Diets Don’t Exist in a Vacuum

A few weeks ago, I read an interesting article titled “Why America’s obsession with other countries’ diets might be holding us back” by Ashlie D. Stevens. Stevens wrote about how America gets very focused on how people in other countries eat, with the idea that if we eat the same way, we’ll be thinner, healthier, and happier. Consider the Mediterranean diet, or eating like the French or Japanese.

But Stevens also pointed out that by the time these diets get to us, we no longer see their nuances. “What remains is a handful of cherry-picked principles, stripped of their cultural context and repurposed for maximum marketability.”

Our focus on the mechanics of these diets blinds us to other factors that come into play. Many of the places that have healthier and longer-lived people, for example, have universal healthcare. They may also have more walkable cities, a greater focus on social connections, and better access to nutritious foods. All these also contribute to better health, regardless of calories or carbs consumed.

This got me thinking about a crucial fact that tends to be overlooked in general: diets don’t exist in a vacuum, but they’re often presented as if they do.

Diet rules are rigid

I know some people talk about “cheat days” for their diets, or try to find some wiggle room in the rules, but those seem to be ways to get around the fact that diet rules are generally rigid. You have “good” or allowed foods and amounts, and “bad” or now allowed foods and amounts. That’s quite black and white.

The problem is, life isn’t like that. Circumstances change, and you might end up in a situation where your only options are to go hungry or eat something the diet doesn’t allow.

For example, I still remember a time years ago when I was traveling and had a layover at Ronald Reagan airport, and the section I was in had very limited food and beverage choices: McDonald’s, Ben & Jerry’s, and alcohol. In cases like that, you won’t have a “perfect” option, so you need to decide what makes sense for you, no matter what the diet says.

In case you’re curious, in that instance, I had actually brought some food with me to eat, but my brother and niece hadn’t. They ended up getting something at McDonald’s but then had upset stomachs and wished they’d gone with Ben & Jerry’s.

How you eat matters

Another thing often forgotten by diets, and the focus on other cultures, is that how you eat matters, not only what you eat and how much of it. In Stevens’s article, she commented on a difference between eating in France vs. the U.S.: “long, leisurely meals… are practically a national pastime [in France], versus Americans hunching over sad salads at desks….”

This makes a big difference. If you’re eating at your desk, you’re probably also trying to work. You won’t be focused on the food, so you likely won’t enjoy it or notice when you’re not hungry anymore. Plus, you may be stressed about work, and stress can interfere with digestion.

That’s a very different scenario from stepping away from work to eat a good meal, focusing on enjoying the food and company of friends or family, where you can relax and think about something pleasant. You may or may not eat more in this case, but you’ll surely enjoy it more, and you’ll almost certainly be less tempted to get a snack from a vending machine later in the day, which is something you might do after eating a “sad salad” at your desk.

Access to food is also important

Another problem with diets, but especially trying to eat the way people do in another country, is that access to food varies widely. Far too many people in the U.S. live in a food desert, an area where they don’t have easy access to affordable and often nutritious foods. In 2019, over 18 million people lived in food deserts, and it’s likely gotten worse since COVID.

Additionally, it’s much harder in the U.S. to get foods that aren’t heavily processed, even if you don’t live in a food desert. This can make it challenging to attempt any diet, but especially one based on European foods or cultures where the food available is fundamentally different.

This doesn’t mean it’s not possible to get nutritious, minimally processed food in the U.S. It is, but not everywhere, and not always at affordable prices. That puts many diets out of range for a lot of people.

Eating mindfully offers real-life flexibility

Any food plan or diet that put restricts your food and eating is going to be problematic, whether that diet is based on something from another country or not. Diets simply don’t have the flexibility to allow you to easily navigate the gray areas of life.

On the other hand, paying attention to your food, eating more mindfully, and making choices that work for you can apply regardless of your circumstances.

Even if you don’t always have access to the foods you’d prefer, or the ability to take a long lunch, you can pause for a few moments while eating to appreciate and enjoy your food. And that will probably make a bigger difference than you’d expect.