#21 – Plant-based thinking to improve nutrition security and food literacy w/ nutiritionist Dr. Zubaida Qamar

Greenhero

Today’s guest on the Greenhero Podcast is Dr. Zubaida Qamar. Dr Qamar has spent years researching the behavioral aspects of nutrition and social and cultural aspects of health in various communities. She is currently leading many projects aimed at improving food insecurity and literacy.

Dr Qamar’s email signature signs off with the quote “Maslow before Bloom” which speaks to her attitude towards basic needs, specifically food insecurity. Maslow came up with a psychological theory of motivation, which basically says that people’s basic needs must be met before they can achieve higher needs. Bloom developed educational theories and practices. Since Dr Qamar conducts her food insecurity research primarily with college students, she sees how if their basic needs aren’t met, they cannot perform well.

The field of nutrition science is very much still evolving and information and messages can come across to consumers as confusing or changing. The messaging and social media content around nutrition can be misleading or sensationalized when not coming from a registered dietician who is working and studying the science.

Dr Qamar defines food security as: access to adequate, nutritious food for an active, healthy life at all times. Globally, 1 in 10 people suffer from food insecurity currently and there are many things we can address to help lower that number. Addressing food waste, food literacy, and access to security are her main focus.

Recently there has been a shift to “nutrition security” rather than just “food security” so the focus is shifting to the quality of the food rather than just the quantity and availability. Dr Qamar says that’s where the concept of “food literacy” comes in. Food literacy is the set of skills and knowledge to buy, plant, prepare, and eat food to provide adequate nutrition. Knowledge and behavior changes are a long process but both start with education. People are starting to understand the importance of quality in their food, the impact on their health, and the connection between nutrition and preventing disease. Now the challenge is in helping people to change behavior.

Currently, much of the US population is not getting enough fruits and vegetables and a plant-based or plant-forward diet is often less feasible for those who are already facing some sort of food insecurity. A lot of education work and resource development needs to be done to help people meet those milestones of nutrition.

Research shows that reducing food waste is the number one way to help climate change. The average person currently creates one pound of food waste every day so finding even small ways to reduce the amount you are throwing away can be a monumental help. Focusing on whole foods, reducing waste, eating out in sustainable ways, are all ways you can make behavior changes. Also consider everyone’s needs: access, knowledge, do they have a kitchen and instructions they can understand and use, which all affect the ability to make these healthier choices.

Things You’ll Learn

What people are getting wrong in nutrition science and what to focus on

Food security vs insecurity, Food literacy, and what small steps nutrition academics and dieticians and others are doing to affect change

What types of resources are available to help with food security and literacy.

LINKS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zubaidaqamar/
https://twitter.com/zubaida_qamar