Daily WellnessJul 30, 2025
Usually, when we think about “good nutrition”, we focus on the best way to feed our own bodies. But it’s important to remember that our ability to feed ourselves as individuals often relies on the community around us.
In this article from Sarah Hasler (an Herbalist, Registered Dietitian, and Herb Pharm’s Director of Botanical Affairs) learn how our community impacts what is available to us, what we choose to eat, and how we eat it. “Community nutrition” is as important for our well-being as our own individual choices, and it’s often overlooked in discussions about healthy eating.
It is equally important to recognize that in the past, in many communities, women have historically been the ones charged with the daily labor of preparing food not only for themselves but also for their families. We should also acknowledge that while food preparation today should not be gendered labor, in many traditions, women have been the primary actors when preparing food for their families and communities.
For some, the common trope of Mother or Grandmother cooking for their family signifies warmth, home, and love. For others, it is a reminder of generations of unpaid and unsung labor. We can honor the service of our ancestors without carrying outdated expectations of a “woman’s work” into our own lives, and also acknowledge that today plenty of uncles, fathers, grandpas, and others cook up a storm!
Still, it’s just as important to recognize that the changes that have altered expectations for womens’ roles have also occurred alongside major shifts to what, and how, we eat. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, and later, the Green Revolution, our food systems (including how we eat as communities) have changed enormously.
Changing food systems altered our connection to the community around us. In some ways, new food systems opened us to choices that were out of reach in the past (think Avocados in Ontario or Strawberries in December!) However, these changes also loosened ties to community previously engendered by season and availability. Fewer of us have gardens, fewer of us are directly involved in seasonal harvest activities, and produce may come from thousands of miles away rather than from the surrounding landscape.
The convenience and choice provided by our local supermarkets should be celebrated for its very real role in reducing malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies for millions of people—the availability of ample amounts of varied foods has had a positive overall impact, regardless of the drawbacks of processed foods or fewer celebrations around seasonal harvests. Still, the community connections we previously enjoyed simply because so much of our time was spent on planting, growing, harvesting, and processing the food we ate have largely disappeared for many of us.
How we eat has changed just as much as what we eat. We are more likely to be working out of our homes and less likely to live in multigenerational homes where at least one adult is “at home” cooking. Even if we are cooking at home, we often have less time to do so, and we’re less likely to have learned skills that were previously commonplace, like bread-making or preserving foods by canning, salting, or fermentation.1–5
Even the simple act of eating alone on a regular basis may have a negative effect on us—studies on loneliness have found that those that are alone are more likely to skip dinner and have poor-quality diets than individuals that regularly eat in a social setting.6,7
As a result of these changes—both positive and negative—we can recognize that there is a need to renew community ties without relying on outdated ideas regarding who should be cooking. Research also shows that eating together is associated with less loneliness and better nutrition.6–9
Therefore, it’s worth exploring other ways to create community around food—nourishing ourselves in more ways than one. We all belong in the kitchen—that’s where the food is!
We recognize that it’s easier said than done to renew these community connections, so let’s explore a few ways that we can work to renew our connection to our larger communities:
Building community can be hard, and examining the ways we may have let go of important foodways can be challenging and a little overwhelming. But by choosing new ways to emphasize nutrition as we build community, we can address two important concerns with one very important action—spending time with our family, friends, and neighbors.
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