have always been around in my life. I am very active, and have always played multiple sports. However, I have learned that there are still things I can do to not only stay in shape, but maintain a healthier body. I think twice about drinking pop, and I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to. That goes for all of these foods. When you know what is in the food, or drink, and you know how it is harmful to your health, or animals, or the environment, or all of the above, it is impossible to consume it without having second thoughts. This is what this class has done for me. I would be lying if I told you that my diet has completely changed, or that I am now a vegetarian. In all honesty, it’s not even close to that. However, I have all of these things on my mind when I am shopping or eating, and they are slowly influencing my actions. That is the part of this class that will follow me out the door when I leave the room on the last day.
Pandora's Lunchbox Email
Dear Drew,
I write to you today to fill you in on a book I read for my ISS class. The book, by Melanie Warner, is called, “Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal,” and it dives into the industrial unknown and the downsides of the food industry. Processed food, by Warner’s definition, is “something that could not be made with the same ingredients in a home kitchen.” This is to say that these “processed foods” undergo many processes, both chemical and physical, that a person like you and I do not have the ability or access to replicate. Warner indulges into these aspects of production and reports her findings pertaining to these foods. She serves up her knowledge to the reader explaining the negative aspects of mass production and additives, and explains what happens to our health when these foods find a home on our plate.
First off, a big issue that Warner discusses is the fact that the food industry sacrifices the nutritional value of our food for reduced cost of production and higher profits. Now, from a business standpoint I guess it makes sense, but the consumer pays a price as far as health goes. A lot of the foods included in Warner’s research originally had nutritional value or health benefits. This could mean they contained healthier, more natural ingredients. However, due to companies and their money-hungry mindset, we lose those positive things in our food in exchange for a more efficient process in their factory. Our food becomes highly chemically modified and although we may be eating more affordable food, we are also eating unhealthy. It is pretty obvious who the winner is here, and I can tell you that it probably is not us. One of the things that stuck out to me, and most likely will resonate with you, is the situation surrounding breakfast cereal. Cutting to the chase, our cereals that we commonly eat contain many additives, “fake” vitamins, and a whole lot of sugar. Maybe this doesn’t come as a surprise to you, but what should is the fact that these cereals did contain things that are good for us at one point in time. These include vitamins (not artificially made), whole grains, and a lot fiber which we all need to maintain a healthy system. The problem here is that many people are not fully aware of this predicament, and most consumers would consider some of these cereals as “healthy” still. They don’t understand that they are actually highly processed wiped of their healthy attributes. Even the packaging used for these products brings problems to the food and subsequently the consumer. Kellogg once received many calls from consumers complaining about nausea, diarrhea, and a waxy odor coming from their cereal boxes. The reason for this turned out to be elevated levels of an unstudied chemical called methylnaphthalene, or a breakdown product of various chemicals used in the wax-lined cereal bags. After issuing a recall in 2010, Kellogg never truly explained what went wrong. They simply gave a rather scary explanation saying that the substance in question is used commonly in packaging materials and in resins to coat foods (Warner 109). Warner wraps this one up herself when she says, “It’s a small miracle this sort of contamination doesn’t happen more often, considering the many chemicals that can function as food-contact substances in a single product” (Warner 109). It is not impossible for these companies to produce healthier cereals with better processes, but the alternative method of mass producing flakes covered in sugar brings profits way to high for them to even think about nibbling on the idea of making changes. Another article I read in class called, “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” by Michael Moss. He too highlights the situation of these companies when he talks about General Mills’ Yoplait brand. He states that, “The company’s Yoplait brand had transformed traditional unsweetened breakfast yogurt into a veritable dessert. It now had twice as much sugar per serving as General Mills’ marshmallow cereal Lucky Charms. And yet, because of yogurt’s well-tended image as a wholesome snack, sales of Yoplait were soaring, with annual revenue topping $500 million.” (Moss 3). Clearly these ideals are the same for all companies. They disguise their product that is generally seen as healthy and pull in huge revenues by doing so. Warner and Moss have the same vision. They want to see healthier options and healthier people, but the mass producing companies of the food industry are fine with feeding off of their profits.
Another issue highlighted by Warner is, in my opinion, one of the biggest issues that lie within the food industry. This is the overall issue of transparency. Nobody knows what is in their food, what the true ingredients are, or how healthy of an option it is. Aiming at the foods to which you could most easily relate, I’ll tell you a little bit about that submarine sandwich you’ve eaten so many times from yours truly, Subway. Warner specifically discusses Subway’s bread in her chapter called, “Better Living through Chemistry” in the Why Bread Needs Strange Ingredients section. This is already a bad look, and I’m sure you can tell where this is going. Simply put, Subway uses many extra ingredients in their bread that you would never think to be in there. These are referred to as “dough conditioners”. At Subway, tubes of bread are baked several times a day. Despite the homemade smell of the bread, it is actually barely bread. Subway’s five dough-conditioners that help their bread survive all of the processing are: sodium stearoyl lactylate, monoglycerides, diglycerides, ascorbic acid, and diacetyl tartaric ester of monoglyceride, known as DATEM (Warner 102). Sound like a mouthful? I know. These chemicals are used to make their bread look fluffy and “perfect”. They are the same chemicals used in fast-food restaurants and supermarket varieties, and they “infuse bread with a quality most traditional bakers have probably never thought to consider” (Warner 102). They are made useful in frozen foods, kids’ lunches, and Starbucks’s apple fritters and pound cakes. However, the most alarming piece of information provided by Warner is that the biggest uses of the chemicals, such as azodicarbonamide, are in the production of rubbers and plastics. In fact, “Azodicarbonamide has probably been used to make the soles of your shoes and the floor mats you walk on at the gym” (Warner 103). Sound appetizing now? I didn’t think so. The goal of this email is not to scare you, but to inform you of the hidden ingredients you might be consuming in the foods you eat. Subway won’t turn to a simpler, more natural bread because they don’t want to lose money. This burden falls on the Food and Drug Association and other federal agencies to make sure that our products are safe and healthy to eat. The FDA and food companies are not working together yet, but maybe one day they will be on the same page and provide a healthier cuisine for everyone. Until then, who knows what we are eating? So much for ‘Eat Fresh”.
In conclusion, it is true that the food industry is not on our side. All they care about is money. This book is important because it highlights the idea that we can’t be ignorant. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that have some understanding of the food industry, but so many people are blind to it all. Books like this are eye opening, and it is good to have knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes. I mean we are talking about our health here. It is important to know where our food is coming from, and what’s in it. When it comes down to it, you can’t always know everything you want to know about processed foods. This is why it is good to have a general understanding of how shop a little smarter and take away some of the advantage that these food companies seem to have over us consumers. I hope this information doesn’t scare you, but I hope you give it some thought. Most of our grocery shopping happens together anyway, so with both of us I think we can continue to make pretty good choices. With additional information from Chelsea Hagan and her article, “How to Be Your Own Italian Grandmother,” we can learn how to cook healthy meals at home with the minimum amount of supplies that we need and be on our way to living an even healthier lifestyle despite the corruption of the food industry. See you soon.
P.S. What’s for dinner?
Matt
I write to you today to fill you in on a book I read for my ISS class. The book, by Melanie Warner, is called, “Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal,” and it dives into the industrial unknown and the downsides of the food industry. Processed food, by Warner’s definition, is “something that could not be made with the same ingredients in a home kitchen.” This is to say that these “processed foods” undergo many processes, both chemical and physical, that a person like you and I do not have the ability or access to replicate. Warner indulges into these aspects of production and reports her findings pertaining to these foods. She serves up her knowledge to the reader explaining the negative aspects of mass production and additives, and explains what happens to our health when these foods find a home on our plate.
First off, a big issue that Warner discusses is the fact that the food industry sacrifices the nutritional value of our food for reduced cost of production and higher profits. Now, from a business standpoint I guess it makes sense, but the consumer pays a price as far as health goes. A lot of the foods included in Warner’s research originally had nutritional value or health benefits. This could mean they contained healthier, more natural ingredients. However, due to companies and their money-hungry mindset, we lose those positive things in our food in exchange for a more efficient process in their factory. Our food becomes highly chemically modified and although we may be eating more affordable food, we are also eating unhealthy. It is pretty obvious who the winner is here, and I can tell you that it probably is not us. One of the things that stuck out to me, and most likely will resonate with you, is the situation surrounding breakfast cereal. Cutting to the chase, our cereals that we commonly eat contain many additives, “fake” vitamins, and a whole lot of sugar. Maybe this doesn’t come as a surprise to you, but what should is the fact that these cereals did contain things that are good for us at one point in time. These include vitamins (not artificially made), whole grains, and a lot fiber which we all need to maintain a healthy system. The problem here is that many people are not fully aware of this predicament, and most consumers would consider some of these cereals as “healthy” still. They don’t understand that they are actually highly processed wiped of their healthy attributes. Even the packaging used for these products brings problems to the food and subsequently the consumer. Kellogg once received many calls from consumers complaining about nausea, diarrhea, and a waxy odor coming from their cereal boxes. The reason for this turned out to be elevated levels of an unstudied chemical called methylnaphthalene, or a breakdown product of various chemicals used in the wax-lined cereal bags. After issuing a recall in 2010, Kellogg never truly explained what went wrong. They simply gave a rather scary explanation saying that the substance in question is used commonly in packaging materials and in resins to coat foods (Warner 109). Warner wraps this one up herself when she says, “It’s a small miracle this sort of contamination doesn’t happen more often, considering the many chemicals that can function as food-contact substances in a single product” (Warner 109). It is not impossible for these companies to produce healthier cereals with better processes, but the alternative method of mass producing flakes covered in sugar brings profits way to high for them to even think about nibbling on the idea of making changes. Another article I read in class called, “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” by Michael Moss. He too highlights the situation of these companies when he talks about General Mills’ Yoplait brand. He states that, “The company’s Yoplait brand had transformed traditional unsweetened breakfast yogurt into a veritable dessert. It now had twice as much sugar per serving as General Mills’ marshmallow cereal Lucky Charms. And yet, because of yogurt’s well-tended image as a wholesome snack, sales of Yoplait were soaring, with annual revenue topping $500 million.” (Moss 3). Clearly these ideals are the same for all companies. They disguise their product that is generally seen as healthy and pull in huge revenues by doing so. Warner and Moss have the same vision. They want to see healthier options and healthier people, but the mass producing companies of the food industry are fine with feeding off of their profits.
Another issue highlighted by Warner is, in my opinion, one of the biggest issues that lie within the food industry. This is the overall issue of transparency. Nobody knows what is in their food, what the true ingredients are, or how healthy of an option it is. Aiming at the foods to which you could most easily relate, I’ll tell you a little bit about that submarine sandwich you’ve eaten so many times from yours truly, Subway. Warner specifically discusses Subway’s bread in her chapter called, “Better Living through Chemistry” in the Why Bread Needs Strange Ingredients section. This is already a bad look, and I’m sure you can tell where this is going. Simply put, Subway uses many extra ingredients in their bread that you would never think to be in there. These are referred to as “dough conditioners”. At Subway, tubes of bread are baked several times a day. Despite the homemade smell of the bread, it is actually barely bread. Subway’s five dough-conditioners that help their bread survive all of the processing are: sodium stearoyl lactylate, monoglycerides, diglycerides, ascorbic acid, and diacetyl tartaric ester of monoglyceride, known as DATEM (Warner 102). Sound like a mouthful? I know. These chemicals are used to make their bread look fluffy and “perfect”. They are the same chemicals used in fast-food restaurants and supermarket varieties, and they “infuse bread with a quality most traditional bakers have probably never thought to consider” (Warner 102). They are made useful in frozen foods, kids’ lunches, and Starbucks’s apple fritters and pound cakes. However, the most alarming piece of information provided by Warner is that the biggest uses of the chemicals, such as azodicarbonamide, are in the production of rubbers and plastics. In fact, “Azodicarbonamide has probably been used to make the soles of your shoes and the floor mats you walk on at the gym” (Warner 103). Sound appetizing now? I didn’t think so. The goal of this email is not to scare you, but to inform you of the hidden ingredients you might be consuming in the foods you eat. Subway won’t turn to a simpler, more natural bread because they don’t want to lose money. This burden falls on the Food and Drug Association and other federal agencies to make sure that our products are safe and healthy to eat. The FDA and food companies are not working together yet, but maybe one day they will be on the same page and provide a healthier cuisine for everyone. Until then, who knows what we are eating? So much for ‘Eat Fresh”.
In conclusion, it is true that the food industry is not on our side. All they care about is money. This book is important because it highlights the idea that we can’t be ignorant. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that have some understanding of the food industry, but so many people are blind to it all. Books like this are eye opening, and it is good to have knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes. I mean we are talking about our health here. It is important to know where our food is coming from, and what’s in it. When it comes down to it, you can’t always know everything you want to know about processed foods. This is why it is good to have a general understanding of how shop a little smarter and take away some of the advantage that these food companies seem to have over us consumers. I hope this information doesn’t scare you, but I hope you give it some thought. Most of our grocery shopping happens together anyway, so with both of us I think we can continue to make pretty good choices. With additional information from Chelsea Hagan and her article, “How to Be Your Own Italian Grandmother,” we can learn how to cook healthy meals at home with the minimum amount of supplies that we need and be on our way to living an even healthier lifestyle despite the corruption of the food industry. See you soon.
P.S. What’s for dinner?
Matt
exploring obesity
Documentary
The documentary I found for this project was on Netflix. The title is “Obesity: The Post Mortem.” It is a British documentary that looks into the body of an obese woman in her early sixties, after death of course. Two experts in the field cut her open and begin dissecting the body, looking at the effects of excess fat on the body. The woman died of heart failure, but the experts say that if her heart was healthy she still may have died of liver failure, which they concluded after pulling out the liver and looking at its condition. However, they also make sure to explain that all people have some fat around the organs, and fat has many important roles in the body. The problem is when there is too much fat. The film also documents a few other obese people and their struggle. They talk about social expectations, psychological and emotional battles, and their story both past and present dealing with their weight. The main thing that this documentary contributes to my understanding is the health effects that obesity and extra fat has on the body. The film lists facts throughout, stating that the big problems related to obesity include, heart disease, heart failure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, anxiety, liver failure, and cancer. I think this is important to know because sometimes people aren’t sure that excess fat in the body actually contributes to poor health and premature death. This documentary provides evidence and facts about the true damage this fat can do, and I think it is a good source for my topic.
News Articles
The first article I found was focused on one simple question. The article is titled, “Which Kinds of Foods Make Us Fat?” by Gretchen Reynolds, and it was published on September 25th of this year in The New York Times. A fundamental yet unanswered question in the research of obesity is what kinds of foods contribute most to the condition. Since it is not ethical or practical to make healthy humans eat a certain diet until they become fat, researchers performed this experiment on mice for a diet study published in Cell Metabolism. Basically, they fed different groups of mice different diets to see which group, and therefor which diet, made them fat. Out of hundreds of mice and 29 different diets, some high in fat, others consisting of mainly refined carbs or low protein foods, only the mice with high fat diets became obese. The article contributes the idea that fat makes people fat, but what it lacks is a solution to the problem or any further detail about where to go from here with this problem that they have now identified, or discovered.
Another article I found was called, “Americans Just Keep Getting Fatter,” by Matt Richtel and Andrew Jacobs. It was published on March 23rd of this year also in The New York Times. What this article contributes to my understanding is that although nutritionists and other experts would need a couple more years of data to surely make these conclusions, it is quite obvious that they are finding that obesity in adults is higher than in previous years. People are also eating fast food more than they used to. What’s also a notable fact is that youth has less of an obesity problem than our adults, and there is something different going on between the youth and adults. It gives statistics and explains these trends which is good information, but it does not go in depth about the “why” aspect or talk about a solution.
The final article I found was actually very interesting to me. It is called, “We’re in a new age of obesity. How did it happen? You’d be surprised,” by George Monbiot. It was published in The Guardian on August 15, 2018. Monbiot is a columnist for this publication. As foreshadowed by the title, the article essentially talks about how the many reasons that most people give for our obesity problem are surprisingly invalid. Statistics from the 1970s and now show that things like overeating, manual labor, and voluntary exercise do not support these common claims, and they were all more of a problem back then. So, Monbiot creatively explains that the ones who really need to exhibit willpower, control, and personal responsibility are the governments and policymakers who have discovered our weaknesses (disguised unhealthy foods) and ruthlessly exploit them. The article contributes a unique perspective with evidence, and I learned a lot of new information about our obesity problem from reading it.
Book
The book I found for my topic is called, “Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism.” It is written by Julie Guthman, Associate Professor in the Community Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is also the author of Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California. The introduction of Guthman’s book is called What’s the Problem? In this section she talks about the many different factors that may influence obesity. She suggests the ecological and environmental perspectives, and looks at how food systems contribute to the problem as well. Throughout the introductory piece, Guthman provides insight on her life, her childhood, her food habits, and her experiences and labels related to her own weight. She grew up with a father who was a “health food nut”, and despite her healthy eating habits she was told she is overweight by her doctor, who mentioned the obesity epidemic to her as a warning. She rarely ate fast food as a kid, and doesn’t drink soda. However, her doctor tells her to watch her sugar. Anyway, I am not trying to give the author’s life story, but my main point is that Guthman is very credible, and she has a lot of information to give about the many sides to the story when it come to obesity. The blame does not all fall on the individual, and in her eyes, capitalism is in many ways the biggest limit on our overall health. The chapter I chose to read was Whose Problem Is Obesity? In it, Guthman quotes a few of her students from her class, a course about the politics of obesity. Surprisingly to her, many things did not sit well with her students, and some of her students were surprised themselves at how much obesity made people mad. It mostly made not fat people mad. With this, Guthman segways into the politics of obesity, delving into health care policy, healthism, and the burden that some people feel is placed on “healthy” people due to the population of those who aren’t. Overall, I truly enjoyed the portion of this book that I read, and my mind was filled with new thoughts, information, and perspectives that I find very interesting. Additionally, the other chapters I did not read are on topics like farm policy, overeating, and fresh, local, organic food and its effects on health. These are all things we have talked about in class, and I would be interested to see what Guthman has to offer relating these topics to obesity. I think this book is a great source.
Guthman, Julie. Weighing in: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism. University of California Press, 2012.
Summary
The topic of obesity definitely strikes me as an important topic with potential policy implications. The book source that I found especially covers the health care aspect of obesity. There is a lot of debate about what should be done and if health care should be free or not. We can also look at policy about food stamps and the government aid that is provided for people in poverty as some people feel that the food provided is too unhealthy and leads to an overweight country. I think there is a lot to talk about with obesity and policy. What I am still curious about is obesity ranks around the world, and the habits, policy, and food systems of each country. The documentary displayed some facts statistics about the UK, and I would love to look at more countries to compare them and see what the best combination of factors is to reduce obesity as a country. This subject is obviously very difficult and multi-layered. There is always more to learn. This topic is particularly interesting to me because my family and I are a pretty healthy and active family. I can’t relate very well to people that suffer from obesity, so learning about it is always something I enjoy. My friends and I discuss it a lot actually, and I think my group members would be open to this topic. It is also a huge problem in the United States and this is a known fact. Personally, that bothers me and it is not something to be proud of. Obesity is such a huge problem that many people suffer from, but there are so many factors that influence it and it is hard to identify the main problems and work toward solving it. Hearing different evidence and perspectives is cool to me, and most importantly, gaining as much knowledge as I can about a healthy lifestyle is beneficial as it helps me make healthy choices and remain in good health. Watching the documentary, for example, was honestly kind of scary. It is not something I take lightly, and it reminds us that you can’t take your eye off the ball. I want to live a long and healthy life, as all of us do, and I think dissecting this topic provides very important knowledge for living a healthy lifestyle, and hopefully preventing others from missing this opportunity.
The documentary I found for this project was on Netflix. The title is “Obesity: The Post Mortem.” It is a British documentary that looks into the body of an obese woman in her early sixties, after death of course. Two experts in the field cut her open and begin dissecting the body, looking at the effects of excess fat on the body. The woman died of heart failure, but the experts say that if her heart was healthy she still may have died of liver failure, which they concluded after pulling out the liver and looking at its condition. However, they also make sure to explain that all people have some fat around the organs, and fat has many important roles in the body. The problem is when there is too much fat. The film also documents a few other obese people and their struggle. They talk about social expectations, psychological and emotional battles, and their story both past and present dealing with their weight. The main thing that this documentary contributes to my understanding is the health effects that obesity and extra fat has on the body. The film lists facts throughout, stating that the big problems related to obesity include, heart disease, heart failure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, anxiety, liver failure, and cancer. I think this is important to know because sometimes people aren’t sure that excess fat in the body actually contributes to poor health and premature death. This documentary provides evidence and facts about the true damage this fat can do, and I think it is a good source for my topic.
News Articles
The first article I found was focused on one simple question. The article is titled, “Which Kinds of Foods Make Us Fat?” by Gretchen Reynolds, and it was published on September 25th of this year in The New York Times. A fundamental yet unanswered question in the research of obesity is what kinds of foods contribute most to the condition. Since it is not ethical or practical to make healthy humans eat a certain diet until they become fat, researchers performed this experiment on mice for a diet study published in Cell Metabolism. Basically, they fed different groups of mice different diets to see which group, and therefor which diet, made them fat. Out of hundreds of mice and 29 different diets, some high in fat, others consisting of mainly refined carbs or low protein foods, only the mice with high fat diets became obese. The article contributes the idea that fat makes people fat, but what it lacks is a solution to the problem or any further detail about where to go from here with this problem that they have now identified, or discovered.
Another article I found was called, “Americans Just Keep Getting Fatter,” by Matt Richtel and Andrew Jacobs. It was published on March 23rd of this year also in The New York Times. What this article contributes to my understanding is that although nutritionists and other experts would need a couple more years of data to surely make these conclusions, it is quite obvious that they are finding that obesity in adults is higher than in previous years. People are also eating fast food more than they used to. What’s also a notable fact is that youth has less of an obesity problem than our adults, and there is something different going on between the youth and adults. It gives statistics and explains these trends which is good information, but it does not go in depth about the “why” aspect or talk about a solution.
The final article I found was actually very interesting to me. It is called, “We’re in a new age of obesity. How did it happen? You’d be surprised,” by George Monbiot. It was published in The Guardian on August 15, 2018. Monbiot is a columnist for this publication. As foreshadowed by the title, the article essentially talks about how the many reasons that most people give for our obesity problem are surprisingly invalid. Statistics from the 1970s and now show that things like overeating, manual labor, and voluntary exercise do not support these common claims, and they were all more of a problem back then. So, Monbiot creatively explains that the ones who really need to exhibit willpower, control, and personal responsibility are the governments and policymakers who have discovered our weaknesses (disguised unhealthy foods) and ruthlessly exploit them. The article contributes a unique perspective with evidence, and I learned a lot of new information about our obesity problem from reading it.
Book
The book I found for my topic is called, “Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism.” It is written by Julie Guthman, Associate Professor in the Community Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is also the author of Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California. The introduction of Guthman’s book is called What’s the Problem? In this section she talks about the many different factors that may influence obesity. She suggests the ecological and environmental perspectives, and looks at how food systems contribute to the problem as well. Throughout the introductory piece, Guthman provides insight on her life, her childhood, her food habits, and her experiences and labels related to her own weight. She grew up with a father who was a “health food nut”, and despite her healthy eating habits she was told she is overweight by her doctor, who mentioned the obesity epidemic to her as a warning. She rarely ate fast food as a kid, and doesn’t drink soda. However, her doctor tells her to watch her sugar. Anyway, I am not trying to give the author’s life story, but my main point is that Guthman is very credible, and she has a lot of information to give about the many sides to the story when it come to obesity. The blame does not all fall on the individual, and in her eyes, capitalism is in many ways the biggest limit on our overall health. The chapter I chose to read was Whose Problem Is Obesity? In it, Guthman quotes a few of her students from her class, a course about the politics of obesity. Surprisingly to her, many things did not sit well with her students, and some of her students were surprised themselves at how much obesity made people mad. It mostly made not fat people mad. With this, Guthman segways into the politics of obesity, delving into health care policy, healthism, and the burden that some people feel is placed on “healthy” people due to the population of those who aren’t. Overall, I truly enjoyed the portion of this book that I read, and my mind was filled with new thoughts, information, and perspectives that I find very interesting. Additionally, the other chapters I did not read are on topics like farm policy, overeating, and fresh, local, organic food and its effects on health. These are all things we have talked about in class, and I would be interested to see what Guthman has to offer relating these topics to obesity. I think this book is a great source.
Guthman, Julie. Weighing in: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism. University of California Press, 2012.
Summary
The topic of obesity definitely strikes me as an important topic with potential policy implications. The book source that I found especially covers the health care aspect of obesity. There is a lot of debate about what should be done and if health care should be free or not. We can also look at policy about food stamps and the government aid that is provided for people in poverty as some people feel that the food provided is too unhealthy and leads to an overweight country. I think there is a lot to talk about with obesity and policy. What I am still curious about is obesity ranks around the world, and the habits, policy, and food systems of each country. The documentary displayed some facts statistics about the UK, and I would love to look at more countries to compare them and see what the best combination of factors is to reduce obesity as a country. This subject is obviously very difficult and multi-layered. There is always more to learn. This topic is particularly interesting to me because my family and I are a pretty healthy and active family. I can’t relate very well to people that suffer from obesity, so learning about it is always something I enjoy. My friends and I discuss it a lot actually, and I think my group members would be open to this topic. It is also a huge problem in the United States and this is a known fact. Personally, that bothers me and it is not something to be proud of. Obesity is such a huge problem that many people suffer from, but there are so many factors that influence it and it is hard to identify the main problems and work toward solving it. Hearing different evidence and perspectives is cool to me, and most importantly, gaining as much knowledge as I can about a healthy lifestyle is beneficial as it helps me make healthy choices and remain in good health. Watching the documentary, for example, was honestly kind of scary. It is not something I take lightly, and it reminds us that you can’t take your eye off the ball. I want to live a long and healthy life, as all of us do, and I think dissecting this topic provides very important knowledge for living a healthy lifestyle, and hopefully preventing others from missing this opportunity.
Got Groceries?
For this project our class was asked to take an anthropological look at grocery shopping in three different kinds of places. We were told to think about how decisions about what kinds of food we buy -- and when, where, and with whom we buy it -- are influenced by cultural factors while keeping the environment and atmosphere in mind.
The first place I observed was Meijer. This is the kind of place where I do most of my grocery shopping. These large supermarkets are the most common I would say, based on the many people I observed and the immense square footage of these places. The foods for sale reflect the interests of a wide range of people, and the prices are generally affordable and the least exclusive of the three. I noticed that most of the shoppers were wearing casual clothing. Social norms and expectations influence this in the sense that when going to these stores it is seen as sloppy or lazy to underdress in sweatpants, for example, and out of the ordinary to be overdressed and looking fancy. This is American culture. Most people were shopping with their families or friends with the exception of some individuals who were by themselves. In today’s world, it is seen as “cooler” to not be alone in public, and people seemed more comfortable and confident when they were not shopping alone in a place full of people. Within these groups there is conversation about tastes, preferences, price comparison and overall decision-making. However, interaction between parties is very limited. The only time it seemed to occur is when someone was in the way, at which point one could hear things like “excuse me” or “I’m sorry”. This is almost an expectation our society where it is weird or even startling to be approached by another shopper. People are there to get in and get out, not to chat. This is proper etiquette of a big supermarket. Store designers have made the store very bright with a lot of lighting. Aisles are organized by number with a list of their contents for consumer ease and appeal. Shelves and refrigerators/freezers are full, and I believe consumers would not view the store as positively if the selection was weak based on expectations of a store like Meijer to have stock and options. The baked goods are in the front of the store to catch eyes and exploit the weaknesses of consumers. As highlighted by the concept of “Pandora’s Lunchbox” by Melanie Warner, the food industry looks to discover our weaknesses and ruthlessly exploit them. Even at places like this there are things done to suck you in.
The next place I visited for the ethnography was the East Lansing Farmer’s Market. It was clear to me on my visit that the consumers there were looking to support local businesses and people. The culture here was based more on giving back. I saw spirit wear of local schools and it seemed to reflect more of a community compared to my Meijer experience. People seemed to know each other better and it seemed more like fun than a chore for shoppers. Everything was mostly fresh and grown/made in Michigan. People were typically dressed casual. The slightly wider variety of dress at the farmer’s market, however, showed me that this is a more festive and unique way to shop for groceries in our society today. It is a little more unusual because farmer’s markets are less abundant in our communities, and not all people have a preference for fresh, locally grown food. Another thing I observed was that it seemed like people were there to make a day out of the shopping experience. I saw a lot of families, couples, and kids. Everyone was friendly and talkative with the salespeople because they wanted to negotiate prices. This is very different from the supermarket where people rarely interact. I took away the idea that the social norm for this place is more laid back than the social norm at Meijer. Things are listed with a price, but if you try to bargain you most likely can get the price lower from what I noticed. Conversation is the expectation here. Most people paid with cash, and it’s all first come first served. As far as layout and design, there are different sections like flowers, produce, meat, art, and then sections for other food companies. There were samples for consumers which is something you won’t find at Meijer. All of the products were laid out nicely because sellers want consumers to go up and buy their food from them instead of others. Many vendors sell some of the same things, so it’s just a matter of how good they look and price.
The last place I analyzed was Fresh Thyme. Prices are higher here, and I believe the people I ran into were of slightly higher socioeconomic status than the population at Meijer and the farmer’s market. In the many articles we read in class about food stamps, it is clear that there is not much money given to families by these programs. So, you won’t find these kinds of struggling families at organic grocery stores where prices are higher. Overall, the people here will be generally well off.The foods for sale are organic and the produce looked great. The attraction to places like this is the opportunity to shop organic, but only certain people look for this in their food. This is why I saw less people here than the other places. It seemed to be more high end because higher prices are something only some people can afford in our society, so Fresh Thyme is more exclusive than a supermarket in that way. Etiquette here was similar to Meijer. Nobody talks. We do not have a culture where people like to interact with each other. Anywhere you go you will see people walk right by others and remain in their own world. Saying hi or conversing with random people is not the expectation, and doing so would break social norms. However, people still use their manners by waiting their turn to look at specific things, saying excuse me, walking slowly, and respecting the personal space of other shoppers as we do in most situations. I noticed at this market that it is smaller and set up slightly different. There is more open space and less aisles. Shoppers are able to circle around much of the well lit, colorful produce and get their look at organic fruits, vegetables, etc. Signs looked more creative than at Meijer, and the whole place had a more “homey” feel to it. To appeal to consumers, signs say things like “buy local” and “healthy food” and “freshly picked produce”. These are attractive to consumers, and I think it gives people the confidence and trust that foods bought here are simply “better”. Our culture is easily convinced by things like this even when we have little information or knowledge on the foods.
The first place I observed was Meijer. This is the kind of place where I do most of my grocery shopping. These large supermarkets are the most common I would say, based on the many people I observed and the immense square footage of these places. The foods for sale reflect the interests of a wide range of people, and the prices are generally affordable and the least exclusive of the three. I noticed that most of the shoppers were wearing casual clothing. Social norms and expectations influence this in the sense that when going to these stores it is seen as sloppy or lazy to underdress in sweatpants, for example, and out of the ordinary to be overdressed and looking fancy. This is American culture. Most people were shopping with their families or friends with the exception of some individuals who were by themselves. In today’s world, it is seen as “cooler” to not be alone in public, and people seemed more comfortable and confident when they were not shopping alone in a place full of people. Within these groups there is conversation about tastes, preferences, price comparison and overall decision-making. However, interaction between parties is very limited. The only time it seemed to occur is when someone was in the way, at which point one could hear things like “excuse me” or “I’m sorry”. This is almost an expectation our society where it is weird or even startling to be approached by another shopper. People are there to get in and get out, not to chat. This is proper etiquette of a big supermarket. Store designers have made the store very bright with a lot of lighting. Aisles are organized by number with a list of their contents for consumer ease and appeal. Shelves and refrigerators/freezers are full, and I believe consumers would not view the store as positively if the selection was weak based on expectations of a store like Meijer to have stock and options. The baked goods are in the front of the store to catch eyes and exploit the weaknesses of consumers. As highlighted by the concept of “Pandora’s Lunchbox” by Melanie Warner, the food industry looks to discover our weaknesses and ruthlessly exploit them. Even at places like this there are things done to suck you in.
The next place I visited for the ethnography was the East Lansing Farmer’s Market. It was clear to me on my visit that the consumers there were looking to support local businesses and people. The culture here was based more on giving back. I saw spirit wear of local schools and it seemed to reflect more of a community compared to my Meijer experience. People seemed to know each other better and it seemed more like fun than a chore for shoppers. Everything was mostly fresh and grown/made in Michigan. People were typically dressed casual. The slightly wider variety of dress at the farmer’s market, however, showed me that this is a more festive and unique way to shop for groceries in our society today. It is a little more unusual because farmer’s markets are less abundant in our communities, and not all people have a preference for fresh, locally grown food. Another thing I observed was that it seemed like people were there to make a day out of the shopping experience. I saw a lot of families, couples, and kids. Everyone was friendly and talkative with the salespeople because they wanted to negotiate prices. This is very different from the supermarket where people rarely interact. I took away the idea that the social norm for this place is more laid back than the social norm at Meijer. Things are listed with a price, but if you try to bargain you most likely can get the price lower from what I noticed. Conversation is the expectation here. Most people paid with cash, and it’s all first come first served. As far as layout and design, there are different sections like flowers, produce, meat, art, and then sections for other food companies. There were samples for consumers which is something you won’t find at Meijer. All of the products were laid out nicely because sellers want consumers to go up and buy their food from them instead of others. Many vendors sell some of the same things, so it’s just a matter of how good they look and price.
The last place I analyzed was Fresh Thyme. Prices are higher here, and I believe the people I ran into were of slightly higher socioeconomic status than the population at Meijer and the farmer’s market. In the many articles we read in class about food stamps, it is clear that there is not much money given to families by these programs. So, you won’t find these kinds of struggling families at organic grocery stores where prices are higher. Overall, the people here will be generally well off.The foods for sale are organic and the produce looked great. The attraction to places like this is the opportunity to shop organic, but only certain people look for this in their food. This is why I saw less people here than the other places. It seemed to be more high end because higher prices are something only some people can afford in our society, so Fresh Thyme is more exclusive than a supermarket in that way. Etiquette here was similar to Meijer. Nobody talks. We do not have a culture where people like to interact with each other. Anywhere you go you will see people walk right by others and remain in their own world. Saying hi or conversing with random people is not the expectation, and doing so would break social norms. However, people still use their manners by waiting their turn to look at specific things, saying excuse me, walking slowly, and respecting the personal space of other shoppers as we do in most situations. I noticed at this market that it is smaller and set up slightly different. There is more open space and less aisles. Shoppers are able to circle around much of the well lit, colorful produce and get their look at organic fruits, vegetables, etc. Signs looked more creative than at Meijer, and the whole place had a more “homey” feel to it. To appeal to consumers, signs say things like “buy local” and “healthy food” and “freshly picked produce”. These are attractive to consumers, and I think it gives people the confidence and trust that foods bought here are simply “better”. Our culture is easily convinced by things like this even when we have little information or knowledge on the foods.