What does “healthy food” mean?

Gabby Davis, Racial Equity and Food Justice Manager for National Co-op Grocers

If someone asked you to define what it means to “eat healthy” or what “healthy food” is, how would you answer? Does everyone agree on what healthy food is? This was the fascinating topic explored by Gabby Davis, who is the Racial Equity and Food Justice Manager for National Co-op Grocers (NCG.) Oryana invited Gabby to discuss this important topic with Oryana staff and the community in an insightful presentation at The Alluvion.

At first glance, it might seem obvious what healthy food is and that there must be a consensus among people as to what defines healthy food. According to the CDC, “Healthy eating emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and protein.” According to the WHO, “A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms.” Does everyone agree with the above statements, or the following statements?

• Organic food is healthy.
• Unprocessed food is healthy.
• Green vegetables are healthy.
• Junk food is unhealthy.
• Fried food is unhealthy.
• Vegetarian food is healthy.
• A Mediterranean diet is healthy.

This list could go on and on, but when you closely examine the obvious declarations of what is healthy vs. unhealthy, you quickly realize that there is a great deal of nuance that can’t be encapsulated in trite definitions. What is healthy to one person may make another person ill. Healthy food is literally any food obtained from any source to a person who has no money to buy food. Gabby shared many stories of people’s food and health journeys to illustrate how we cannot judge what others purchase/eat.

Here is a case in point from an incident that occurred at Oryana years ago. A shopper asked a staff member if Oryana sold baby formula. The staff person told the shopper “No, we don’t, but you should breastfeed your baby anyway. Breastfeeding is superior to infant formula.” The shopper’s husband emailed later that his wife was in tears after this encounter with the staff person, that she was not able to breastfeed, and had come to Oryana looking for a nourishing alternative. We are human and generally have good intentions when we offer unsolicited advice like the words offered by the well-meaning Oryana employee, but unless it’s requested, the best approach is to refrain from commentary.

This story and many others that Gabby shared – including a story about someone who, due to her cancer diagnosis, was on a neutropenic diet and had to eat mostly fried foods – illustrate that we can’t know the circumstances of others. We can’t know what their health challenges may be that dictate what they can and cannot eat, what their financial circumstances may be and what they can and cannot afford, or what their cultural background is and what foods are considered traditional to them. Food can have emotional roots as well that may be hard to explain to others.

Here are a few more definitions of “healthy” food, that Gabby collected from people in different parts of the country.

Healthy food is:

“Whatever I can get to with my mobility issues.”
“Whatever I can keep down with my digestive issues.”
“Any food I can find that is free because I have no money.”
“Food that reminds me of __________ (a happy memory.)”
“Food that is precut because I can no longer cut vegetables due to my arthritis.”

The co-op’s mission has always been to provide high quality food at fair value to owners and shoppers, but it’s important for us as an organization to be supportive of everyone regardless of their beliefs, circumstances, and means. If we ask 20 people what their definition of healthy food is, we may very well get 20 different answers. The bottom line is that no one is in a position to judge another’s dietary choices. As co-op, staff, and community members, it behooves us all to remember that we don’t need to understand what another person’s experience is, we can simply acknowledge it, refrain from judging it, and let it be. This is helpful advice not only with food choices but with anything we don’t understand about others.

Thanks to the Oryana staff and community members who joined us at the Alluvion for a great discussion about an important topic. We have been around for more than 50 years but we are still learning and evolving. We appreciate the perspective that Gabby brought to us and our community about how “healthy” food can mean different things to people.