FROM TREE TO TOAST
A storytelling experience that explores how food trends influence our diet
The avocado was usually consumed on certain occasions like the Super Bowl, Cinco de Mayo, or for Sunday brunch.
Now it is a year-round staple included in other foods like smoothies, salads and desserts.
Consuming avocados is heavily influenced by how it is portrayed in the media.
Celebrities and influencers encourage this superfood obsession by posting their beauty and health regime on social media. Consequently, their followers are influenced to try their diets in order to obtain the ideal healthy lifestyle. Adopting false beliefs of body image.
The hashtag #avocado has more than 12 million posts on Instagram. The fruit became even more popular by labeling it as a superfood. A food that is rich in compounds considered beneficial to a person's health.
This popular fruit validates beliefs of healthism, where eating is not just about taste and nutrition anymore, it is about wellness and lifestyle. The word cloud below represent the most common hashtags associated with the avocado.
Which one is the healthier option?
(Click on the image)
Idolized
Demonized
Medium avocado
on 40g brown toast
330 cal
20g Nutella
on a 40g white toast
240 cal
There is no correct or incorrect answer, they are just different. Avocado toasts may be a good idea if the goal is to consume more nutrients, but the Nutella toast may support calorie reduction as it has fewer calories. Eating any food should be an enjoyable process, where feelings of "good" vs. "bad" are replaced with context.