Does You Food Define You?

Food can define a person to the extent that their entire lifestyle, especially the decisions they make, is adapted to their dietary preferences.

Over the last few decades, the interest in and understanding of food has grown immensely. In recognition of this spurt, food has become an identifying quality for many individuals instead of a mere means of survival. The type of food a person eats can be seen as a defining characteristic that separates them from others. Concentrating solely on the last few years of the 21st century, “food label” and “diet” are debatably the same concept. The term “diet” can certainly still refer to a restrictive process in which a person is determined to lose, gain or maintain a certain weight. However, “diet” has grown to encompass a variety of definitions.

Nobody questioned their diet at three months old when fed a spoonful of smashed peas and squash. But as people grow older, they start to look at food with a more focused eye. Some individuals choose to have a “cheat day” once a week, while others choose to view every enjoyable meal as a ‘cheat’ meal.

Food can define a person to the extent that their entire lifestyle, especially the decisions they make, is adapted to their dietary preferences. For example, many vegans choose to become vegan because they want to promote animal rights and foster a deeper understanding of environmental issues.

Bonny Rebecca, a popular vegan YouTuber, recently posted a video that shared her entire “vegan story.” She discussed why her decision to go vegan was not a complete surprise.

She has always had a large appetite for food, but no matter how much she ate, she was neither full nor satisfied. She grew up on a nonvegan diet, which led to her belief that “a meal without meat wasn’t even a meal.”

After meeting Tim, her current boyfriend, who was ‘plant-based’ at the time and is now a complete vegan, she gained a new perspective.

“You can eat as much as you want on a vegan diet without feeling the guilt,” said Rebecca.

The prospect of being able to eat an abundance of food attracted Rebecca, especially knowing that she would not have to stress over what she was eating, how much she was eating and how it would affect her health.

She has been vegan for over four years and continues to update her viewers on any changes to her health habits, such as her recent shift from a high-carb, low-fat diet, to one that includes an equal amount of carbs and fats. Once she went vegan, she knew she could never go back.

Although everyone has their own rationale behind choosing one diet over another, the overarching theme is that the connotations and associations of “diet” are changing and becoming more positive.

When overhearing a conversation in a local restaurant or grocery store, it is no longer odd to hear people state their name along with “I’m a vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, paleo,” et cetera. These labels are just another facet of people’s identities.

Angel Padavano, co-owner and chef of Padavano’s Place, points out how these “food labels” have changed their menu and customer base as a whole.

“We now offer gluten-free options, which has really boosted our business,” said Padavano.

To her, food has always been, and will continue to be “the cornerstone of [her] social life. [I] meet with family and friends, and we break bread to share our lives together.”

An increasing number of people are starting to step outside of their dietary comfort zones— switching from the foods they were raised on to foods they crave and that best fuel their body. Just because someone grows up eating meat, dairy and seafood does not mean they must be a dedicated carnivore for their entire life.

Food, and more specifically, diet, can be considered a very personal subject. Diet is seen as both a necessary decision and a lifestyle—a lifestyle in which bread, milk and butter may no longer be the staple foods shoppers reach for during every trip to the grocery store.

In today’s world, there can be an entire backstory attached to the food a person decides to eat. To the casual observer, someone’s plate may appear to be just another ordinary dinner, but to the diner, their meal could tie directly to their ethnicity, moral values or a desire to only eat food with three ingredients or less.

A meal is not something that is cooked “unconsciously” anymore—the saying “You are what you eat” has taken on a new significance.

Those who follow the paleo diet essentially eat as cavemen did—consuming foods that a person can hunt rather than those that are processed in a factory. Foods such as grass-fed meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds are eaten, whereas foods such as cereal, dairy and salt are not.

Social media activists are vocal about the deeper implications of their dietary choices.

“Paleo isn’t only about eating,” said Pete Evans, a popular paleo blogger. “It’s a way of life that’s all about simplifying and finding satisfaction through living in the moment and reconnecting with something bigger than yourself, like getting out in nature.”

Food can have a wide variety of meanings. To some, like Padavano, food is a way of bringing people together. To others, like Rebecca and Evans, food is a way to bring yourself back together—to figure out how to fuel your body in a way that no longer makes food the center of your daily decisions. Food is important, but it is not everything.

Overall, it seems that humans and the connotations of “diet” are evolving together. There have been rapid changes in dietary wants versus needs versus concerns. For some, diet is constructed based on health constraints like allergies, while for others diet is a personal choice. For those who can freely choose their culinary desires, choosing to forgo certain foods is a way to recognize what makes you truly happy and what makes your body feel most nourished.

By Athena Abdien | Photography by Eva Vidan | Design by Samantha West