Food Or Thought

With life-after-the-Election moving along quicker than you can hurl a shoe, so too are the decisions being made about the incoming Obama Administration. As we know, Tom Daschle was chosen as Secretary of Health and Human Services (read our 12/11/08 post for details on how YOU can make yourself heard here). Let's reframe the issues around health care and what I like to call 'health-before-care' and let our federal leadership know that we are all invested in a healthier nation.

Well, we know that trans-fats are generally bad for us, and that we should be consuming our '5-a-day' fruits and veggies, but how does the whole food system come into play here? A history of poor diet puts people at higher risk for developing chronic disease. Several of the top causes of death in the United States today are due to behavior-related illness and disease. But dietary behaviors don't exist in a vacuum: they are effected by environmental, physical, and social factors. Enter the food system.

Whole-person health isn't just about physical activity quotas and doctor check-ups. It's also about connecting the dots--from environmental practices that diminish the nutrition and quality of your 5-a-day fruits and veggies to trade policies that support the flow of cheap foods into the U.S. at the expense of small farmers. You can learn more about these policies and their effects from the Institute for Agricultural and Trade Policy.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns agrees, speaking at the National Agricultural Law Center in Arkansas last year, “It makes no sense to write farm policy that paints a bull’s-eye on the back of our farmers.”

We tend to think that making responsible food choices means cutting back on soda and eating more greens. Less obvious, but also important to our health: Why tomatoes sold in a typical American grocery store in December don't taste like tomatoes at all or how that burger can possibly cost 99 cents in the first place?? The links between the wintertime tomato or cheap burger and our nation's health are complex and interconnected.

How we pay for what we eat:

When resources feel limited, people tend to cut costs where they can. In this country, a combination of the trade policies mentioned above and U.S. Farm Bill subsidies keep the prices of corn, wheat, rice, and soy-based foods quite low. Often much lower than whole foods, products from small family farms, or locally-grown organic produce, dairy, or meat. Thus, cutting food costs for Americans often means cutting out fresh produce, whole grains, and chemical-free meats. So within our current food system, the cheaper foods are also the most detrimental to our health.

This is useful to remember when the question arises (and it almost always does) about why food insecure Americans are often those suffering from chronic illnesses linked to overweight and obesity, that is part of the answer.

What can you do??

As I mentioned above, the work of improving the nation's health cannot lie in changing one's own lifestyle alone. Shopping at the farmers' market or donating to land conservation organizations is great. And necessary. But this problem is system-wide, complex, and affects everyone in countless ways. Such a multi-dimensional problem calls for multi-level change. It's in the practices we uphold as employers or recommend as community leaders.

So what now?

Start with your own community. And if you're like me, that means the place you spend most of your time---work. Because the CDC says that "75% of health care spending pays for illnesses that are preventable" let's start preventing those preventable illnesses by reducing health risks and increasing healthy behaviors through work wellness programs that incorporate food choices. Why not nix the free soda pop in favor of mineral water, a water cooler and soothing teas? How about replacing the candy bowl with a fresh fruit bowl (hint: where we've done this the free fruit goes just as quickly!). When catering lunch cookies are fine but what about also offering healthier snack options like fruit? While enjoying a more balanced workday and contributing to a sustainable food system, employers are simultaneously saving on healthcare.

Check out the educational resources available in your community. For example, Oregon Environmental Council just launched a new program specifically for companies with 200+ employees: Farm Fresh Program will offer lunchtime Vote with Your Fork presentations in local workplaces to educate eaters about the ripple effects of their food choices.