Opting Out

I have been slowly telling my friends and my family about my decision to become a vegetarian. Reactions have not been out of the ordinary, but one conversation did leave me with something to think about. A friend of mine reacted by talking about how radical being a vegetarian seems in the context of American society. He views vegetarians as individuals who are very separate from the mainstream. The concept of vegetarianism has never been a foreign one to me and I have been surrounded by a handful of vegetarian friends for as long as I can remember. I am well aware of the fact that a typical American meal contains at least one large chunk of animal protein, but I would never have classified vegetarianism as "extreme" or "radical."

My vegetarian days are still very limited, but I am already starting to see how making this dietary decision places me on the very edge of mainstream culture. My students (most of whom are Navajo and butcher their own sheep) do not understand what a diet without meat consists of. Fast food restaurants (with the exception of Burger King) do not have vegetarian options. Other restaurants may have a few vegetarian options, but in the state of New Mexico everything is covered with chili and the chili is generally made with pork. As a meat eater, these are things that I may not have noticed before. Eating vegetarian is a conscious decision that takes some work and forethought to do successfully because the world is not always set up to accommodate this choice.

While avoiding meat is a very clear example of "opting out" of American food culture, there are many others as well. Thinking about Michael Pollan's prescriptions for eating healthier, all of them would entail "opting out" of food culture to an extent. Avoid processed foods with five or more ingredients - I don't know a single student who would turn down a bag of hot Cheeto's for that reason. Learn to cook - For many, cooking is a special occasion, it's not a daily occurrence. Convenience trumps the process of preparing food for most people. If one chooses to follow either of these two rules, they will be required to opt out of mainstream culture. This is radical. This is extreme. It doesn't take a vegetarian diet to cross over to the rebellious side of American food culture.

The question this leads me to is this: what does it take for people to opt out of a harmful food culture? Do they learn it at home? Do they learn it from coworkers and peers? Do they stumble across an article or a book that will change their mind? Or, will opting out always be simply a radical and extreme action... meaning in order to improve the general American's diet we'll have to change the food culture? If so, how in the world do we do that?

Utility

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, one of the possibilities I'm considering is pursuing higher education in the field of Economics. It was my major in undergrad and I absolutely loved it. I have become obsessed with food and nutrition since then so I am also considering pursuing that, but I realized recently that I can combine those two interests. I could study food marketing and production in an applied or agricultural economics program. It could work out very well... only I know next to nothing about the field.

Anyway... the point of this entry. Economics is a very curious social science that does its best to quantify choices... which can be very difficult to quantify. One of the tools economists use is this very general term known as utility... or the pleasure and individual takes from certain consumption decisions. It seems as though this might be a great way to account for preferences and everything else, but the problem is, who really knows why they enjoy all of the things they do? I've been applying this idea a lot and trying to figure out why I do the things that I do (in regards to food that is) and what motivates me to make healthy decisions while many other people make very different decisions.

Example: Tonight I had an eggplant "curry-like" dish with tofu for dinner. (Contains the following - eggplant, onion, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes, garlic, and indian spices). To be honest, it was kind of tasteless... definitely not bad but definitely not spectacular. Regardless of the finished product, I was so excited to have made it. I told all of my coworkers that I made eggplant curry and I looked forward to reheating the leftovers and tasting the mediocre meal again today. Despite the taste, I took great pleasure from that curry which means that my utility from eating is not derived purely from taste.

Now, this is going to be far from a definitive list, but here's where I think my food utility comes from:

Nutrition - There were lots of different veggies in my curry... meaning I ate a more varied diet this week than I would have without that dish. Plus, there wasn't anything "bad for me" in my curry. That made me feel like I was doing something great.

Exploration and culinary growth - I learned a new way to cook eggplant (roast it in the oven for a while and then scoop the insides into a dish of your choosing)... this makes me feel as though I'm actually becoming a better cook.

Productivity - If I've had a tough day at school, nothing will improve my mood more than making something with my hands. I like being productive; I feel good about myself when I can do that. Cooking is a great outlet for that type of stuff.

Taste - of course I want something that tastes great in addition to all of the above.

I suppose that this is something I need to do some more research on, but the economic concept of utility very complex. The pleasure I take from food is very complex... I can't imagine trying to analyze the pleasure everyone else takes from food. Are there any patterns? Are these innate preferences of have I been shaped by my surroundings? Basically, why do I eat the way I do and why do others eat the way they do?

Research suggestions appreciated.

Blogging... Eeek!

This week I stumbled into the world of internet blogging. I mean... I've written on blogs before and I'm familiar with the concept, but I had no idea how huge the community of bloggers actually was! First, I found one of two blogs that were very interesting, then I followed links from their "blogroll" then all of a sudden I was falling down the rabbit hole. There were food blogs by diabetics, cancer survivors, dieters, amazing chefs, working moms, and anything else one could dream up. I'm sure that some of these blogs are uber popular and some are just "wanna-be's" in the blogworld. They all referenced each other and all of them had tons of comments on each post. This was a community with personal interactions and a lot of dialog going on. First, I realized that there are a lot of intelligent, great writers out there who are passionate about the same things I am. Second, I got very intimidated... what am I doing?

I couldn't help but question myself. Why am I spending time writing in a blog? Why do I think this is a worthwhile project when it is clearly not a unique one. What am I going to contribute that all of these other people aren't already saying? Just like the rest of my life... I guess I really have no clue. I'm wandering right now because, hey, these are my odyssey years. Despite ultimately not knowing what I hope to get out of this blog, I do believe that it is a productive step. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas. I like thinking, reading, and making connections. Since graduating from college, I don't have many places where I've been asked to do those things in a structured manner. I hope this blog can be an outlet for that type of structured reflection on ideas that catch my interest.

Ideally, I will write in this blog a few times a week, maybe even have some people read it and comment on it once in a while (the spot of first comment is still up for grabs! you better act quickly if you want to be a part of this history!) . After a few months of this (maybe longer... who knows), I would read back on my entries and be able to see patterns... something would become clear and point me towards my next step. Maybe I'll stumble across a research possibility or dissertation topic in a blog entry. I guess that is a huge expectation to have for a blog, but I don't think it's totally unrealistic. Writing and reflecting is very valuable; therefore, I envision this as being a way in which I might figure out what I'm doing with myself. It could happen.

This is how I think of this blog. I haven't sent the address to my family members and aside from the passing reference to my dietary patterns, contented singleness, or love of running on the mesas, I have no intentions of dwelling on my personal life. This is a place for me to explore ideas about food, economics, sociology, philosophy, and any other passing thoughts that might come my way. I think becoming part of the blogging community would be fun, but it's not my main goal. (Comments are still welcome, though!)

Made to order nutrition bars

You Bars - This is a site that allows people to custom order nutrition bars. They have a pretty wide selection of ingredients and supplements that can be added. The small, family owned business is located in California, produces the bars there and then sends them to the customers across the country. The bars are individually wrapped, can be named by the person who places the order, and come with a nutrition label on them.

Great things about this idea: I am quite familiar with the nutrition and meal replacement bars that are on the market right now. I really like the convenience of such products, but I'm usually turned off by the extensive list of ingredients. It's difficult to find a bar that offers the calories, protein, and whatever else I am looking for without tons of additives that I would like to avoid. You Bars seem like a great alternative. I can order these bars so that the carbohydrates are coming from honey and oatmeal instead of cornsyrup and sugar... and make sure they still have some protein in them. This is a great thing. Throwing a nutrition bar that is made from real food into my bag on the way out the door seems like a much better idea than reaching for a vitamin enriched candy bar.

Questions about this idea: Even if they are made with whole foods and organic ingredients, these are still meal replacement bars... supplements. These are designed to be eaten quickly and to specifically optimize what we are putting into our bodies. They are also made in California and shipped across the country... definitely not local for the majority of us. This product promotes and caters to the same patterns of convenience eating and nutritionism that so many other products on the market sell to, it just does this with higher quality ingredients.

Ultimately... I love having snacks readily available and if I could afford to pay the $40 for a box of 12 bars, I would order some "Becky Bars" right now. I don't think that expense is going to be very high on my priority list right now, BUT... I sure would love to get my hands on the recipes that this family uses! (And congratulate them on a great business idea)

Experimentation

Marion Nestle highlighted this family's experiment on her blog yesterday and I'm really interested in reading about how it is going. A family of five, parents and three boys under the age of seven, have cleaned out their cabinets and decided to follow Michael Pollan's advice about eating for 30 days. This includes very few processed foods and a whole lot of cooking. The family will be chronicling their experience on this blog: Fresh Mouth.

Ultimately, I think any attempt to eat healthier and "opt out" of American eating habits is a good thing. I can also relate to this woman's feelings towards cooking and working so hard to eat well because I tend to follow the same diet plan that she and her family are currently following... and I do dishes constantly! And I'm only cooking for one! She brings up a great point in today's post about being detached from food because of our schedules. It takes a lot more time to eat whole foods than to heat something in a microwave. I have never had a family or kids to take care of so I know I can't really understand those demands... but I would like to think that it's more about priorities. As a runner, a lot of people will tell me that they would never have the time to run... I don't really believe that. I guess the same can be true of food, if it's a priority, you will get it done, if it's not... too bad.

Anyway... Good luck! I look forward to checking back in and hearing the stories coming from this family's kitchen!

Vegetarianism

This is my official announcement. As of Saturday, February 16th, 2008, I am officially a vegetarian. My last bite of meat was half of a Carl's Jr. burger on Friday night. I put all of the meat in my house in a bag and in the back corner of my freezer... I will probably be gifting it to my neighbor quite soon. I have two reasons for making this decision, and while I don't think it will be a permanent change, I am 100% committed to it.

First, I don't want to put bad food in my body. The animals used to produce this meat are not raised in a natural or a humane way, creating a situation where they are not only fed a disgusting diet, but they are medicated to prevent them from getting sick on that diet. I think this situation is wrong, but more so, I don't want to put the meat that results from these CAFOs into my body. If I lived in a place where I had more access to a local cattle farm or something similar I might be making a different decision, but vegetarianism works for now.

Second, I'm fascinated by food culture in the United States. I am currently choosing to opt out of US food culture in many ways (ex. eating a generally healthy diet with only a few Carl's Jr. exceptions). But, I am curious as to how difficult it will be to opt out more dramatically. How difficult is it to eat out if you're a vegetarian, how difficult is it to participate in other social eating situations as a vegetarian? What will my students say?

This is going to be a great experiment. I'm hoping to do this for at least six months... and then I'll reevaluate. I will keep everyone updated!

Deal breakers

I have been thinking a lot about vegetarianism lately. I am appalled by the way meat is produced in this country. My disgust does not come from that "touchy feely" place that I have despised for so long as a reason for not eating meat, but it comes from a respect for what I put into my body and a belief that the current state of the meat industry is no where close to how things are supposed to work. I ultimately believe that it is ok for humans to kill animals in order to feed ourselves. Maybe it's ignorant, but I don't see a problem with that. I do, however, think it's wrong for humans to modify the natural order of life in order to make meat cheaper or more profitable. I also find the meat industry environmentally careless and don't have a desire to feed my body with a substance that has been so adulterated.

After some reading, I figured out my beliefs (explained above) but couldn't figure out why I hadn't thrown my hat into the vegetarian ring yet. I really enjoy tofu, beans, veggies, soy products, and other vegetarian fair so giving up my occasional burger or grilled chicken would not kill me. I found a passage that really helped me answer this question in The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan talks about the experience of eating communally and being a vegetarian. He explains how a chosen dietary restriction can separate an individual from other diners and create awkward situations filled with different guilts and obligations. This explanation makes a lot of sense to me. I want to be able to enjoy communal meals with others; I can eat and cook however I want in my own home, but while dining with others I want to participate in that community fully.

There is an article the The New York Times today that also dwells on the power food can have in social relationships. They discuss romantic relationship, the successes and failures, between people who have different diets. I Love You, but You Love Meat. They allude many times to the connection people feel when sharing a meal together. The problem, however, is that there are many people who don't consciously value food in the same way... or they value foods like Big Mac's and Sonic burritos... and that gets in the way of romantic relationships. The article makes a great point. I could date a vegetarian, a vegan, someone who was kosher, or someone who had a dietary restriction, but I could not date someone who didn't derive enjoyment from the process of cooking and eating, or who didn't respect what they were putting into their body.

Vegetarian or not... I like sharing the enjoyment of food with others. I guess I will have to add this idea to my list of dating deal breakers in the future.

Another Option

I really love reading the blog Eating Liberally. Last week they had a spectacular recipe for orange vegan cupcakes. It was my first exploration into vegan baking and I was definitely impressed with the results. Other than that, this blog just offers some interesting, well written pieces. Here's a quote from today's entry:

David Gracer, a connoisseur of bug-based cuisine, told Najame, “Insects can feed the world. Cows and pigs are the S.U.V.’s; bugs are the bicycles.” Way to get us eco-weenies to board the bug-eating bandwagon; who doesn’t love bicycles?

I like bicycles. The entry is about eating bugs, the unjust prejudice that Americans have against it, and the ways in which this new diet can solve the world's problems. I haven't been eating a whole lot of meat recently because of everything I've learned about the current state of the meat industry so I did give some serious thought to the bug idea. My serious thought involved imagining myself wandering around the mesas in back of my adobe, trying to find 2 cups of grasshoppers in order to make quesadillas. Interesting... I'm just not sure if I could bring myself to put one of those grasshoppers in my mouth. It would take a while to get used to the texture I imagine...

Are bugs even clean? If I were to pick up a beetle or a worm of some sort and snack on it, would I get some sort of disease? And if they are generally clean on the inside, how do you clean the outside? And do you eat them whole? These are all things that should be answered if anyone wants us to seriously consider eating bugs.

Check out the article. Eating Bugs?

Venture into Academic Literature

After a year and a half in the "real world", I have returned to the journal pages that occupied so much of my time not too long ago. I have been reading books written on the subjects of food and nutrition, but have realized that these are not enough. After coming across "Behavioral Economics, Food Assistance, and Obesity" by David Just (a professor at Cornell), I figured this was a good place to start.

As the title suggests, Just starts by acknowledging the prevalence of obesity among low-income sections of the population and, therefore, the high percentage of obese men and women who rely on food assistance programs. He discusses the difficulties in addressing this situation using standard economic solutions (a fat tax or restrictions on what can or can't be purchased) and advocates that policy makers need to consider the contributions that behavioral economics can make to address such problems. After presenting a variety of examples from behavioral economic and food psychology studies, Just argues that food choices are not always rational and need to be treated as such. Just goes on to discuss a few changes that can be made in the school lunch program, food stamp program, or the WIC program that will encourage participants to spend the assistance money in a way to increase overall health and decrease caloric consumption - thereby addressing the high rates of obesity.

This article provided a very different perspective than a lot of the literature I have been reading about food recently. While Michael Pollan alludes to the variety of contributions food makes to our lives (nutritional, communal, spiritual, ect.), Just views food as something that simply sustains us. As a way to help the school lunch program effectively address childhood obesity he suggests that students eat in very small groups and eat quickly because these conditions encourage eaters to consume fewer calories. Ok, this is definitely logical, but what about that great sense of satisfaction and community that comes from sharing meals with others. Do we have to give that up in order to eat less? Another policy recommendation Just has for improving the efficacy of the food stamp program is to encourage producers to make more individual sized portions and make ready-to-eat meals in smaller portions eligible food items. This, too, encourages people to eat fewer calories, yes, but does not promote a communal enjoyment of food. (The excess packaging is of course an environmental issue as well...)

The prescriptions made by David Just in this article make a lot of sense. They address the issues of overeating in a way that takes an individual's proclivity for being irrational into account. Because of this I believe that his policies have the potential to be effective if implemented correctly. I do, however, find this outlook on food slightly depressing. I love food. I love shopping and cooking and eating and sharing these things with others. I wish others could view food in this manner. The thing is, it's easy for me to say this because I don't have a problem with overeating whereas many people in the US do. This just leads me to wonder, is there a way to fit the enjoyment of the process of eating into an economic analysis of food, food assistance, and obesity? If we could encourage a greater pleasure and connection to what we eat, would that provide people with an incentive to eat better and become healthier?

Just, David R. “Behavioral Economics, Food Assistance, and Obesity.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. Vol. 35, No. 2 (October 2006): 1–10.

Techno-phobe?

Recently, I had a great conversation about food with my good friend Aaron. Both of us have experimented with different diets that advocate for supplements, specifically high protein supplements. Personally, the diet worked well for me; I lost some weight and felt pretty great about what I was doing for myself. Aaron was also a fan of the diet. Since then I have read books by Marion Nestle and Michael Pollan, both of whom advocate for whole foods and are critical of food science. Even though I enjoyed the nutrition program that I experimented with, I now find myself much more critical of anything that tells me I need to supplement my diet with "edible food-like substances." I agree with the idea that whole foods can provide me with everything I need, and I also find it to be a very romantic perspective to have.

As I was expressing this view to my friend, a very intelligent, scientifically minded man, and he accused me of being critical of innovations just because they are new and different. Food science had already brought about helpful things such as preservatives and different supplements for people with debilitating allergies. Why judge a protein bar that conveniently provides important vitamins and minerals just because it comes from a lab instead of off a tree? Well... good point. Where is the line between arguing that we should still be running around naked, eating berries and wild animals because that's how we used to do it and arguing that certain things just don't need to be improved upon? I'm not sure I have an answer to that totally, but I have a few more arguments after reading the first part of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

As Michael Pollan points out in his discussion of the FDA's decision in 1973 to allow modified foods to be marketed without the "imitation" label that was previously required, Nutritional science and food science is assumed to have a thorough understanding of how foods nourish our bodies. This, however, is not always the case.

1) Margarine. Margarine was introduced in the last century as a way to avoid saturated fats. Food scientists used hydrogenated vegetable oils to make a substance that was similar to butter. Americans ate this for decades before we all realized that the trans-fats created by hydrogenating vegetable oils were twice as bad for us as the naturally occurring saturated fats in butter were. Ooops... We clearly hadn't figured it out at this point.

2) Snackwells and the Fat Phobia. More recently, in another attempt to avoid fats, Americans became obsessed with low fat alternatives. The vast majority of foods engineered to be lower in fats are much higher in refined carbohydrates; for example, Snackwell products. The reduction in food fats accompanied with the increases in refined sugars has increased the obesity problem in the United States instead of decreasing it. Ooops again!

3) Baby Formula. I haven't read much about this specifically, but Pollan refers to it multiple times. Apparently the trial and error food scientists have gone through in creating infant formulas that adequately replicate breast milk is a great example of how much we still don't know about the intricate nature of food and health.

These might partially justify my "techno-phobia" and I will keep you updated as to whether my friend finds these reasons valid. Ultimately, the best reason I have to eat real food and avoid "food-like substances" is that human science is flawed and will continue to be so for a long time. Nature, on the other hand, produces some pretty delicious dishes if I do say so myself... and I'm pretty sure they won't make my pee smell like chemicals. That's a good thing in my book.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

Know where your food comes from. Trust culture.

I began reading this book because it is on the list of must reads for aspiring food geeks. Throughout the first half of the book, sections that go into fascinating detail about the origins of many common foods in the American system, Michael Pollan neglects to inform the reader that he has a concrete solution to this Dilemma to which the title refers. During the second half, he lets us in on the secret. Food is nutritional and sustaining, but even more so food is spiritual and cultural. It is in our understanding of, connection to, and appreciation of the food chain that we can truly experience the full pleasure of eating. And, it is through our identification with culture, and the community interaction that should follow the act of eating, that we can learn to eat in ways that sustain us and our environment.

While not a main focus of this book, Michael Pollan has spoken critically of "nutritionism." This is how he identifies the current trend of focusing on food and health by analyzing individual nutrients instead of viewing foods and diet in a more holistic manner. After realizing how much he believes food provides humans with a physical and spiritual connection to the rest of the world, this criticism seems very justified. Focusing on the effect Omega 3's have on a person's health and wellbeing might be likened to the effect a person's agreement or disagreement to a single Bible verse has on her relationship with God. Ultimately, Omega 3's and a person's reaction to a scripture may be significant, but neither tell a story that could be described as anything other than limited. Spirituality can only be evaluated by examining a variety of different perspectives just as many things need to be considered when thinking about the diet's relationship to health and well-being.

I am glad to have read something that is critical of the importance of individual nutrients. I am also very excited to incorporate the idea's Pollan has about culture and spirituality into further reading about food and nutrition. Additionally, Pollan's description of the food industry makes me very curious to explore the contradictory motives of capitalism and providing America with a healthy diet.

The Trenches vs. The Ivory Tower

There is clearly an obesity problem in the United States. As a country, we are poisoning ourselves on a daily basis. We have no idea of how to feed ourselves in a way that optimizes our physical potential. Advertising and corporations make seemingly simple food choices unbelievably complicated when examined closely. I believe that this situation needs to be addressed.

While I am still in the early stages of this romantic relationship, I love food. I take great pleasure in preparing meals both for myself and for others. I feel as though I enter some sort of time warp in super markets because hours pass quickly before I tire from reading labels, health claims, and examining unfamiliar products. I read about food, nutrition, and health constantly. This just may be my passion and this just may be the way in which I can contribute to this world. Unfortunately... at the age of 23, passion just leads one to even more questions.

What is the best way to address the eating disorder that America is suffering from? What is the best way for me to share my love and passion of food with others who could benefit from my perspective? Option A: Find a job with WIC or some similar organization that offers advice and counsels the populations who are most in need. Work in the trenches and know that I will influence lives on a daily basis. Option B: Pursue higher education by becoming a Nutritionist or getting a PhD in Applied Economics or something very similar. Talk, think, teach and write about these issues for the rest of my life and hope that my words don't fall on deaf ears.

Both options have benefits, both have drawbacks. What do you think, the trenches of the ivory tower?