Please keep in mind that I am a tennis player and like to eat foods high in nutrients and tend to stay away from dairy.
Include references (minimum 1) – if searching anything online use Pubmed
Format
1 page (300 words maximum).
Single statement or bullet point that represents your food philosophy (see Michael Pollan’s example below), plus a brief explanation of how this affects your food choices.
Include one reference minimum. Some people’s food philosophies have evolved through reading many books and articles, taking classes and watching films. If your food philosophy evolved from a compendium of learning, it’s impossible to cite all the references. If there is one book, blog, expert, article or film that started the journey, use that.
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
— Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto)
A personal food philosophy is important to establish before you can begin to develop recipes, menus or offer advice to others. Your food philosophy will define how you choose your food (as well as the lifestyle practices that come from that). A food philosophy is what you will use to build your recipes and menus. Most importantly, it is what you will live by for the time you are in this program (and hopefully beyond!).
Not every food philosophy will have a snazzy catchphrase like Michael Pollan’s and that’s OK! However, you need to be able to explain your philosophy clearly and succinctly right off the bat. Think of it as your elevator pitch, if that helps.
The foods we eat eat throughout our lifetime will change, and often our food philosophy will also evolve as we gather knowledge. Consider this your starting point based on what you know today.
Are you 100% vegetarian? Are you local? Are you unprocessed? Are you supermarket organic or farm-fresh local? Are you meat-free or sustainable meat only? If someone were to invite you over for dinner, would they know what to serve you based on your food philosophy? These are some of the questions to ask.
This is not the place to tell us what you know or your training – instead, state the philosophy that came out of the journey. You can choose to present your philosophy in bullet points or paragraph form.
The key is to make it succinct, clear, to the point and your own.
Your philosophy must answer the question: “What defines this meal/recipe/menu as ‘ME’ approved?”
Consider this your mission statement as it relates to food/health.
Tip: Search around the Internet or your favourite cookbooks for inspiration. Read the intros to the books or author bios and see what other people say about their philosophy when it comes to food.
Assignment Component Mark
Food philosophy /2
Quality/communication /2
References /1
Total /5
