GLOBALIZATION: It's what's for for dinner.

My first full-time semester back in school with part-time work proved to be rather rigorous, leaving little time for me to maintain a weekly blog. However, for one of my courses (Globalization and Missions), I was able to focus on a topic that interests me: FOOD! I researched and wrote about contemporary global food trends. Because I want to keep this blog up and running, and to provide information and resources to encourage others to choose healthier and more environmentally friendly options in diet and lifestyle, I thought I'd feature sections of my paper over the coming weeks. I found the research invigorating (and infuriating). I hope you enjoy it and find it informative as you consider the choices you make each day for dinner.

GLOBALIZATION: It's what's for for dinner.
An Overview of Contemporary Global Food Trends
(It's not just a SAD story after all.)

Part 1:
INTRODUCTION
The statistics can be disheartening. Obesity, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer - the "diseases of civilization" - are all on the rise worldwide, while slaughterhouse scandals, mad cow disease, food born illnesses, avion bird flu, and meat recalls regularly appear in the headlines. The facts tell us that global dietary patterns have shifted in the past 50 years primarily due to the globalization of the Standard American Diet (SAD) [1]. The introduction of fast food choices has contributed to a decrease in overall health and an increase in the environmental crisis around the planet. It is currently a SAD story, but hopeful signs of a GLAD ending are emerging through Global Living Awareness Diets (GLAD) [2]. As the clown, the king, and the sub make their global way into communities, individuals are taking notice and making new choices. NGO food movements are pushing back and washing the palate of the world with fresh, local, healthy alternatives which nourish the body and the soul.

Best-selling books and numerous published health studies delineate the global trends and health risks related to a SAD fast food diet. This paper will summarize some of the key issues and highlight global food movements which combat them, offering consumers new choices which GLADden hearts, improve health, and ultimately, help save the planet.

Next week:
A SAD STORY: The growing problem of the Standard American Diet

[1] The "Standard American Diet" (S.A.D.) is a term coined by Peter Singer and Jim Mason in their 2006 book, The Ethics of What We Eat. They discuss the ethical implications resulting from the diets of three families, a "S.A.D." diet, a "Conscientious Omnivore" diet, and a vegan diet.
[2] GLAD is an acronym I created as a shorthand description of dietary choices that are globally aware of what it means to live in this new millennium.