Food Matters

This week as part of my thesis research I read Food Matters by Mark Bittman. It was a great read, but most importantly there were points throughout the book where I saw calls to action that relate to what I’m looking to define as my final project. Here’s one:

“It would be unprofitable—for Big Food at least—if we moved our eating habits in the right direction. But not only would profits fall if we ate a moderate diet of wholesome foods; so, to, would the rates of lifestyle diseases. global warming, our collective weight, antibiotic use, environmental damage, and cruelty to livestock. What’s stopping this move, largely, is inertia, habit, a lack of good information, and a drive to maintain the status quo by the people who profit from it. But maintaining the status quo is insane.”

This quote reflects what I have been learning in my family interviews this week, namely the problems that are stopping us from making better decisions about nutrition. I feel like it is my responsibility with this project to help change the status quo and stand in the way of the negative inertia.

Bittman introduces a way of eating that he calls “Sane eating, simplified”. It  is not new but seen by most Americans as novel:

“…personally healthy and globally sane but not deprivation-based, faddist, or elitist. No calorie counting, and no strictly forbidden foods: just a few quite specific recommendations that you can adapt to your own style”

This too reflects the way I will need to focus my interaction design. Easy to learn, adaptable, with noticeable results, of course.

And a bit of information that I believe that should (and needs to be) taught to the masses who are confused about the swirl of food data and marketing surrounding us:

“…the idea is to eat food that fills you up (and provides you with nutrients) without giving you more calories than you need. One way to make sure of that is to eat food with low caloric density, and this is less complicated than it sounds—believe me. … the most effective way to lose weight is to rely heavily on foods that have fewer calories per weight; in other words, chose foods with low caloric density. Simply put, a poind of cake contains more calories than a pound of broccoli. Most foods lie between the two, but you get the idea: calorie-wise, you’re better off eating 2 pounds of plants than 2 pounds of junk food, animal food, or refined carbohydrates.”

It’s an achieveable math equation, how energy into your body fuels you with calories, and the energy you expend burns them. Learning new ways of eating to focus on filling up on the right things can be so effective if learned and practiced. I want to translate this equation into meaningful ways for people to practice this.