2020 Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Lecture- Good Nutrition Speak in a Polarized World: May We Have a Courteous Discourse?
Furious rhetoric characterizes the food dialogue of today. Divisive and emotional food issues ignite a firestorm of debate about topics such as the food supply chain, red meat, industry funded research, and GMO technology vs. organic food production. Current conversations seen through the lens of race, equity and privilege encompass the food and nutrition area with both defenders and detractors of BMI, the Dietary Guidelines or the Mediterranean Diet. And increasingly, we see passionate advocacy devolve into personal attacks, too often on our very own fellow colleagues. There is no retreat, as we stake “our higher than yours” moral ground. Mary Lee Chin suggests we all stop, take a deep breath and instead, find some common ground.
Learning Objectives:
- Define how activism, ideology, cognitive bias and cultural appropriation have shaped our food dialogue.
- Develop 1-2 conversation strategies to address controversial food and nutrition issues.
- Advocate for a more civil dialogue about food and nutrition.
Performance Indicators:
- 1.1.4 Practices with honesty, integrity, transparency
and fairness. - 2.1.7 Delivers information and opinions in a
respectful and professional manner. - 1.1.3 Understands the impact of personal values
and beliefs on practice.
Aida Miles, EdD, RDN, LD, CSP, FAND
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Alabama, Birmingham
Mary Lee Chin, MS, RDN
Nutrition & Health Communications Consultant
Nutrition Edge Communications