Ask + Answer Questions and Replies About Today’s Trends, Talk
melissa mcfeeters
ASK: Who’s in charge of what we eat? Answer: We have to choose what’s for dinner. A savory home-cooked meal made from fresh, organic ingredients purchased at a local farmers market? A frozen dinner popped into the microwave? Greasy fast food picked up at the drive-thru window and eaten on the run? Every day, we are surrounded by countless food choices that range from back-to-basics fresh, whole foods to calorie- and preservative-laden convenience meals and snacks. Food in America is abundant and readily available 24/7. And, unfortunately, much of it is unhealthy. Ironically, America’s “food problem” is a result of many decades of increasing success at growing, preserving, marketing and distributing food and food products. It is
also the result of our food-related values: Fast. Convenient. Large portions. Concern for our unhealthy eating habits is growing exponentially. A steady diet of only fresh salads — or fried fast food? There is a happy medium between these disparate choices. We can be knowledgeable about the benefits and risks of what we choose to eat. Research continually offers new knowledge on the science of nutrition. Innovative farmers — often inspired by agricultural methods of the past — seek new, sustainable ways to provide fresh, healthy foods. Being surrounded by a plentiful supply of convenient, calorie-laden foods is not destiny. We, individually and as a nation, can make healthier decisions that strike a better balance between the “good” and “bad” of what we eat.
Jeanine Head Miller is curator of domestic life at The Henry Ford.
thehenryford.org
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