Cheap and Plentiful

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

This is not serving us.

I was really struck by these words in a headline recently and thought about how it relates to our food (which was not part of the article). When I speak of cheap and plentiful food I mean fast food, fast casual food, food in bags and boxes, food low in nutrition, relatively inexpensive, and readily available. I believe that the last 20 years has brought with it a sea change in the way we eat, because our lifestyles have changed so much during that same time. It is a bit of a chicken and egg problem, but nevertheless, here we are.

Convenience and easy access to food in and of itself, is not necessarily a problem; in fact - there are some benefits. But when I think about the food landscape now versus say 1990 - it is night and day. The changes have occurred in such a quick but quiet way that not only have we barely noticed, but we are just beginning to understand the impact not only on our health, but also on the environment.

Have you noticed that food is EVERYWHERE and is part of nearly every social/family/business engagement people have? Over the course of a few decades we have incrementally and without realizing it completely redesigned how we eat (distractedly and not hunger driven), where we eat (anywhere), when we eat (anytime of day or night), and what we eat (anything you can imagine). In short, eating has become a recreational activity, not an activity based on actual hunger or the needs of our physical bodies.

Now that so many of us can work from anywhere, and eat wherever, whatever, whenever we want, maybe it is time to reconsider the “value” of cheap and plentiful food. It is impacting our waistlines and our health. It is moving us away from the wisdom of our own bodies. It creates social anxiety and/or decision fatigue for those who want to eat differently. It makes “good choices” that much harder because the poor choices are so ubiquitous and convenient.

Depending on your circumstances at any given time - maybe cheap and plentiful is what you can manage, and that is okay. But during the times that you have the means or energy to move away from that, how can you do it?

You do not need to stop eating out and switch to all organic, free range, yada yada yada…Instead, start to pay attention to your own hunger signals, and then eat with an eye towards simpler, whole foods prepared at home or at establishments who do business in a way that value the same things you do. Keep your favorite fast casual foods as an occasional treat.

If we each make small changes to how we eat, and who we support with our food dollars, we not only help ourselves, but help to drive broader changes.