Today it seems as
if America is on the upswing when it comes to healthy eating. Grocery stores
are filled with more health-conscious products such as 100 calorie snacks and
Naked juice. Shopping at Whole Foods for more organic, locally-grown food is
more common than ever before. Restaurants serve smaller portions for meals and
provide low-calorie meals for their customers. Schools around the country are
improving their menus, especially by cutting out the availability of soda
within schools. However, despite this growing trend of healthy eating, it still
seems as if America is eating unhealthily. Driving past any number of fast food
chains, the parking lot and drive-thrus always seem full, which makes sense
with Americans spending over $140 billion on fast food each year. Two-thirds of
Americans are considered overweight or obese.
This begs the question how. How are American eating habits still so
unhealthy despite the better availability of healthy and organic products? This
is because Americans still value convenience over health and nutrition.
The nutrition of
food products is under more scrutiny now then it was in the past. Consumers do
want to have more whole grains, fiber, calcium, and vitamins in their meals. However
according to food navigator, the three main driving consumer behaviors are “an
increased reliance on sandwiches at mealtimes, the use of fewer fresh
ingredients, and more take-out lunches” (Foodnavigator-USA). The overall force
behind these behaviors is convenience. American culture is defined by being
constantly on the go. As the saying goes, time is money. Meals are now valued
for the price and availability of ingredients and the preparation time. This is
why sandwiches are becoming increasingly commonplace at the dinner table. They
are quick and easy to fix. Fresh foods have also become inconvenient in
American culture today. Purchasing fresh, organic food is more expensive and
requires more preparation. Fresh food also spoils quickly, meaning that you
have to resupply very often. Despite these factors, people still want to eat
meals that are prepared with fresh ingredients. This is why there is an
increase in take-out lunches from restaurants in America. People can eat meals
filled with fresh ingredients without having to buy or prepare them. This can
still be a healthy meal choice, but it depends on where they go.
To fit mealtimes
more easily into a busy day, many people will risk eating dinner at fast food
chains such as McDonalds for the quick single serving that it provides to its
consumers. Fast food restaurants offer a lot of benefits to its consumers. They
provide almost immediate service of a popular product that most people are
familiar with; few people in America are unaware of what a Big Mac is. Because
people are familiar with the menus, they do not have to spend any excess time
at fast food chains. Also, fast food restaurants are also very easily
accessible. Because people will not travel too far for just okay food, fast
food restaurants must be within a reasonable distance. This adds into the
convenience of the product as a whole. People can stop by a McDonald’s on their
way to work and not have to wait twenty minutes for food (Jekanowski 2). However,
there is more to the convenience of fast food chains. Along with the time and
money saved by frequenting fast food restaurants, they also provide more
energy-dense meals.
Because malls are
filled with almost all demographics in America, it gives keen insight into
American food culture. In almost any standard American mall, a certain selection
of food is available at the food court, namely fast-food. In a personal,
observational study of the Park Meadows Mall food court in Denver, Colorado,
the food court appeared to be filled with numerous fast food options that while
may have some nutritious options, undoubtedly allow shoppers to indulge in more
unhealthy meal choices. Looking at the standard meal options, one sees certain
commonalities in the food. Most have large portions with a large amount of
calories that fill the weary shopper and allow them to continue on with renewed
energy. The focus is not on the nutrition of what is being eaten, but rather on
its ability to get them through the day. This can be seen in any age and
ethnicity group. One study was done to observe the calorie-intake of various
teenagers in a certain area. To make sure that the meals eaten by the subjects
of the study were done in a more natural setting, they were instructed to eat
at the local mall food court. In the study, the teenagers were observed to be
eating high-calorie meals that accounted for a generous amount of the energy
that is required of a teenager for the average day (Scene From a Mall: A Study
of Teens and Fast Food). This study showed that especially when given the
option of fast-food, a person will opt for the meal that will give them more
energy ignoring the nutrition of the food itself. This study showed very simply
how many Americans value food. The focus on food in the average day is on the value
of the energy it provides, adding to the American preference for convenience.
The need for
convenience of meals is a trend that has been growing in America since the dawn
of the TV dinner. In her article, “Eating at the Edge”
Jamie Horwitz, a university professor, analyzes the way that Americans consume
food and how they now eat within a “space of flow”. In other words, the food
has become an addition to social activities rather than a social activity in in
of itself. This basically boils down to
the fact that most Americans no longer have set meal times where they gather
with family or friends and eat face-to-face. This phenomenon started with the
TV dinner. Rather than meals being shared around the family dinner table, they
were now shared around the TV. Interestingly enough this started not because
Americans love television, but we like the ability to have small one serving
meals that are easy to prepare and have no cleanup time. This evolved to become
the many one-serving products that we see today such as the Soup in Hand. Horwitz
also discusses the eating habits of American astronauts. She notes how they
paralleled the change in the general American public’s eating habits. While
they started with sit-down meals, the standard practice became eating small
servings on your own. It even became more convenient for the astronauts to eat
small meals by themselves to fit within the confines of their schedules. By studying
the steady changes of how we eat meals, you can see the drive toward
convenience. Meals are shortened to the smallest possible amount of time and
the easier it is to eat with one hand the better.
Food in American
culture is defined by convenience. This convenience may be dependent on how
much time it saves in preparing, how well it will energize you for the tasks of
the day, or the amount of servings it provides. American culture is defined by getting
the most out of the day whether it is work, school, or online shopping and this
can have a detrimental effect on what we eat. Despite the fact that our culture
is changing to reflect better on the food choices that we make with organic and
low-calorie foods being more available, the need for convenience outweighs even
the most health-conscious person. This need for convenience is something that moves
past what we eat in American culture. With the availability of Wi-fi, anyone
can access the Internet from almost anywhere. People can constantly check
Facebook and their Email. American culture has an intense focus on chipping
away the time involved with almost any activity. Mutli-tasking is one of the most
important skills the average American can have to keep up with our fast-paced
culture. This focus on streamlining efficiency and cutting down time has been helpful
to our country. It is one of the main reasons that we have obtained so much
influence in the world. However, it is not benefiting our health. This constant
focus on time and working food into our schedule is costing Americans their
health. Taking time out the day to eat healthy food, not just fitting it in
when convenient, needs to become a part of our culture again. Otherwise,
American culture may begin to degrade and become as unhealthy as the food that
we cannot stop eating.
Works Cited
Heller,
Loraine. “Convenience trumps health in American eating choices, report.” Foodnavigator-USA.com. 26 Oct 2006.
2012: William Reed Business Media SAS. <http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Business/Convenience-trumps-health-in-American-eating-choices-report>
Horwitz, Jamie.
“Eating at the Edge.” University of California Press. p.42-46. Souce:
Gastronimca: The Journal of Food and Culture, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Summer 2009).
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2009.9.3.42>
Jekanowski,
Mark D., Binkley, James K., Eales, James. “Convenience, Accessibility and the
Demand for Fast Food.” Journal of
Agricultural and Resource Economics. 2001: Western Agricultural Economics
Association. 26(1):58-74 <http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/31162/1/26010058.pdf>
“Scene From a Mall: A Study of Teens and Fast
Food” Eating Disorders Review.
Jul/Aug2004, Vol. 15 Issue 4, p4-4, 2/3p. EBSCOhost.
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http://0-web.ebscohost.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/ehost/detail?sid=23817a99-5b4d-4f30-b8cb-d2358f0c9a07%40sessionmgr111&vid=6&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=14241958>
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