Food and health: Why the poor are sick and how to avoid it: A sociology of food, conscious of the links between food and health (Paperback)

A research on French children's food tastes, representations and practices, as well as on food education has allowed me to understand that the increasingly significant social inequalities in health are very likely linked to different ways of eating.

From childhood, we internalize tastes that vary greatly depending on our social background, involving practices with completely different health effects. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to like and consume more ultra-processed foods and fast-food meals, as well as fewer fruits, vegetables, and high-quality animal products. Their parents, in a precarious context, mainly try to satisfy their children's cravings, which are greatly influenced by marketing. In more affluent environments, parents are strict and daily control their children's diet, encouraging them to adopt habits that will promote their long-term health.

We are facing an important problem, which raises concerns about the disparities it implies. A mandatory food education at school appears as a relevant opportunity to address these issues, although many precautions will need to be taken to achieve coherence and effectiveness.

This work presents over six years of research and reflections on food, not hesitating to be critical of certain actions, current recommendations and common ideas. Beyond the research results it exposes, it calls for a real awareness, for small citizen changes from the bottom and larger actions from the top.

Louis Lebredonchel holds a Ph.D. in sociology and is a research associate at the University of Caen, France.