My view on food has changed a good amount over the semester. Between classes like Contemporary Issues in Food Science and the Philosophy of Food, I have gained a lot of new knowledge on the food system and food in general. Originally, I saw food from more of a Nutritionalism point of view, where I valued macronutrients and what the nutrition label says over anything else. Through learning more about labeling laws/practices and functional foods, I have found that food means so much more than just the nutrients.
Learning about all the different labeling techniques companies used for marketing purposes made me reevaluate how seriously I took those claims. I realized a lot of companies just want to make more money, and the label does not matter that much. For example, when looking at organic vs non-organic, the health differences are minor. This made me look at food more for what it was and the known benefits of it, as opposed to what companies say on the front of the package. These labels had been what made me develop a Nutritionalism point of view because of my previous belief that these claims had more proven benefits to my health.
Learning more about functional foods also really helped change my view on food. I realized there are more benefits to foods than just their macronutrients. I found the information on gut health really interesting, especially as it is a growing field and idea. I think prioritizing gut health can lead to several health benefits, so I have more value for fibrous and fermented foods.
These classes have also opened my eyes more to the meat industry. This has caused me to understand vegetarians’ point of view better. Unfortunately, it would still take a lot to get me to stop eating meat. This led to my interest in cultivated meats. I think cell-cultivated meats will be needed for the future of humans in order to continue getting quality protein and nutrients. Other people would never eat these foods because they do not really understand the process and just think of “chemicals.” Learning about cell-cultivated meat has opened my mind to new ways of food production that will likely be needed in the future.
Throughout the semester, I feel like the topics I was already most familiar with were obesity and labeling. Obesity has been a problem for a while, but new information is always coming out, so making sure to talk about it and hear other people’s views is helpful. I also felt pretty familiar with reading labels and understanding what they were trying to say. This class taught me more about the regulations and what is needed to have certain claims.
The topics I knew least about this semester were gut health and cell-cultured meats. Gut health is a growing field, and I knew it played some role in health, but I never understood so much. After learning more about it and going through the studies, I have realized the positive impact it can have on health. The cell-cultured meat was also really interesting to learn about. I knew it was becoming a thing, but I never understood the process of making it and what was needed. Through learning more about it I have high hopes for it in the future and would possibly like to go into cell-cultured meats as a carrier at some point.