Your Absences Makes Me Grow...

In our first entry into our food system, we will be looking at our local grocers and their impact on our health. It is not doubt that obesity and food go hand in hand; and why not, obesity is largely caused by consuming larger quantities of food.

So, the questions I had when reading more about this topic were: 1) is the presence of a local grocer a factor in obesity? 2) Is this a fruit or root (no pun intended) issue, where culture and knowledge drive the intervention as one is the byproduct or cause of the other. Also, does what drive sales drive product selection?

The term "food desert" has been used when defining areas, whether urban or rural, that have little to no access to nutritious foods. Though, these areas have access to food, in many cased the food is of little nutritional value and also high in salt, fat and sugar.

We will delve into the first question more deeply in this grocer section and see the many angles it has and how we can best think about the issue and its possible solution. From a prelusive perspective, culture, knowledge, and income are large factors that impact the availability of food. Or, is it the other way around?

I'm excited to continue learning and read more into the food system and how the grocer plays an intricate part in our health, obesity and community.

"If we do not move with purpose, we will get lost on purpose."

It's Alive!

From the depths of absence and distractions I return... It's been far too long and so much has happened in the time elapsed. So with little excuse for the delay and less time explaining why, let's get right back on board with more Movement Of The Mind.

Waking up can be hard, but is necessary... I think

As  a recap, MOTM is all about looking with the intent to better understand or hoist a different perspective towards your current thinking to facilitate deeper discussions, or paradigm shifts. My aim is to help you (and me) look at health in a way that impacts behavior (the Mind) which would spur change in how we address our health (the Movement).

So let's go. I left one series incomplete and will leave that as is. I'd like to begin anew; I'd like to start with looking at our food systems, what ails us as a society and the respective relations between them. I plan to look at five areas within our food systems (of which we could construct graduate level courses, but let's keep it surface for now) that impact society. These areas are:

- Grocers
- Student lunches
- Dining
- Demographic/Mapping
- Money

Again, of these we could pontificate to no end, but MOTM is about fostering stronger conversations and allowing for perspectives (without adding value) to permeate our understanding and build on current knowledge, or dispel common ignorance.

In our first area of Grocers, there are a lot of misconceptions, even for me, that I am interested in learning more about. This entity plays a vital role in the food system that shapes our lives, communities and our health. Objectively, I'd like to aid in assisting all of us to be more informed about what we need, where to find it and how to advocate for your own health.

So, we will delve into how Grocers operate, what is their objective, and empower us to look at them differently (again, without adding value). MOTM is all about health, I feel that our health is the main thing that we need to be better, feel better and deliver better to everyone we encounter in our lives. So, looking at our local grocer and relating that to how we need to think to in turn be healthier seems right up MOTM's alley!

I am excited to reembark on this journey and am eager to grow my fan base [...crickets chirping...], but this blog is for me primarily to learn more and build my knowledge base to be the best as what I do. So...

LET'S LEARN!

Happy 2016 everyone, let's make this one count!