Social Class As A Strong Factor In Issues Of Hunger, Obesity And Health

Introduction

In today’s fast moving society, the overlying theme of food has become a focal point of discussion. This evolution seeks to educate individuals on how food configures our community. The underlying issue stems from 2 major core problems that exists in the US society. These include how income and one’s ability to afford food determines their social standing. In regards to the food sources available to the low income people in comparison to millenials who are able to afford food. In Heather Heather Havrilesky’s “Delusion at the Gastropub”, she argues that the newer generation are more willing to pay exorbitant prices possibly due to the adjusting trends that associate one’s status with the quality and experience they have with food. In a similar sense, Lisa Miller’s “What Food Say About Class in America” maintains that the issues causing these food related issues are caused by factors that correlate to what Havrilesky states. Nonetheless, Miller furthers these factors by digging deep into these core sprouts. Miller claims that these issues are based on income levels that that may determine the health and wellbeing of an individual. Additionally, with social class being a relatively strong factor that correlates to food choices, it may lead to issues regarding obesity. As a result of this, Miller seeks to introduce possible solutions that may alleviate the severity of these food issues.

Food is a necessity for one’s survival and bodily nourishment. However, food insecurity seems to be a recurring and rather critical problem for citizens of the US. Since this is the case, Havrilesky suggests that factors such as social class may be utilized as a method to determine the logicality to assume that if an individual is able to afford high-priced restaurants it equates to this stabilizing them high on the social ranking. According to Havrilesky, there is a growing concern for foods that rapidly increase the rates of obesity for American citizens which include fast foods. As a result of this, the governments seeks to combat this issue through promoting and advertising for healthier food options which include “slow foods a. k. a locavore cuisine, organic and regional produce”. Nevertheless, according to Havrilesky, neglecting the benefits of this luxury beyond human necessity may bring about economic and social complications. With the creation of foodies and their cultures, Havrilesky defines how a class system was established; the unhealthy and over-processed foods become the cheaper option while the healthier alternatives are rendered unaffordable. Havrilesky notes that “high end consumers [are able to] do much more than simply misjudge a basic exchange for a lucre product” exhibits power and influence money and status may possess on others in society. From her article, Havrilesky challenges the standard views on health and diet in the aspect that she believes the current point of view regarding food negatively impact the wellbeing of the environment.

Food can definitely been perceived as a vital determinant of an individual’s income levels or ability to pursue their lives in society. In conjunction to the above argument, Miller seeks to prove the positive correlation between how the variations between income levels may determine one’s health and wellbeing. Miller seeks to research in regards to what these individuals are able to afford. The current understanding and observation here is that, similar to what Havrilesky confirms, healthier food choices are more expensive and often deemed unaffordable while unhealthy junk foods may be the more financially obtainable option. In fact, this issue may be entirely concerning in that “children don’t have enough to eat while other exist almost exclusively on junk food” due to the cheap nature of these fast food options. However, the issue that seems preturbing regarding the entire situation is the fact that nutritionist and health awareness community and organizations work towards closing or eliminating this issue. If the problem is able to be conquered and solved in a timely matter the societal well being and overall country’s healthy may be significantly improved. In addition to this, it is quite surprising how for an “idealized vision of family life is based upon neighbors who reflect your food values” as the neighborhood or area where an individual resides may significantly impact and influence how people value and select the foods they consume. Religion and culture, as Havrilesky and Miller transparently state, are other main influencers of food selection as according to the group bias theory in psychology, the majority of people often times than not are easily swayed to think and pursue similar beliefs as that of the larger population. Miller explored food insecurity, the rate at which “the family runs out of money to purchase food or run out of food before they can get more money” at a deeper level and discovered that this issue is most prevalent in families that are led by single mothers (Miller). Ironically, in the past, nutritionists during the times when the Great Depression took place, low income people were able to barely afford to sustain their lives living off of basic nutritional values, while nowadays, the situation and consequences have entirely shifted. Miller discovered that the rich and famous people actually utilize low income people’s earlier norms of survival through limitation of calories and starvation of the body as a mean to lose weight and presumably be deemed as possessing a beautiful body.

Through investigation of both Havrilesky’s and Miller’s articles, it can be narrowed down to the concept that social class is a relatively strong factor that correlates to food choices and may influence people to obtain health issues such as obesity. Although Havrilesky claim that if low income families had the chance to have better access to real and healthy foods rather than the limited availability due to food deserts they would take the opportunity, Miller however proves otherwise. From her own examination, she unearthed the fact that low income families are not ignorant to the “low nutritional value and its education” of junk and fast food but rather choose them as they are affordable and cheap but that these families would prefer to “choose sugary, fat and processed food as it is cheap even when they have access to stocked up supermarket”.

Going off from the fact that low income families usually consume foods that are on the cheaper side of the spectrum, time is an additional issue that encounter. Since parents, in the case that Miller explored, the Davis household possess 2 children and both parents are working. It is highly difficult and extra work for the family to prepare a meal. As a result of this, the parents often times than no seek for the cheapest food option that also covers the limited time aspect which consequently leads to the option of fast food. Additionally, Miller suggests how the Davis family mentions that fresh foods foten “go bad faster which means that the family resorts to canned foods” as a substitute for the loss of nutrients. Although people in food deserts seems to have limited access to well stocked supermarkets, Havrilesky claims that these individuals do not consume the fresh or healthier food options due to the lack of access. However, Miller claims that “food co-ops and the community garden association are [alleviating this issue as now] municipalities have started to establish bus routes” that run towards poorer neighbourhoods and the well stocked supermarkets. Even though this may seem like the solution and catalyst to solving the issue of poor nutrition and obesity, we are far from the end. It is vital to note that these low income families, although some may have access, the majority still decides against pursuing healthier food options for their families due to the expensive prices. In spite of the fact that food prices may seem like the case in point for the majority of low income American families, there is still hope at the end of the tunnel for certain adamant families.

The Suluki household, where both “Suluki and his mother are diabetics, constantly persists to feed their family healthy food”, even though they have to sacrifice a relatively large portion of other factors that may better their living conditions and wellbeing as organic food is entirely expensive (Miller). Nevertheless, they deem this sacrifice as worthwhile as their health is gradually ameliorating. A successful method that may assist in relieving the strain in this situation may be the implementation of government intervention to resolve the issue regarding obesity before it is too late and reduces the lifespan of Americans. A point that Havrilesky mistakenly forgets to mention is the act towards solving obesity. Claude Fischler, a French sociologist, claims that the issues American face in regards to food stems from how they communicate about food and nutrition. It is always mentioned either in a positive or negative sense of carbs, sugar and fat. Instead, they would alter this perception of how they view food to become a “social event where people rather share resources”.

Eating for Fischler should rather be “convivial” where people are able to taste and consume a bit of every dish rather than being obligated to finish a large portion of just a single meal (Miller). Nonetheless, the start of this adjustment has been implemented. Locavore activist in New York and other neighboring cities have come together to improve the ability for the poor to have more access to fresh foods through incentive programs where they allocate food stamps to recipients who take the initiative to grocery shop at farmer markets.

Conclusion

With the transparent view on the case, “hunger, obesity and health issues” are challenging to solve individually. A rather impactful and effective method to cope with and gradually eliminate these situations is for the entire community to change collectively. For there to be a healthy community, the individuals residing in it has to also be unenclosed to changes and willing to produce healthy life decisions.