“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” — James Beard, father of American Gastronomy
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- » overview &
objectives: - In this semester-long team project, we took a look at the USDA’s recent food pyramid redesign and asked ourselves whether there is a better way to communicate information about food and nutrition. We decided that a food system can't just exist as a chart in a classroom, and we looked at the idea of a self-driven nutritional resource center/fresh food market as a better solution. We then turned this idea into a systems book, explaining the concept, system, and experience.
- » development
& outcomes: After digging into a phase of serious research, we determined that people are just not connecting with the current food pyramid on any level. We began to envision, in its place, some kind of food and nutrition system that people could really experience, understand, and apply to their own lifestyle.
Solving problems like this one about food systems is about understanding — understanding people and what they need for a better experience with their food. We tried some solutions and had to come back to the beginning again before the solution was clear. When we were talking about food and nutrition, it was too easy to let our language become clinical and impersonal. A food system should really be about you and your relationship with the foods you eat!
Our answer to the food pyramid problem was your food :), an entirely new way of learning about, buying, preparing, and eating food. your food :) is:
- a fresh food market where you can buy quality ingredients for healthy meals.
- a place where you and your family can learn about foods, nutrition, cooking, and more.
- a personalized system for keeping track of what you eat so you can be (and stay!) healthy and energized both now and in the future.
- a fun, healthy lifestyle that is easy, accessible, understandable, reliable, and usable for the way you want to live.