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Defining the Sociology of Nutrition

12 Sep

A Starting Point

So now we finally come to the Sociology of Nutrition. However to begin this we must first define what exactly that is. There are any number of definitions out there but a quick Google search turns up:

so·ci·ol·o·gy noun
the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations, institutions, etc.

nu·tri·tion noun
1. the act or process of nourishing or of being nourished.
2.  the science or study of, or a course of study in, nutrition, especially of humans.

Nutrition actually has quite a few definitions, but for our purposes these two definitions will be sufficient for the explanation. You’re more than welcome to delve into the origin and current use of these two words, but know that how I am putting it is as defined above.

sociology-update

We combine those two definitions to say that we are now studying the science of nutrition as it pertains to nourishment as a problem in the development, organization and functioning of human society. Quite specifically we focus on the problem in the United States because of its multiple and unique sociological problems that present today in an unseen but very real disparity in sub populations in this country.

In this attempt we look at nutrition as a sociological problem, not causation, but as a result of a food system created from economic demand and developed without scientific research which is now one of the largest known systems on the planet. These food systems grew symbiotically within already established segregated systems of people within the United States. This has led to a large disparity of nutritional balance across all populations and inevitably has become a sociological problem on its own yet tied inexorably to other sociological problems.

Huh?

In short, because of already present socioeconomic problems occurring as a result of past sociological problems, racial and gender being two, nutritional availability and marketing has evolved over the past few decades quite differently in different areas.

The really short version: Minorities have a higher risk of nutritional problems, diabetes being the most notable, than other populations. This is due to nutritional deserts present in lower-income areas in our country and public policy that fails to address childhood nutritional issues in low-income public schooling areas.

Lower income areas are more often inhabited by minority populations due to past sociological issues, many of which we may discuss in this blog, but a sociological history lesson is not the issue.

And how does this affect me?

Why should you care? Well, in a perfect world because we care about each other and would like to better humanity. You can put that on your Facebook wall. But know that you are carrying the financial burden through increased insurance premiums, raised hospital bills, higher taxes, increased food costs and more.

Now that we have a common definition we can move forward in the discussion of what this means, what it is and what can be done. Understanding how nutrition has become a sociological problem in the present day and with present challenges is our purpose. Changing it can then be everyone’s.

 

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Posted by on September 12, 2012 in Education, Health and Nutrition, Opinion

 

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Your health, whose responsible?

09 Aug

Responsibility

This notion came out of my musing on the lawsuit against McDonalds by a couple of parents who say McDonald’s made their kids fat, which took me to the classic of the spilled hot coffee lawsuit. I don’t like McDonald’s in almost any respect but are people really this stupid? Are they just greedy? Who really knows, but it brought up an interesting question about health, fitness and responsibility.

Who’s responsibility is it that your body be healthy?

The marketing machines of the industrialized nations have gone to great lengths to convince us that eating sugar for breakfast is part of a complete breakfast. They have

English: McDonalds' sign in Harlem.

 

sold us on pre-made foods and told us that almost everything we eat is healthy. I can’t see this as a good excuse to be out of shape or overweight. Ultimately you are responsible for your own health.

No one stuck a gun to your head and forced you to eat unhealthy every day. No, you chose to spoon that food into your mouth and you’re the one who should pay, not the food companies and definitely not me (though I do).

$150 billion and counting

Is what being unhealthy is costing the American public. Somewhere around a third of that is coming out of taxpayers’ pockets. Mine. I’m healthy now but I’m still paying for others poor choices. Fine. I don’t see ranting as fixing that problem but I’m not really sure what will.

Chemicals and responsibility

Ahh, but then we hit the other side of the coin. What is in or on that fresh apple you just ate? We don’t know. All sorts chemicals are allowed to be used in our fields and end up on our plates. This is the organic argument though I’ll stay away from it in this post, I really want to focus on responsibility.

What we put in our mouths is our responsibility, but if we don’t know what’s in or on what we’re putting into our mouths we are no longer able to make an informed decision. OR you get to a point where doing the research to make an informed decision is simply too time consuming to be practical and then we have to turn to the “experts” to tell us what is or is not good.

So whose responsibility is it?

I think there’s a lot of common sense answer to that. If it’s generally accepted as bad, don’t eat it, and if you do take responsibility for it.  If you can reasonably find out the information on a particular health matter it then becomes your responsibility. Even if you can’t, you still are responsible for discussing you and your family’s health with a professional.

When someone tells you something, question it. When you see an advertisement, question it.

And if you spill coffee on yourself, don’t be surprised that it’s hot.

Next . . .

Next time I’ll have to take a closer look at socioeconomic factors that influence unhealthy practices. Race determines your chances of getting diabetes, but has absolutely nothing to do with genetics. Why?

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Posted by on August 9, 2012 in Education, Further Reading, Health and Nutrition, Introductions, Opinion

 

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The Marketing Machine and You

04 Jul

Marketing Madness

The Fruit Juice Conundrum

Drinking orange juice is part of this complete breakfast. Fresh squeezed, 100% juice is compared to that reconstituted crap so it must be healthier. No artificial anything in this apple juice, only 100% fresh pressed apples. It’s so nice to see healthy coming to juice after decades of constituted cans sitting in the freezer. It’s a breath of fresh air to see our country finally getting the healthy juice they demand. But wait, it’s all still crap wrapped in a glittering bow of deception.

English: Orange juice. Italiano: Succo d'aranc...

Juice is not good for you. The moment it is squeezed you leave behind the parts of the fruit that are in fact nutritious and you get flavored sugar water. In many fruits the fiber you find slows down the absorption of the sugars you find with it in the fruit. When you separate the two you get a sugared beverage little better than a soda. It may have small amounts of vitamins and minerals, but not enough to justify the amount of crap you’re pouring into your body.

Marketing at its finest

This is our problem: For decades the food industry has only found ways to make you think you’re getting the nutritious foods you demand, without actually spending more to get it.

This is their problem: That same industry has issues as well. We demand healthy foods but are unwilling to spend the money to get them, at least until the demand is in the majority.

Here’s the solution: Educate yourselves. Yes this is a daunting task, but not one you should disregard completely because of the severity of the learning curve. Small amounts of real education over time will not only help you, but those you shop for and shop with. It will rub off on friends at dinner out and dinner in. But be wary of the information you absorb, as this article is meant to convey, the marketing giants who serve the food industry only have the bottom line in mind with the overwhelming amount of advertising they produce. You must find alternate, educated, sources of information from which to glean your understanding.

Killing Clients

As the food industry begins to wake up and the government and some private industry (like Disney) begin to see that the food industry’s past practices and the marketing strategies they follow are quite literally killing off their customer base they may change their tactics. While many companies will always be looking only at the next fiscal quarter earnings with little attention to long-term bottom line impacts, some will. Some will see that they only stand to lose if we gain – weight.

Many believe it will be grass-roots activism that gets us the food we want and the health we deserve, but in fact it will come from all angles with all motivations. The biggest thing we can do is educate ourselves and choose. Each time you place an order at a drive through you are voting. Each time a UPC slides across that laser reader at the checkout in the grocery store you are voting. Each time you tell the waiter what you want, you are voting. With each fork-full you vote.

So educate yourself, and keep voting.

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Posted by on July 4, 2012 in Education, Health and Nutrition, News, Opinion

 

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Food War Victories

28 Jun

The fight for waist lines, healthy food and personal education has not been without its triumphs

Enough Doom and Gloom

Too often it becomes easy to sit back and wail indignities at a world that has gone to pieces. But that path lays paranoia, bitterness and eventual madness. While it is important to voice concerns over any injustices we might see, it is also as important to celebrate successes and triumphs in the Food Wars.

The meager list compiled here is only a scratch on the surface of the success we see in our fight for a better food industry, better food and awareness of what we eat. There are many more, though these may be the most recognizable let us endeavor to rise up the small victories to sit alongside the media greats.

Disney Joins the Fray

First is not only a victory but a noticeable milestone for the Food Wars. While we see all around us the things individuals are doing we have never seen such a monumental victory because we have never seen a corporate giant who wields significant power take a REAL and powerful step towards righting the wrongs of our ignorant food past.

Disney posted a 40 billion revenue in 2011. That’s a lot of weight. From freepress.net:

Company Overview: The Walt Disney Company owns the ABC television network; cable networks including ESPN, the Disney Channel, SOAPnet, A&E and Lifetime; 277 radio stations, music- and book-publishing companies; film-production companies Touchstone, Miramax and Walt Disney Pictures; Pixar Animation Studios; the cellular service Disney Mobile; and theme parks around the world. – http://www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/

So when Disney says no more, the food industry takes note.

Jamie Oliver

This name hasn’t come up much in this blog but it’s significant in the war he is personally waging right now. He has turned to the media to be an outlet of knowledge and education for the masses and he has personally targeted schools and children. He seeks to reform what we call food and what we feed our families. There is simply too much going on with that area to do justice in a few words so please head over there and educate yourselves and take action.

Join the Food Revolution at: http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/home

Micheal Pollan

Revisiting this author is never a bad idea. He is the voice of simplicity, common sense and reason when it comes to eating food. Real food, not processed food byproducts. Read more on him at http://michaelpollan.com/

The Weight of the Nation

This has been harped on a bit recently but deserves to be in this list because of its significance. What many do not realize is that this four part documentary is sponsored by health institutes, agencies and company’s and is put out completely free by HBO.

It is a combined effort to educate the public by some of the largest names in the health industry, government and of course HBO. The significance of something free in an age noted for the scramble for personal gain should not be overlooked. We are being thrown a lifeline, grab it.

And take a trip to http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/ and use the action tab to find out exactly what you, as an individual, can do RIGHT NOW to change your life and those around you for the better.

 

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Posted by on June 28, 2012 in Education, Further Reading, News, Opinion

 

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