Recently I heard a conversation on the radio about the food in “grind culture”. I have to admit, I have never heard of grind culture, left alone, the specifics of eating. So, if you are like me, here is the definition I found on Google:
“Grind culture is the idea that status is achieved by always being “on and available.” No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you’re hustling. You’re reachable. The first thing you do when you wake up is check and respond to email. You are the first at the office and the last to leave.”
Apparently, if you subscribe to “grind culture” you don’t eat regular food. You are living on protein powders, shakes, “skip the dishes” take outs, juices, bars, power drinks, and anything else that saves the time preparing and consuming your food.
I found the whole conversation quite terrifying. In my practice I see enough people with eating disorders, depression, anxiety and feeling of isolation, not to worry about this trend.
Approximately 3% of women and 0.3% of men in Canada have an eating disorder. 5.6% of the Canadian population suffers from depression, about the same amount (5.4%) reports problems with anxiety.
I am not claiming that eating “science-fiction food” is a reason for it, but it definitely doesn’t help.
Food is an essential part of our life. It is one of the first things we experience after coming to this world. We bond with our mother via food. We bond with our family and our culture through food. We all remember forever this one special family dish that mom cooked for Christmas; we all have our “comfort food” we eat when we are sad, sick, or lonely; we remember some special occasions by food that accompanied the events.
In my parents home eating together was a huge part of family life. The most interesting and heated discussions were happening at the dinner table: from politics to books, from books to social issues, justice, and revolutions. At the dinner table we were changing the world, one dish at a time.
I honestly cannot imagine the same bonding over a protein powder.
If you ever attended any house party, you probably remember that guests are usually congregating in the kitchen, no matter how big and comfortable the rest of the house is. We love smelling the food, checking how it’s been prepared, seeing the special ingredients, spices, and taste it before anybody else has a chance. It is magic, special, sensual.
Cooking your own food brings the entire issue to another level. It connects you with basic human nature, it can fulfill your need for mastery, achievement, and creativity. It affects all your senses; taste, smell, vision, touch, even hearing. Through cooking you have a chance to show your individuality, uniqueness, and originality. Can you imagine trying to impress your date with a protein shake or a BarnDad chicken/broccoli bar? Cooking for someone you love or cooking together could be very sexy; making a green shake – not so much.
At the beginning of Covid pandemic you couldn’t buy any flour or yeast in grocery stores. All of a sudden everybody started baking bread and cooking at home. It was a very simple and very effective way of taking control of things and dealing with stress. It worked for so many people. Much better than responding to every single comment on twitter or writing endless posts about your stressful day on social media.
If you have difficulties in your relationship, work them out over a great dish you just cooked yourself; if your kid is bored and cranky playing the same video game for a thousand time; teach them how to bake cookies. They will thank you for it later in life.
By Eva Sadowski Photo by Rania alhamed from Pexels
Leave a Reply