When you get right down to it, food is practically the whole story every time, to quote Kurt Vonnegut (Galápagos).
So it’s not surprising that there’s a lot to say about why what we eat matters, from farm to fork. I’ll explore various issues in nutrition on this blog, including impacts on your personal health and weight as well as broader perspectives on the environment.
You are, after all, what you eat. It’s really true, right down to each and every cell membrane where those wonderful omega-3 fatty acids found mainly in seafood and algae reside in your body. These essential fats are not consumed in adequate amounts by most people and are critically important in brain development and cognitive function, alongside a host of other positive health benefits.
But what of the heavily contaminated fish supply, you ask? What if I’m pregnant? Farmed or wild, does that matter? And isn’t the fish supply dwindling already? Can’t I just eat walnuts, flax, and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids and get the same health effects?
Hey, I didn’t say it was simple. Not to mention that nutrition is a science, and it evolves as we accumulate new knowledge. As a nutrition scientist, my goal and mission is to help you make sense of this fishy issue (pun intended) and other not-so-straight-forward food choice conundrums. My hope is that you’ll then take a positive step to changing your own life and improving your health through what you choose to eat.
Acting together, we just might even change the world we live in a little bit – one delectable bite at a time.
I think what bedevils most conscious consumers is the overwhelming and sometimes contradictory information we are given by the media. Finding unbiased information out there is nearly impossible. Ask the prune guy if I should eat more prunes and of course he will say yes. Even more concerning is when these food companies sponsor a program or use PR firms to get their message out via news channels under the guise of being news, when in fact it’s an infomercial. At the end of the day, it’s about choice. The bad actors are out there and it is clear who they are. But it’s the middle ground where science meets commerce that creates the dissonance, and we as consumers must be vigilant before we fall into cynicism.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Matt. I totally agree. I also believe that a baseline lack of scientific literacy in the populace – which is a fault of public education and not a given individual – further compounds the problem. Media makes it so much worse, but if people had a clearer understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry (e.g., inconsistencies are not uncommon as knowledge evolves, among others) they’d be better poised to make informed choices. And it’s certainly not just the media, but so many others who contribute to the din of anti-science and anecdote that drown the voices of logic and reason. This is among many reasons why the US investment in science education in schools is so terribly important.
I was wondering what your thoughts are on the subject of the food pyramid. Do you agree with it? be well, David
Great question, David ~ Thanks for the visit and the comment! I probably should put up a link to a post I wrote on this topic on this page. The post is titled “The Devil’s in the Dietary Details,” and I believe it will answer your question… Cheers, PK