FreshEd FreshEd #391 – The Care Economy (Tim Jackson)
5 snips
Jun 1, 2025 
Tim Jackson, an emeritus professor and director at the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, discusses his transformative journey in valuing health and care over mere wealth. He dives into the detrimental effects of sugar on health and calls for systemic changes in nutrition. Jackson critiques traditional healthcare, advocating for holistic practices that prioritize well-being. He also addresses gender dynamics in caregiving and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing a reimagined view of prosperity that includes community health and care.
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Tim's Diabetes Diagnosis Journey
- Tim Jackson shared his personal struggle with being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and how it reshaped his understanding of health.
- He described the difficulty of changing diet in an environment overloaded with sugar and processed foods.
Prosperity as Health and Care
- Prosperity means health and care, not just wealth and growth, a realization Tim Jackson came to both intellectually and personally.
- The pandemic spotlighted care's importance, but political and economic turbulence threatens to sideline these values.
Gendered History of Care and Medicine
- Care work is largely done by women and has been historically undervalued and overshadowed by a male-dominated, pharmaceutical-focused medical model.
- Modern medicine prioritizes symptom-curing drugs over lifestyle, nutrition, and the body's natural healing, creating a societal health schism.
