THE HEALTH DEBRIEF
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THE DIETITIAN’S VIEW
BY KIMBERLEY WILSON
“Which diet tribe do you come from?”
Ever noticed how discussions about diet – online or in real life – quickly escalate into bitter wars about who’s ‘right’ or eats in the ‘best’ way? It’s not unusual for debates about personal dietary decisions to turn into primitive namecalling.
But why should the way we eat provoke such strong emotional reactions? Because food has meaning.
Food says something about our background and upbringing, our ‘worldliness’ and wealth. Eating is simultaneously a public and deeply personal activity.
Research shows that our eating behaviour is strongly influenced by the people around us, so food, like clothing or accents, is a marker of belonging and identity.
Eating chips with ketchup or gravy signifies geographical boundaries.
That food is used to express identity is clear in the number of people who list their eating regimen in their online bios. ‘Jane Doe. Writer.