Life journeys tend to shape a person’s relationship with food.
We grew up in Ghana, Egypt, Zaire, England and France. In Africa, markets sold fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, chickens, goats and pigs—food that came directly from local farms or was alive hours before it was prepared. A French upbringing offered not only a delicious and balanced diet but a cultural belief that food is a form of care and love in the family. Food was about more than eating, but also about spending a moment together and feeling emotionally sustained.
Moving to the U.S. also meant adapting to a new relationship with food, which meant sweets, snacks and processed goods. While we embrace healthier food habits to care for our respective families, it isn’t easy. Fresh, organic food is expensive and every trip to Whole Foods or the farmers market is an investment.
Money isn’t the only barrier. Unhealthy, addictive foods are aggressively (and sometimes deceptively) promoted, with consumers left to untangle the ads, articles, reports and studies to make healthy choices. And the failure to do so creates culturally ingrained feelings of guilt and shame that perpetuate the problem.