My Own Relationship With Food
Answering the question of what is my relationship with food?
When I was a kid, I was blessed to have two amazing parents who provided my brother and I with quite tasty and nutritious food. I didn’t think much about what I was eating until I got to college, when I took on more responsibility for my diet. At the height of COVID-19, I elected to follow a vegan diet as a result of my concern for the impact meat has on our planet.
I stuck with this for several years until recently, when I decided to follow what I am terming the Plant-Forward diet. My change of heart came around through the creation of this recipe book, in fact.
I noticed several things, which inspired the change. First of all, I realized that all these animals, which had been demonized in my mind, are not the issue; it’s simply the human mismanagement of them. Pigs, cows, chickens, and other “farm” animals are actually a big part of the solution. These animals are a natural part of the carbon cycle, which can sequester carbon into our depleted topsoil, as well as other cycles that occur naturally throughout the planet. I also contemplated how unlikely it is to get everyone to follow a strict vegan diet, considering the current state of the world and how important animal products are in many different cultures. Additionally, I noticed that animal products can indeed provide a great source of nutrients vital for sustaining human life. Lastly, I recognized that steering hard left into veganism will just put us right back in a similar situation where a large amount of power is concentrated among a small few, and the exploitative processes they employ will continue to damage our world.
All that being said, I lived on a mostly vegan diet (meaning I’d occasionally go vegetarian and sometimes eat leftovers that'd otherwise be thrown away) for several years. Going vegan is undeniably possible, and considering the unnecessary amount of processed foods and animal-based foods consumed in the modern Western diet, going vegan could be an excellent option for some.
At the end of the day, we should all be free and empowered to eat the food we desire that works for our individual lives, which is what a Plant-Forward diet promotes. The fact is, we are neither free nor empowered at present.
Through deceptive measures, our current food system nudges us to eat copious amounts of foods that harm ourselves and the planet. The Environmental Working Group highlights a proponent of this unfair system in their report, which shows that between 1995 and 2023, 69% of farms did not receive a single dollar in farm subsidy payments. Subsidies are used to attack consumers right where it matters most to them, the price point. They are but one of the plentiful artificial incentives, and even punishments, that often go unnoticed, luring us into unhealthy diets focused on animal-based and processed foods.
Again, I do not suggest that most of us adopt a full-on vegan diet, yet I do suggest that we consume a healthier proportion of fruits and vegetables. At its heart, the Plant-Forward diet I am now following, and which I continue to explore in the ensuing recipe book, encourages a balanced, healthy relationship with food that puts the consumer in control, allowing them to discover what they want and need from their food each day.
Yet this Plant-Forward diet is just a small part of my relationship with food. To be honest, I don’t really know the whole answer, and if you ask me, odds are my answer will vary from day to day. Each of my interactions with the food system evokes different emotions within me, which is what I want to focus on here.
To begin, here is what I do and do not appreciate about our current food system. I am not a fan of the recent increase in food costs and the volatility of food prices, due to the food system’s deep association with oil prices. I certainly don’t appreciate all the environmental and societal damages for which our current food system is responsible. Like many, I lead a busy life, constantly moving from one activity to another, so I’m not a big fan of how long it takes to cook my own food and clean all the dishes. Despite what it might seem like when we walk into a grocery store and encounter thousands of different Stock Keeping Units (SKUs), the reality is that we are experiencing a severe decline in biodiversity both in our world and on our plates. While reflecting, I’ve also realized how an on-the-go lifestyle prevents us from enjoying the company of friends and family, which is at the heart of many cultures' food systems throughout history.
Now, here are some things I do like. I love the ability food has to bring people together, especially around holidays and other celebrations. I am intrigued by the variety of flavors and textures that our beautiful planet has to offer. I enjoy how food enables me to do everything I do by making me feel energized and alert. Although there are certainly some serious consequences, I do appreciate the extreme convenience of our current system. I really enjoy consuming food that I didn’t have to prepare, whether that's a homemade meal from my mom or something from a restaurant. I think compost is a pretty neat, nature-made way of utilizing organic waste. Lastly, I think it is refreshing that we each have unique perspectives, tastes, and opinions that can shape an even more rewarding food system of the future.
The question remains, though, how does this make me feel? My feelings vary from day to day. However, some of the most relevant emotions include the following: one I’m sure we can all relate to at some point is the feeling of being hangry, not my favorite, but who isn’t hangry at some point or another. Closely related to that, I often feel tired as a result of all the work that goes into purchasing, preparing, and eating food. The issues that face us on a local and global scale leave me feeling anxious and confused about the future. However, I see a great opportunity ahead of us to reconnect with our food and find innovative solutions to the challenges we face, which will lead us to live happier, healthier lives. This makes me feel excited and happy about what could be.
The food system is a complex thing that impacts us and the surrounding world in ways that aren’t readily visible to the average person. Yet it is a crucial component for any society. As former US senator Daniel Webster put it, “When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.” Agriculture is the basis on which we can accomplish everything else we put our energy and efforts towards. If we can’t do food right, then how can we possibly be doing anything else right?
It terrifies me how fragile our current food system is due to the increasing amount of stress it puts on our planet's ecological outputs and how that, in turn, strains our own relationships. Our growing reliance on a system that produces food hundreds of miles away and supplies only a few days' worth of food in cities at a time means that people are in a vulnerable position, where they are at the mercy of the food value chain.
Luckily for us, the food we eat is a choice we encounter each and every day. Voting with your dollar and promoting a system that is more localized and empowers people to choose from a diverse selection of food items that helps rejuvenate our relationship with the planet and each other is a necessary change in our society.
Nobody is perfect, and not everything will change overnight. Bit by bit, though, we will be able to regain control of the food system, which has been invisibly exploiting people and the planet. I hope you will join me in this conversation, as we discuss our current relationship with the food system and engage with the rest of the world in building a new food system that works for us all.
