School starts today. I still don't quite know how to feel about this. I guess I'm glad to get back into a daily routine. Plus this school year will not be as crazy as the last... hopefully. On the other hand, I'm back to working 8+ hour days. Summer breaks are nice, but they definitely spoil me with free time.
Anyway, I want to highlight a recent study out of the UK that links one's quality and level of education to their diet. The study revealed that a person's educational status has a positive impact on their diet, no matter what socioeconomic background they come from. Those who seek higher education tend to eat better and make smarter food choices, for the most part.
The more educated one is, the more nutrient-dense foods they tend to consume. Of course there are probably exceptions to this. The study just looked at individuals overall. They found a positive correlation with education and proper nutrition. As one's level of education increased, there was a rise in the healthy food choices they made. It didn't matter how they were taught to eat as kids or what socioeconomic background they were born into.
I should note that this study was only conducted in European countries. But we see similar correlation to one's educational status and food choices in the United States as well. Those who attend college and are more educated also tend to make better decisions regarding their diet. People who go to college tend to earn more, and can therefore afford higher quality food.
This study serves to highlight the need for better nutrition education for those who do not seek higher education or for those who are not as socioeconomically advantaged. In America, we often tend to see a correlation between one's income and one's health. People who do not earn as much are more likely to be overweight or obese and suffer from noncommunicable diseases. Now again, this is not always the case. There can be exceptions.
From my point of view, both as an educator and as a nutritional therapy practitioner, I feel like education is very important for many reasons. Better health and the ability to afford higher quality food is definitely one of them. So encourage your kids to do well in school and to seek higher education. But don't get me started on the cost of higher education and the crippling debt some folks find themselves in when they are done with school. That's a topic for an entirely different post.
TLDR (??); Stay in school, prioritize higher learning, make better food choices, live a healthier life.