How Current Food Trends are (Negatively) Affecting our Families

Written by Shirley Anderson

Let’s talk about food. The relationship between food trends and family life is rarely discussed but it’s an important topic that affects our lives and relationships daily. Think about it, most of our relationships regularly revolve around sharing a meal together. Whether it’s catching up with a friend, a business negotiation, family traditions, or trying to build a relationship (aka dating), food is usually at the heart of it all. For the purpose of this article, I will solely focus on how food trends affect our families. And in order to understand the food trends and family life of today, we first need to look back on one particular event in our history. 

Current family life and food trends can largely be traced back to two massive societal shifts springing from the industrial revolution. During the dawn of modernization, women took on entirely different roles in society which dramatically changed both daily family life as well as food in the home (Nielsen, Siega-Riz, & Popkin, 2002). As women left the home to join the working class, many of the traditional daily tasks associated with child-rearing and food preparation were abandoned (Guthrie, Lin, & Frazao, 2002). As people began to work longer hours in more rigorous conditions, diets shifted away from traditional starch and grain centered meals to stimulant fueled meals on the go, with coffee, tea, and sugar taking center stage. These events in our history fundamentally altered the construct of family life and food and continue to impact modern society and our lives as individuals every single day.

Food Trends

Current food trends are deeply rooted in the societal shifts arising from the industrial revolution. Where, what, and how we are eating today is very different from our ancestors of yesteryear and the traditional paradigm of gathering around the family table for mealtime no longer exists as the societal norm. Research shows that we are increasingly consuming more food outside of the home (Guthrie, Lin, & Frazao, 2002; Nielsen, Siega-Riz, & Popkin, 2002) and while many of us still eat at home, what we are eating continues to trend toward the ‘center stimulant diet’ of high calorie, low prep foods (Poti, & Popkin, 2011). One of the biggest obstacles families face is the feeling that we don’t have the time to prepare nutritious meals. Life can get busy! The number of activities that we ourselves and our families are involved in continues to mount and “eat up” the time previously dedicated to preparing and sharing a meal together (Asp, 1999; Larson, Perry, Story,  & Neumark-Sztainer, 2006). Because of this dilemma, we tend to buy convenience foods that are pre-processed and ready to eat with a zap in the microwave (Capps, Tedford, & Havlicek, 1985) or a phone call to the nearest food delivery service. The convenience of pre-packed and prepared foods fits well into our busy ‘on the go’ lifestyles but research shows that we’re eating less of that pre-processed food together as families as well. Instead, we often take it to go and eat it in bite-size portions alone over the course of a day, substituting social meals for solitary grazing (Hamermesh, 2010) and snacking (Piernas, & Popkin, 2009).

Effects on the Family 

So where does all this food nonsense leave us? Unfortunately, it can leave us with full bellies and empty relationships. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other food-related illnesses are on the rise keeping pace with loneliness, estranged families and general feelings of anxiety. Why? Because we are neglecting two of our most basic needs as human beings- connection and nourishment. The point is, FOOD MATTERS. Food matters because family matters. There is an interconnected, cyclical relationship between food and family that have lasting consequences and the great news is we get to decide whether they’re detrimental or beneficial. Families who eat together regularly reap the benefits of greater resilience and more satisfying familial relationships. Families who eat together well by investing time into preparing meals together will benefit not only socially but also physically with decreased exposure to many food-related health risks that are so prevalent today. 

If you’re like me, this research can feel overwhelming as I reflect on the many ways I can improve my mealtime habits. Remember, perfection is not the goal! Experts have reminded us, “It doesn’t have to look like a Norman Rockwell painting.” Not every meal will be especially nutritious, prepared by you or shared with someone and that’s okay. As we commit to doing better and making the necessary changes to get there, the benefits of connection and nourishment will be ours. Start by creating a specific goal to have more impactful mealtimes both socially and nutritionally. My goal is to prepare my family’s snacks ahead of time so when we’re out running errands and low on fuel, we can re-fuel on something nutritious. How about you? 

Option 1: Review your meals for the last week. Write down what you ate and who you ate with. 

Option 2: Plan and prepare a nutritious meal and share it with someone you love. 

Option 3: If you’re anticipating a long day, plan ahead and prepare your own healthy meals and snacks that can fuel you throughout your day. 

References

Asp, E. H. (1999). Factors affecting food decisions made by individual consumers. Food Policy, 24(2-3), 287–294. doi: 10.1016/s0306-9192(99)00024-x

Capps, O., Tedford, J. R., & Havlicek, J. (1985). Household Demand for Convenience and Nonconvenience Foods. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 67(4), 862–869. doi: 10.2307/1241827

Guthrie, J. F., Lin, B.-H., & Frazao, E. (2002). Role of Food Prepared Away from Home in the American Diet, 1977-78 versus 1994-96: Changes and Consequences. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 34(3), 140–150. doi: 10.1016/s1499-4046(06)60083-3

Hamermesh, D. S. (2010). Incentives, time use and BMI: The roles of eating, grazing and goods. Economics & Human Biology, 8(1), 2–15. doi: 10.1016/j.ehb.2009.12.003

Larson, N. I., Perry, C. L., Story, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2006). Food Preparation by Young Adults Is Associated with Better Diet Quality. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(12), 2001–2007. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2006.09.008

Nielsen, S. J., Siega-Riz, A. M., & Popkin, B. M. (2002). Trends in Energy Intake in U.S. between 1977 and 1996: Similar Shifts Seen across Age Groups. Obesity Research, 10(5), 370–378. doi: 10.1038/oby.2002.51

Piernas, C., & Popkin, B. M. (2009). Snacking Increased among U.S. Adults between 1977 and 2006. The Journal of Nutrition, 140(2), 325–332. doi: 10.3945/jn.109.112763

Poti, J. M., & Popkin, B. M. (2011). Trends in Energy Intake among US Children by Eating Location and Food Source, 1977-2006. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111(8), 1156–1164. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2011.05.007

Shirley Anderson is a Utah native and the youngest of five children. She has been married to her sweetheart for three years, and together they have recently begun the journey of parenthood to a darling little girl and are currently living in Stuttgart, Germany. Shirley graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Family Life and Human Development.