By: Jania Matthews Date: 5/20/11
My days are spent in an environment that focuses on food, health, and nutrition so attending my first BlogHer Food conference is a welcome experience. BlogHer's mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community, and economic empowerment. It feels great to be in the company of women who have a passion about blogging and food.
Food is such a broad term and can mean different things to different people. While some focus on food for health and nutrition others see food strictly as a something to enjoy.
My perception of food is a combination of nutrition and enjoyment. Over the years, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with food. Knowing what’s healthful, consuming the correct portion size, and managing my weight are all part of my food experience.
Of course my food experience is also colored by the variety of media messages I hear about food. Those messages often add to my love/hate relationship because too often I hear and read about foods to avoid.
The IFIC Foundation recently released its 2011 Food & Health Survey, which found that Americans more and more say they would rather hear what to eat (63 percent) instead of what not to eat. I am among the 63 percent of Americans who would rather hear what to eat. If I’m honest, the second I hear what not to eat my mind becomes fixated on that very item. Working with registered dietitians, I have come to learn and believe that all foods can be a part of a healthful diet and that moderation is key.
Yes, we need food to survive! But why not take the time to enjoy the taste and other positive attributes of food?
Please share, what has been your relationship with food?
A few sessions I plan on attending during BlogHer Food Conference include:
• Effective Social Networking for Food Bloggers;
• Taking Your Blog Content Mobile; and
• Food Blogging for Change
If anyone would like to vicariously live through me during this conference, please follow my tweets @IFICMedia. Or if you’re reading this and you’re attending the conference, I hope we get a change to exchange greetings face to face.