‘Healthy and Delicious Can Coexist’: Experts Discuss Making Food More Joyful and Sustainable

At a TIME100 Talks event in New York City, chefs and food industry experts gathered to discuss the challenges of making food healthier, more accessible, and more joyful for everyone. Cecile Beliot-Zind, CEO of Bel Group, which sponsored the event, asserted that the company believes in making healthier and sustainable food for all.

However, Beliot-Zind noted that one issue in the industry is people opposing ideas instead of combining them. She emphasized that the right way to define healthier food is to combine what people typically see as trade-offs. For instance, Bel Group produces Babybel, a popular cheese snack in a red wax coating that is convenient, a source of protein, and enjoyable to play with.

Bel Group aims to balance healthy and desirable food by ensuring that it is nutritious, accessible, and desirable. Beliot-Zind explained that the food industry, particularly big manufacturers, has created desires for products with empty calories, which harms both the planet and people's health.

Panel moderator Nikhil Kumar then asked Vikas Khanna, a chef and author, about his approach to making healthy food in his New York City restaurant, Bungalow. Khanna discussed how his team has worked to make their food delicious, healthy, and sustainable. He addressed the stigma surrounding the healthiness of ethnic cuisines and highlighted that many Indian dishes are based on Ayurvedic principles and sustainability.

At Bungalow, Khanna has reduced the amount of cream in their dishes, as he believes people should feel at home when eating there, just as they do in their own kitchens.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson emphasized that healthy and delicious food can coexist, and it is the chef's responsibility to debunk the myth that healthy food cannot be tasty. He urged everyone to learn how to cook, stating that cooking fosters curiosity and improves one's overall well-being.

Ertharin Cousin, CEO and managing director of Food Systems for the Future, acknowledged the importance of teaching people to cook but noted that it can be challenging for low-income communities that may lack access to basic amenities like refrigeration, electricity, or gas. Cousin stressed that while we produce enough calories, we do not produce enough nutritious, diverse food for a thriving body.

Moreover, affordable and nutrient-dense foods have replaced more nutritious options, leading to an overconsumption of unhealthy foods and malnutrition. Cousin concluded by emphasizing that food should be joyful and healthy, not just indulgent, and that everyone – from ad companies to policymakers to consumers – must work together to make our food healthier.