I was in San Francisco this past weekend when a friend made an interesting
comment. She’s a picky eater, but throughout
the weekend she found that all of her requests were honored. After the third time she successfully got soy
milk for her coffee, she commented that “it’s strange that every restaurant has
soy milk. I guess it’s because everyone eats
so healthy here.”
Which begs the question – why does San Francisco eat healthier than the
rest of the nation? It’s a generalization,
but this stereotype seems to hold true – there were fresh, nutritious food
options everywhere. This is pure
speculation, but I have a few theories:
-
Great
agricultural climate: Northern California has a mild, sunny climate that produces
a vast array of fruits and vegetables.
Most of this produce comes from the Central Valley, which is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. There is also an abundance of seafood, which
reduces pressure to produce red meat. This
abundance of fresh, accessible produce gives locals the ability to take
advantage of these healthier resources
-
Liberal
culture: The west coast, and especially major cities, has traditionally been more liberal. That liberalism may
translate more into social justice and moral questions about how our food is
produced and distributed. This attitude
may have led to less demand for processed, big agra food and more focus on
local, sustainable products
-
Immigrant
population: This is a little more theoretical, but I wonder how much the influx
of Asian immigrants impacted food culture.
Traditional Chinese food (not the stuff from Panda Express) is focused
around fresh vegetables, stews and steamed dishes that could take advantage of
the area’s agricultural abundance
-
Higher
income: San Francisco and Marin
counties have some of the highest per capita income in the US and, as research
shows, higher income leads to healthier behavior
I could be completely off here, but I think many of these arguments
hold some weight. But is there a way to apply
these principles to other parts of the country?
-
It would be difficult to change the nation’s agricultural
landscape, but food access has improved tremendously in the past few decades. The abundance of fresh, healthy food throughout
the country and year-round has been achieved through better technology and new
retailers, although with some interesting consequences
-
While the county is certainly not going to
become more liberal, a greater awareness and acceptance of issues like climate change may make people question their food choices and seek out healthier, more
sustainable options
-
We see ethnic foods becoming more common, which
can be healthier, especially compared with meat and potatoes diets of the past
-
Increasing income is unfortunately the most difficult
issue to tackle, but if we build up demand for these products using the other three
factors, prices for these healthier foods may decrease and allow lower income
Americans to enjoy the benefits that so many in San Francisco already do
