It is not uncommon in many human societies to associate eating vegetables with being poor--it means you can't afford more expensive things like meat and prepared foods. These days, however, Americans are shying away from vegetables partly because they are relatively expensive, especially when compared to food available at fast food hamburger joints. That has sent vegetables into the elite category:
Vegetables are making strides in certain circles. Women, as well as people who are older and more educated and have higher incomes, tend to eat more vegetables,
The vegetable, especially when grown from heirloom seeds on small farms, is held in such high esteem that knowing the farmer who grows the food is a form of valuable social currency.
As we push death to later ages and degenerative diseases take over from communicable diseases as the major causes of death, our diet becomes one of the features of life that may influence the onset of those degenerative diseases. Thus, the CDC, and First Lady Michelle Obama, have been making the case for eating vegetables. It seems that this is going to require a few key people to adopt this "innovation" in order to reach a tipping point that will carry us back into the world of a diet full of good veggies.
No comments:
Post a Comment