#if the only options are unchecked misinformation OR unchecked misinformation with a good and relatively hands off pasta dish

[idiopathicsmile]

tell you what, i don’t love what TikTok’s rampant misinformation is doing to the fabric of our shared human culture but…that roasted feta pasta dish with the little tomatoes never misses

[english102-1059-blog]

Healthy eating and the modern American diet: Truth? Lies? Or a foundation built on misinformed opinions?

           Hello, my name is Rafael Edward Carmona. So today I’d like to discuss something that has always been on my mind for some time now. A majority of us can all agree that food is absolutely amazing! But, like anything else that we consume, I do firmly believe that we are inevitably what we consume. From music, movies, literature, and the media, these factors speak volumes to who we are as individuals and ultimately as a society. This can also be said as well too within regards to the food we consume. I believe it is absolutely critical to be self-aware of ourselves, our surroundings, how the surroundings affect us, and what we eventually take in from them. This awareness gives us a better understanding of ourselves, and our overall relative orientation to how things operate in the universe.

            As I began to question those very notions and held them in relevance to the general things that the American society consumes, a key rudimentary thought would always come to mind, which is “Why is it that healthier foods and the healthier ways of eating so expensive?” As time goes on for me, I’ve come to be more self-aware especially with the food that I consume. Heading to the grocery store to pick up healthier food options, I often would be thwarted at the price labels for the more “healthier options” compared to the cheap, effective, yet less healthier food choices. The same principle can be applied when eating out too, as I ask in my mind when I’m about to order why it is exactly that the burger meals are much cheaper than choosing the option of salad and healthier sides. For something like a salad that has little to no meat source, I often find myself baffled as to why the pricing isn’t the other way around simply due to the lack of protein and heavier filling food source.

            From there, I started to further explore and have seemingly wild theories as to why that would be the case. These theories would expand to territories such as the government having a hand in being able to regulate the American populace’s socio-economic foundation by keeping the lower to middle class families sedated through low-priced food, to the food industry shaping and conforming the American populace’s diet so they can continue to flourish at the expense of its consumer. Those wild theories, alongside with simply chalking it up to a fairly unaware consumer base not having a good diet in consideration, has led me to this general conclusion that has really no base to stand on. Wanting to find concrete answers within regards to this subject, I took my questions online to the internet to find a possible firm solution.

            My quest for finding an answer led me to an interesting article in the Washington Post website that was written by Kelly L. Haws, Kevin L. Sample and Rebecca Walker Reczek entitled “Why is healthy food so expensive? Maybe because we expect it to be.” Within the article, it starts by validating the general assumption of pricy yet healthier option of foods at a grocery store and challenging the reader’s notions of that. They would then discuss that it is due to the marketplace and media having influence in molding the American consumers which has led to the overall establishing foundation that premium prices are required for the overall health benefits that is found within each advertised product.

            A key component that’s discussed as to why this has been the case is due to a possible lay theory that has been established in relevance to healthy foods and eating. In short, a lay theory is a psychological term that’s within regards to an inept individual’s belief on how specific things within the world works. As one can surmise, a well-established lay theory can prove to be a real detriment in further understanding the real reasons as to why certain things have been the way that they have been. In this instance, a lay theory has been established within the general populace that “healthy foods are more expensive” without really having any real merit or evidence to support the exact reasons as to why specifically other than that other individuals have stated it as such. The implications of a lay theory can prove to be a dangerous thing, often making vague assertions into reality shifting truths, granted if the notion is left to further spread to others unchecked.

              The article would further go into details about specific experiments conducted by the authors involving participants being presented with the options of what is basically considered a “healthier” food option by word of mouth to a generic brand without the label but still having the same amount of nutritional value as the former presented option. It was without surprise that the participants had chosen the former of the two options simply because of the “health benefits” that were presented to them. This study would go to show the validity of the lay theory established about healthier eating and how the general public perceives it.

            Haws, Sample, and Reczek would go on to do another experiment in the article within regards to specific chemicals being introduced into products and that even though said product would be sold at a lower price, many participants would be dissuaded simply due to the health risks that were mentioned along with the additive chemical. Again, the overall lack of information of the general public, lack of wanting to pursue that information, and logical fallacies involved has built the very foundation of this supposed truth to the American public that “healthier foods and eating is expensive”, when clearly that is not the case. I believe it is a duty to ourselves to be self-aware and informed as much as possible to these things, especially when it comes to what we put in to our bodies. Although the article covered a decent amount within regards to this subject, it’s still not hard to shake for me that there could be so many other underlying factors as to why this has been such a generally perceived truth to American public. From the read article, I’ve come to my thesis statement, which is this:

  The food industry and overall lack of self-motivation for a majority of individuals in learning about proper nutrition is the main cause as to why we have these general notions as to why “healthy eating comes at expensive prices.”

  I will be further delving deeper in seeing what I can find within regards to the food industry and even the government possibly having a hand in shaping the populace’s notions within regards to the American diet. I look forward to seeing what I can find so that I may be able to enlighten not only myself, but the many out there who ponder on the very same question that I have been curious about for quite some time.

  Thank you!

  -Rafael C.