Nutritionism gives us insane things like 100 calorie packs.
Here we are, the first of March. That means its “National Nutrition Month”– this campaign, sponsored by the American Dietetic Association, is all about promoting the concept of good science based nutrition information.
I have a real problem with the “N” word. The whole concept of “nutrition” has us barking up the wrong tree. As a result, we focus on calories, fat grams and carbs and often forget to ask the hard questions about what we eat. Questions like: What the heck is this ingredient? and Where the heck did it come from?
Food activist and journalist Michael Pollan has written extensively about the problems with “nutritionism”. I will paraphrase his philosophy here.
Nutritionism– a belief system that focuses on scientifically identified nutrients that determine the worthiness of a particular food or food product.
1. Food is merely a “nutrient delivery system”. You can see this on the Nutrition Facts box on every food product in the supermarket. The run down on Calories, Fat, Sodium, Total Carb, Protein, the % Daily Value (which I still don’t really understand!)
2. You must give up your power as an eater to the “experts”. The dietitians and other health professionals are the “priests” of this belief system. They interpret the scientific findings for the masses. They are the ones who tell us what to eat. Why aren’t we the experts of our own bodies and health? After all, we live with ourselves 24/7 no one knows us better than we do! When I work with clients, my goal is to raise their Food IQ to the point where they know how to ask the right questions about food and their health. My ultimate goal is to make it so that my clients don’t need me!
"good nutrients"
3. There are “good” nutrients. The high profile good guys are currently: fiber, antioxidants, probiotics, DHA. The food industry splashes these words on boxes of edible foodlike substance because those “experts” proclaim them to be healthful.
4. There are “bad” nutrients. Right now, the newest bigtime evil nutrient of is SALT! Fat has always been on the bad boy list for a long time. Note that both good and evil nutrients are subject to change over time.
Like any religion or belief system, Nutritionism has its flaws. There are plenty of people who believe strongly in their nutritional dogmas. Whether it is low fat, sugar free, vegan, fruitarian or pill popping supplementarian, all of these philosophies are missing something.
When we attempt to reclaim our health by using the dictates of nutritionism, we end up eating pizza with low fat cheese, whole wheat pizza crust and reduced sodium. That is not going to change ANYTHING!
Real food grown close to home is true nourishment
Its time to embrace the F word: FOOD. Personal health and planetary health are directly connected. We must spend the time to learn about the food system, how it works and why it is currently in a state of collapse. If our children are to grow up healthy, we must work to re-build the food system closer to our homes and with less toxins. That means starting with a garden at school and at home. Junk doesn’t grow in gardens, real food does.
