Food Privilege and Food Security.

Firstly lets define the words Privilege and Security:

Privilege: a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most.

Security: Freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety. Freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence. Something that secures or makes safe; protection; defence. Freedom from financial cares or from want.

So Food Privilege is the advantage of being able to have access, choice, and means to a variety of foods that others do not have the privilege of. This can include access to foods that provide enough energy for survival, access to a variety of foods that provide enough key nutrients for survival and good health, access and choice to when, how, how much, what to eat etc. This privilege extends to having food security, including access to enough food to survive and even thrive, access to primarily ‘safe’ food and water, free from anxiety and care in receiving/storing and obtaining food and water for survival or good health.

So why am I writing as a Dietitian about this, and why is it important?

In western privilege society, many of us have some form of food privilege and security, but many do not. These are the people that are forgotten, oppressed and even targeted to succumb to privileged diets as the only ‘righteous’ way to eat (Righteous eating explained in terms of Orthorexia: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa). I’m here to call out the food privileged.

A large percentage of the world does not have access to food privilege or security (particularly in countries with poverty, etc). Their main concerns are never experienced for most of us with food privilege and security. We assume in our society that all of us should be able to eat a ‘righteous diet’ all the time, because some diet ‘guru/celebrity/naturopath/neighbour/general practitioner/friend/family member/exercise physiologist/model/weight loss company/physio/hair dresser/plumber/etc has said that’s the only way we should eat (basically a one size should fit all approach). Most of these people have many privileges/securities that make them guilty of ignoring the plights of those less fortunate. Why should they care? They are pushing their diet agenda, and thinking they are doing that individual better. Many are also PROFITING off the diet and nutrition agendas/advice they wrongfully provide.

Some examples I have seen of food privilege/security:

• Having enough finances to source any foods and afford to do so (these types of expensive foods are usually pushed in the dieting extreme worlds such as ‘super foods’, ‘low carb’ fruits, vegan, fad ‘free’ products (ie gluten, sugar etc) without medical need, low additive/preservative, fresh/organic, non packaged etc).

• The ability to purchase, obtain, prepare, store etc with ease (for instance, owning a fridge/freezer and having means to travel to purchase food).

• Education, skills and an environment to access foods and enjoy them (i.e. Cooking skills).

• Privilege to access diverse flavours and enjoy/indulge foods, which extends to eating not just for survival only.

• The CHOICE to what and what not/how much/when to eat, for example, I choose to be paleo, vegan, vegetarian etc. Many people do not have this choice. *I am understanding of those who personally choose to be vegan, vegetarian etc, however I will call people out when they suggest their way of eating is what everyone must/should choose to do.

Some examples of limited/no food privileges/security.

• Having an environment that cannot support enough food or safe drinking water to provide survival or health.

• Physical or cognitive disability that affects the ability for that person to access food, prepare food etc. Including having lack of support needed to implement.

• Circumstances or situations that puts stresses on accessing and implementing a conventional healthy balanced diet etc, such as: Developing post natal depression and struggling to prepare and supply basic easy food for oneself, let alone the pressures of a strict ‘post natal weight loss’ diet. Recovering from gastro, cancer treatment etc and not being able to cope with foods that are not lollies, chips and lemonade. Having been sexual abused/raped etc, and using food as some comfort/coping mechanism to the day-to-day depression, anxiety, suffering, suicidal tendencies etc.

• Difficulties eating, tasting and digesting foods.

• Chronic illness or disease that makes food preparation and access more difficult and even unsafe, for example, Coeliac disease, Food allergy etc.

• Disordered eating, such an anorexia nervosa, a serious food related mental illness.

• Living in rural regions/indigenous groups can be disadvantaged.

So should you feel guilty about having food privilege?

Yes and No. Most of us in Australia are born into a society that provides safe, variable access to food etc, and we are lucky for that. HOWEVER, with the recent uprising of righteous foodies, we have a moral/ethical obligation to acknowledge our food privileges/security and not encourage a one-size fits all approach, and guilt for those who cannot uphold your/societies standards of a ‘suitable’ diet. For example, the paleo movement stressing grains, dairy and legumes are bad for us. Most of the less privileged in this world rely on grains, dairy and legumes as a source of food for survival. Food wastage is prominent in countries where vegetables, fruit and meat cannot be accessed, stored or safely eaten. So rather then scaremongering, and saying to someone you shouldn’t eat high carbohydrate fruits as they are unhealthy (yes I’ve heard this from a health professional, who fails to realise how expensive ‘low sugar’ fruits are) amongst many other self-righteous recommendations. Rather, listen to that persons needs, understand the complexity of their diet in ALL aspects of their life and circumstances. Understand and appreciate their difficulties, uniqueness and changing needs from their diet that will differ to yours or recommendations, and don't advise them on their diet without actual education and knowledge of not only nutrition, but also how it applies to their overall life/wellbeing. This is where I (and others) am here to help, without judgement, with good 'wholistic' nutrition and dietetic knowledge (always learning more) and by listening.

Does that mean we just accept our privileges/lack of and not actively try and change to provide food privilege/ security equity to all? Definitely not. We need to change industries, governance etc on food access, access to nutritious foods etc. But telling someone what to eat and what not to, particularly without context is not helpful, its usually detrimental. It creates stigma, guilt, eating disorders etc.

So learn, listen and accept that you are not the expert in how others should eat, regardless of how well your diet works for you, or what you Googled. It is much more complex and deep then your own values and knowledge on food. And everyone has the right to access to food and safe water (a basic and fundamental human necessity).

Viktoria Flavel

PLEASURE? SATISFACTION? OVERINDULGENCE?

Fad diets focus on purely meeting our physical nutritional needs ( ie. eating for '"nourishment"). Unfortunately, due to the rigidness and one size fits all approach, fad diets will usually give you a huge lack in PLEASURE. Most humans, for overall positive wellbeing, seek acts of pleasure. It gives us a that emotional spark and psychological benefit in life. Pleasure comes in many forms, for example sex, most of us don't 'just' do it for reproduction purposes. We have the privilege to enjoy so many different types of foods, hence we don't 'need' to eat only for survival.

Fad diets and diet gurus obsess and rant about cutting foods out that most of us enjoy because it's easier then teaching you how to enjoy a range of food for your individual health (which is why it should never be a one size fits all approach).

So... here comes the unspoken truth about FOOD being a necessary pleasure for most of us to seek overall wellbeing.

Can we eat for pleasure? Most certainly. We are lucky to have access to so many different foods and flavours! We can learn to include essential everyday foods as part of a healthy balanced diet, and learn to prepare or seek these foods to taste good and appeal to our senses (I'm looking at you spinach!). But they won't have that same PLEASURABLE effect as those delicious 'sometimes' foods we are 'warned' to cut out. You know what Im talking about; chocolate, ice cream, cake, fish and chips etc.

There are many physical, evolutionary and adaptive reasons we actually gravitate and seek these high energy 'tastier' foods, but that discussion is for another day.

So don't cut food out, enjoy pleasurable foods, but eat them when you truly FEEL like them, not just because they are there. We are set up in an environment where these foods are around us all the time and its easy to be drawn to them and over eat them.

EAT until you have hit SATISFACTION, not until the food is all gone. For example, you go to a coffee shop with a friend, and you FEEL like a slice of cake today, so you get it. Its a big slice (as they are), and you stop eating half of it because thats what has 'satisfied' you, you leave the rest, or you share it. Now, if you ate all of the slice of cake, (because thats what you bought and you didn't want to waste it), and start to feel slightly ill, like you overeaten that pleasure food, you have hit OVERINDULGENCE. Over indulging on food leads to overeating, hence is not great for our physical and mental health in relation to food.

Be mindful that most of us overindulge, because we commit to fad diet restrictions. When we deprive ourselves of any pleasurable foods, cravings start to build, and that leads to eventually over eating/binge eating and over indulging on those pleasurable foods once we get to them (along with a side of guilt and then more comfort eating).

So learning to enjoy a healthy balanced diet for you, includes learning to enjoy pleasurable foods until your truly satisfied (less then what we think), and without overindulging.

This is where mindful eating is so crucial and important for not just living to eat, but eating to live.