Family nutritionist is one of the many roles a homemaker plays. The family nutritionist is responsible for ensuring everyone in the family, particularly the children, receives three balanced meals each day. The nutritionist also monitors choices during snack times.
Being responsible for nutrition requires one to have knowledge of the nutritional value of foods. When shopping, the family nutritionist must also engage in a bit of cost-value analysis. Most families shop for groceries according to a budget. A family nutritionist with a middle-class income may want to buy organic fruits and vegetables and free-range meats. However, she may not be able to afford exclusively organic and range-free produce and meats, so instead she "shops organic" for those items that are most likely to be contaminated with pesticides (e.g. apples and tomatoes), and selects free-range chicken over grass-fed beef.
Family nutritionists who are working-class, or poor and living off of public assistance, have more difficult decisions to make. The grocery budget will probably include the cost of transportation to a grocery store stocked with nutritious items. People in poor neighborhoods generally rely on small convenience stores or "bodegas." These shops almost never have fresh food and are stocked with cheap junk food. Neighborhoods with such poor options are referred to as "food deserts." One must usually travel several miles to reach a grocery store in a higher-income neighborhood.
The family nutritionist is usually female. This is because, as previously mentioned, "family nutritionist" is one of many hats worn by the homemaker, or the person who does the grocery shopping and cooking and who monitors the children, among other responsibilities—all traditionally roles women hold in a household. Her ability to perform the tasks outlined above is based on the assumption that her partner, usually male, is sharing resources with her. Because the male is usually the primary wage earner in the household (due in part to wage inequality in many nations), his income is necessary to maintain adequate nutrition.
It is here, then, that we can apply John Rawls's idea about distributive justice which assumes that the principles of justice "regulate the basic structure of society, and the rights and duties and practices of family life are to be set so that they interact with other major institutions to affect people's life prospects in ways that conform to justice" (Arneson). As a result, we can assume that the distribution of resources within households among all adults and children is equitable, or we can assume, based on what we understand about most societies, that the distribution of goods strongly favors men.
Moreover, many societies equate work with the ability to earn income outside of the home. Work done within the home is deemed less valid and less valuable. Though there is increased awareness of the demands of homemaking, particularly due to men now sharing some of the responsibilities, it is far from being considered a role that warrants a regular wage. Homemakers, traditionally, have received allowances, but this money is expected to be used for household expenses.
Many heterosexual married men who do not partake in household duties underestimate the role that the family nutritionist plays in the maintenance of their health. Because these men often cannot cook and have no desire to learn due to the presence of their partners, they must rely on their partners to select food that will keep them healthy. For example, if a wife learns her husband has hypertension, she will not include fried foods in meals. She will instead include more leafy greens, such as kale or collard greens. Depending on her income status, she may opt for fresh greens or cheaper frozen greens. If she can afford them, she may also buy berries and beets. Otherwise, potatoes, bananas, and oatmeal are generally affordable, as well as instrumental in reducing hypertension.
The foods mentioned are fresh and require some preparation. However, single men are notorious for opting for processed foods and packaged snack items. Though some of these items may have nutritional value, they are not equal to that which is found in fresh foods. They may also have higher fat content and preservatives. A married man will be more likely to eat healthier, home-cooked meals made from fresh foods, which is better for his health than the processed and packaged foods a bachelor might eat.
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