Vegan. Gluten-free. Omnivore. Paleo. We can’t help but conjure up images of not only what kind of food someone eats when we hear these terms, but also what kind of people they are. Differences in food philosophy can start the most heated debates and shut down civility and communication between people. It’s silly when you think about it. It’s just what food, right? Yet a food belief different to our own is so threatening because it feels like a judgement of our own diet–they think they’re better than us because they choose to eat differently. Food is personal, so it feels like an attack on our identity.
At the end of the day, I am an omnivore. I eat pretty much everything. I believe my body thrives best on lots of vegetables, some meat and fish, and healthy fats. But I also believe everything else (in moderation) has a place in my healthy diet. I wrote a whole page about my food philosophy yet I’ve avoided calling this an “omnivore’s” blog or identify with one label. Every single person has slightly different food habits to begin with. We all really like and dislike different foods. Every human body is a little different–some people feel strong and energetic eating one way while someone else’s body would feel crappy if they did the same thing. And we don’t usually have a problem with that. But one you slap a label on yourself and identify with one group, suddenly you give something people can easily rebel against.
So, people of the world, I propose a truce. I spend a lot of time listening to the different arguments and voices in food philosophies. It made me realize we went out of our way to choose a specific way to eat for our health, so we already have more in common than we think. We’re all striving to eat clean and take care of our bodies. We’re avoiding overly processed food and trying to eat more whole foods instead. And I don’t think any of us will disagree that vegetables are key in a healthy diet. We put effort into trying different things, tweaking our food habits and beliefs over time, and finding what’s best for our own bodies. Everything beyond that is just noise. Let’s drop the labels and the judgement. Let’s sit down at the same figurative dinner table, discuss our beliefs without hate, and celebrate food.
