Planting seeds of change: reconceptualizing what people eat as eating practices and patterns
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Date
2021-03-04
Authors
Olstad, Dana Lee
Kirkpatrick, Sharon I.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
Language focused on individual dietary behaviors, or alternatively, lifestyle choices or decisions, suggests that what
people eat and drink is primarily a choice that comes down to free will. Referring to and intervening upon food
consumption as though it were a freely chosen behavior has an inherently logical appeal due to its simplicity and
easily defined targets of intervention. However, despite decades of behavioral interventions, population-level
patterns of food consumption remain suboptimal. This debate paper interrogates the manner in which language
frames how problems related to poor diet quality are understood and addressed within society. We argue that
referring to food consumption as a behavior conveys the idea that it is primarily a freely chosen act that can be
ameliorated through imploring and educating individuals to make better selections. Leveraging practice theory, we
subsequently propose that using the alternative language of eating practices and patterns better conveys the
socially situated nature of food consumption. This language may therefore point to novel avenues for intervention
beyond educating and motivating individuals to eat more healthfully, to instead focus on creating supportive
contexts that enable sustained positive dietary change. Clearly, shifting discourse will not on its own transform the
science and practice of nutrition. Nevertheless, the seeds of change may lie in aligning our terminology, and thus,
our framing, with desired solutions.
Description
Keywords
Dietary behaviors, Eating practices, Eating patterns, Socioecological model, Framing