How are Diets Governed?

Poststructural (lifestyle approach) view on how diets are governed

The idea that individuals are responsible for their own nutrition choices and should take control of their own health decisions.

• Rely heavily on information provision

• Creates problematic societal attitudes that all health problems are because of the individual

  • leads to discriminatory attitudes

Marxist (political economy) view on how diets are governedL

The actual economic and social structures that influence people's ability to buy and consume nutritious food, often determined by the system of production and consumption. Therefore, rich people eat a certain way and poor people eat a certain way.

Food Deserts

When you don’t have access to nutritional foods within a certain radius from your house

(Areas where access to nutritious foods is limited due to a lack of grocery stores or markets within a certain radius from people's homes.)

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Areas where access to nutritious foods is limited due to a lack of grocery stores or markets within a certain radius from people's homes.

Power of firms

The influence and control that food production and consumption corporations have over the availability, marketing, and distribution of healthy and unhealthy foods.

Overproduction and subsidies

The excessive production of unhealthy foods, such as those containing corn and corn syrup, due to government subsidies, which can contribute to imbalances in the food system.

NAFTA and Mexican maize

The impact of trade agreements, such as NAFTA, on the production and consumption of corn, leading to potential disparities between Mexican maize and US corn and its effects on food availability and nutrition.

Perspectives on how Diets are governed?

Poststructural (lifestyle approach):

• the responsibility is on the individual

Marxist (political economy):

• There are actual structural realities caused by our system of production and consumption that prevent people to buy and consume what is best for themselves