Carly Gehler discusses conscious eating and "voting with your dollar". Conscious eating considers environmental, social, and economic influences on food choices. It connects mind and body by bringing intention to cooking and eating. The author aims to practice conscious eating personally and professionally. "Voting with your dollar" means making purchasing choices based on values to impact food systems. As a nutrition student, the author promotes conscious eating, understands its impact, and incorporates mindful cooking and eating without distractions. Professionally, the author will counsel clients to prevent diseases by educating them on conscious eating as a lifestyle.
2. Conscious Eating and “Voting with your Dollar”
The idea of conscious eating embodies a holistic approach to food by taking into
consideration environmental, social, and economic influences that shape our decision making
when purchasing certain foods. Conscious eating connects the mind and body by bringing a level
of intention to the practice of cooking and consuming food. I aim to practice a high-level of
conscious eating in my personal life and hope to educate others throughout my professional life
as a future Registered Dietitian. Before I begin conversation about how the idea of conscious
eating realistically looks like in my personal and professional life, it is important to first
understand what “voting with your dollar” means and how this can impact the food system.
“Voting with you dollar” is choosing to purchase certain foods in a grocery store, farmers
market, convenience store, or a restaurant based off of personal values or preference. In order for
food to migrate from a growing vegetable into the hands of a consumer based product, dynamic
food systems are involved. The food system encompasses the processes of production,
transformation, distribution, retail, food access, consumption, and waste management.1,2
With
food systems encompassing more than what the consumer visually encounters in a grocery store,
it is important to realize the potential impact that money can make on a certain food system,
whether intentional or not. Consumer demands for low-cost, convenience foods drive the market,
whereas the production and distribution of convenience foods by the food industry influence
consumer choice.2
Consumer choice is influenced by affordability, convenience, appearance, nutrition, taste,
familiarity, food safety (pesticides, hormones, antibiotics), and values (animal rights, organic,
fair trade).1
By making educated or conscious decisions on what to purchase means that you are
“voting with your dollar” and driving the market in one direction or another. Conscious eating is
3. more than just making an educated decision in the grocery store, it can be also identified as being
present when preparing and consuming food. Based off of this holistic approach of conscious
eating, there are high and low-levels of consumers.
Conscious eating can be evaluated on a continuum, where there are low and high-level
conscious eaters. A high-level of conscious eating is when an individual takes time to consider
what to buy based off of personal values and intentionally drives the food market through
“voting with their dollar.” These individuals tend to understand the level of impact their money
is making in the food systems that they support, whether that food system is industrial or
sustainable. Furthermore, they take time to prepare and consume meals with limited distractions
and pay attention to hunger or satiety queues. A low-level of conscious eating is when an
individual does not take the time to consider personal values and makes a food purchase based
off of an impulse.
Low-level consumers may not care what food system they support. Unfortunately, I feel that
the majority of Americans fall into a low-level of conscious eating. America, in general, is a fast-
paced nation and people tend to lack the time to make a conscious eating decision and prefer
convenience, over-processed foods. This is evidenced large monocultures that the majority of
Americans support and the increasing rates of obesity. In my own life however, I try to make
conscious eating a priority.
Conscious Eating in my Personal Life
As a nutrition student, I promote conscious eating and attempt to follow a conscious eating
pattern. Taking into account my environmental, economic, and social influences, I take time to
decide what foods to purchase. Throughout my education, I have developed quality skills that
allow me to make educated decisions in the grocery store. I understand the potential impact of
4. voting with my food dollars and supporting certain food systems. Furthermore, conscious eating
is more than just time spent at the grocery store or farmers market, it also encompasses a holistic
approach by incorporating mind, body, and intentional eating.
Conscious eating or mindful eating encompasses quality time spent cooking, limiting
distractions, not depriving a certain food, and not overeating. Cooking dinner for my husband is
a time for me to relax and relieve my stress accumulated throughout my day. While consuming
dinner, I attempt to limit studying or watching television and enjoy time spent with my husband.
I choose to listen to my body when I am becoming full and sometimes save room for a sweet
treat after dinner so that I am not depriving myself. It is important that my husband and I practice
conscious eating to instill in the lives our future children. As many Americans have a low-level
of conscious eating, it is important to take some of these values into my professional life and
focus on the prevention of obesity through community nutrition.
Conscious Eating in my Professional Life
Eventually, I will become a Registered Dietitian and work in a community setting counseling
clients about food and nutrition in order to prevent the onset of diseases. Initially, it is important
that I understand my client’s values and various influences that shape his/her preference for
certain foods. This initial step is vital in order to begin conversation about what conscious eating
is and how he/she can incorporate it into their life. Incorporating conscious eating is a lifestyle
change because it takes time, focus, and a willingness to change. After evaluating my client, I
would begin education on what conscious eating is and provide skills for client practice. Skills to
help practice can include not going to the grocery store hungry, limiting distractions during meal
times, and creating an enjoyable environment while cooking. Overall, providing education on
conscious eating will allow my clients to create a lifestyle that reduces the risk for disease.
5. References
1. Auld G. Sustainable Food Systems: FSHN 496B. [Power Point]. Fort Collins, CO: CSU
Food Science and Human Nutrition Program; 2015.
2. Weller KE, Greene GW, Redding CA, et al. Development and Validation of Green
Eating Behaviors, State of Change, Decisional Balance, and Self-Efficacy Scales in
College Students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2014; 46(5): 324.
