Super-Healthy Families

Abstract

Within Danish society there is a strong focus on healthy food habits in the form of health campaigns, food recommendations and health guidelines provided by public health authorities and alternative health practitioners. This article examines the motivation of a group of Danes who have chosen what they believe to be healthier food options in order to gain a healthier lifestyle. The article also comments on the challenges these people have faced in their efforts to adopt new food habits and why they seem reluctant to heed the health advice offered by the public authorities. The investigation is based on a qualitative analysis of people adhering to the alternative health concept of the Super-Healthy Family. The study takes these people's actions as its point of departure and is grounded on an investigation of their everyday practices. I discuss three main areas: traditional foods as food taboos, the importance of social wellbeing and the will to health. I conclude that because food habits are inextricably linked with social habits and cultural heritage, any sustainable change in food habits must be based on well-known food products and practices compatible with people's everyday lives.

Keywords:

• food habits
• food taboos
• health advice
• Danish food culture
• alternative health concepts
• motivation
• habitus

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Marie Rieffestahl

Anne Marie Rieffestahl holds an MSc in anthropology from University of Copenhagen and an MSN degree in nursing. Her recent research has involved a collaborative investigation into the health effects of whole grains, especially in relation to noncommunicable diseases in the Nordic context. Her primary focus has been on the agency regarding food habits and health among different groups of people in the Nordic countries. Centre for Clinical Education, The Capital Region of Denmark, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark ([email protected]).