I’ve been thinking about pursuing a directed studies a lot this term. I’ve encountered such interesting and thought provoking material in my courses so far, and feel inspired to explore some of the topics in more depth. Its tough trying to narrow my focus down, since I’m so interested in so many things! One concept that links many of these interests together is the idea of food value systems.

In general, value systems are a way of organizing and expressing individuals’ beliefs about morality, ethics, and justice. As such, I would like to propose the concept of food value systems as a means of describing individuals’ beliefs about food, and the basis upon which food choices are made. They draw on past experiences, nutritional knowledge, taste preferences, ethics, and social and cultural context to inform individual’s food values and beliefs. Food value systems help individuals make decisions about what, how much, and when to eat. They are generally beneficial, but can be harmful when individuals’ food values fail to optimize nutrition and wellbeing.

I feel strongly that food value systems are of critical importance to nutritional status and health. I believe that it is essential to understand the reasons behind food choice before nutritional interventions are put in place. Furthermore, I believe that the social and cultural values underlying food choice are an important part of food value systems, and as such must be acknowledged and respected in the development and implementation of nutritional interventions.

In the future, I would like to continue to explore the concept of food value systems and the role they play in determining the health of individuals and populations. I plan on pursuing directed studies on this topic, as I believe it is of personal – and global – significance. I’m not sure exactly what direction or form these studies will take, but I’m very excited about the opportunity to dive head first into a concept that I’m so passionate about. I will update soon when I have more details!