Maya Adam, MD, a lecturer on child health and nutrition in Stanford’s Program in Human Biology, associates food with love. "Through food, we learn about where we come from, who we are, and in many ways who we want to be," she said in a recent TEDxStanford talk. But, as in human relationships involving love, our encounters with food may involve fighting - and even tragedy and betrayal, she noted. She pointed to an antacid commercial's presentation of a "food fight" between foods we consume to taste but that cause us indigestion and larger health problems over time.
Early in her medical training, Adam said, she learned that "pain is a protective sensation; it helps us to avoid things that could cause damage to our bodies." Ignoring pain or masking it with antacids, as the ad suggests, sends the message that "we should medicate that sensation away and continue consuming the foods that are hurting us." What's more, she said, a cultural "war on food" is depleting our time, energy and joy around eating, all in the midst of an obesity epidemic.
In her talk, Adam, who teaches a massive open online course called “Child Nutrition and Cooking,” recommends examining our modern-day relationship with food, which has grown distant. Regaining a healthy relationship involves learning where food comes from and what's inside it, and taking care to prepare and cook real food for yourself and loved ones, she said: "May the foods you eat be worthy of you, and may they be made with love."
Previously: A spotlight on TEDxStanford’s “awe-inspiring” and “deeply moving” talks and Free Stanford online course on child nutrition & cooking
