Food For Thought
‘We are fed by the food industry that pays no attention to health, and treated by the health industry that pays no attention to food.’ - Wendell Berry.
Most doctors, and most chefs, have very little training or understanding about nutrition, which is crazy as these are the experts that we look to in order to optimise our health, and what we should eat. Food is amazing, it is a really powerful tool and the benefits are underestimated. Food is essential energy, food is medicine, food is sociable, food is culture, food can be fast, food can be slow, food can cause disease, food can prevent disease, food can create happiness, food can create distress, some people waste food, some people barely even have access to food. Food means so much to so many. To the farmers that grow it, to the manufacturers that produce it, to suppliers that sell it, to the chefs that cook it, to the governments that regulate it, and to everyone that consumes food (which is everyone).
There is so much power in what we eat, and so little awareness about it. I think the quote above is fascinating, and I’m really intrigued to learn more about how we can integrate health and food, to create positive changes for ourselves, our societies and our planet.
Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, the 3 most common chronic diseases. Some of these diseases can be treated, some cannot. But they can all be prevented , by making the right lifestyle choices. Easy right?! Not really. Not so easy if you don’t have the knowledge or understanding about how to eat well. Knowledge is power, the answer is in awareness, eduction and inspiration. I am interested in how we can create awareness, educate individuals, and inspire change within our society, to create a healthcare system that focuses on prevention of diseases, rather than only treatment, and a nation of people who want to eat well not only because its healthy, but also because it’s delicious.
Over the next few months I’m going to be learning lots more about nutrition and lifestyle choices as I embark on a new journey studying on the Health Coach training program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I wrote the above piece to get down my thoughts about food as I start the program, as you can see its a little messy and there are lots of different topics and considerations. I am SO excited just to learn more about these topics. And if anything I’ve said interests you, or you want to continue the conversation, I’d love to hear your thoughts so send me a message!