Nutrition is misogynistic, say feminists
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement’s emphasis on nutrition “threatens to set women back decades,” according to journalists and academics on the Left.
‘A lot more work for women’
In an article last month for SELF, Erica Sloan argued that since women prepare food more often than men, shifting away from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) saddles them with more work and is therefore a threat to modern women.
“MAHA’s villainization of food processing just adds the burden of cooking from scratch to women’s plates," Sloan wrote. She quoted several academics, such as Rutgers University Professor Norah MacKendrick, PhD, who confirmed that women must work harder to provide healthier food.
“In order for a family to eat a diet of mostly homegrown or even just homemade meals…that’s going to be a lot more work for women and mothers especially,” Dr. MacKendrick warned.
Many UPF products contain a combination of fat, sugar, and sodium called a “bliss point” that triggers a dopamine response similar to narcotics, causing cravings for more. This results in serious food addictions, particularly among children, which is why researchers like University of Michigan Associate Psychology Professor Ashley Gearhardt advocate for classifying UPF as a chemical substance. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has proposed placing tobacco-like restrictions on ultra-processed foods, which makes sense considering that Big Tobacco helped engineer the addictive properties of ultra-processed food products.
These food addictions, in addition to loads of “empty” calories, have made ultra-processed foods a primary target of the MAHA movement.
“But even for those who could buy ample raw ingredients, there’s the fact that prepping and cooking every dish is a full-time job—just ask any early-1900s housewife,” Sloan protested, suggesting that taking issue with ultra-processed foods is “to take issue with the working woman.”
“The message: If we just went back to a simpler time, when women knew their proper role at home, we’d have purer food and in turn, better health, Dr. MacKendrick says.” [Emphasis original]
The article insists that “the food system we have is both broadly safe and efficient” and argues that not only should women not be asked to make healthier food, but the federal government should subsidize childcare and national paid leave to support to support women’s “autonomy.”
Pesticides are not harmful to humans
Sloan also took issue with Kennedy’s opposition to pesticides such as glyphosate and atrazine. Glyphosate, marketed by Bayer as the weed killer Roundup, is a toxic chemical linked to cancer, birth defects, neurological disorders, and hormonal disruptions. Atrazine is a common pesticide made by China that has strongly feminizing effects, in addition to causing harms like cancer. Pesticides in general have had a dramatic impact on male fertility, at least one study found.
“While some research in animals and human cells suggests glyphosate may cause DNA damage and atrazine could mess with hormones, there isn’t currently any conclusive evidence of harm in people based on how we’re being exposed (including in relation to cumulative risk),” wrote Sloan.
UPFs ‘spark joy’
Ultimately, the article concluded that not only are ultra-processed foods not unhealthy, but they also bring happiness.
“Processed and ultraprocessed items are also functional necessities for many, and can spark joy. And again, some of them have positive nutritional value,” Sloan wrote.
