Driving home at 6pm from working a double weekend shift, a thought hit me. A curious, beautiful, terrifying thought.
Our society is advancing at a faster pace then ever, to fill needs that have never existed prior to now.
In the past, our main concern was feeding the masses. The very science of nutrition more or less developed out of the necessity of World Wars 1 and 2. Our president(s) took one look at our military and thought, “oh dear”.
The Sun Isn’t so Bright
It wasn’t until after that when the government started pushing the so called Basic 7.
Sounds like a superhero group if you ask me. But these seven food groups formed the backbone of what would become the USDA Food Pyramid, and go on to form the basis of 20th Century nutrition.
See, our food guide was never really meant to keep us leaner, it was meant to bulk us up. Which, I might add, it accomplished, a little too much.
But I digress, none of that was included in my thoughts. What I thought about, was 21st Century Nutrition.
We’re advancing our knowledge of disease, and obesity, but what about getting back to our roots?
Are we still concerned about feeding the masses?
It’s a curious thought that in the 21st century the main concern in developed nations is obesity, while undeveloped nations crave sustenance. Almost a poetic contrast.
Then the sun arced ever so gently into my eyes. A searing reminder of the power just a hop, skip, and 93 million miles away.
That’s it! 21st century nutrition won’t be a battle of obesity, it will be a battle between the undeveloped countries and solar power.
What I pictured was a landscape of farmland, without a single crop. As far as the eye can see, I pictured solar panels.
What once was corn, was now a bluish haze of silicon, powering the Macbooks and Nexus’ of our day.
I’ll admit this thought was worrying. We’ve always assumed that advancements in food production would allow a larger population, or better global nutrition. Instead what I see is half the world surrounded by technology, and the other half scrounging for a few scraps of grain. If that doesn’t terrify you, I’m not sure what would.
So despite my devils advocate style debating, I think there’s not many ways to prevent this aside from demanding fair-trade and locally grown products. Technology will keep marching on to its invisible beat.
Be mindful of where you food is coming from, how it’s being harvested, and how your own consumption (digital or dietary) affects others globally.
Be good to each other.
– Joshua Iufer, RD
Starving Dietitian 