Is Food More than Just Fuel?
If you have followed any number of nutrition-based accounts, you’ve probably seen the phrase, “Food is Fuel.” In eating disorder recovery, this can be a useful mantra and an important thing to remember. Especially if you’ve trained yourself to ignore hunger cues, minimize restrictive behavior, and demonize certain foods so you have reason to avoid them.
Truthfully though, food isn’t just a means to survive. It can also serve as a fun and useful tool in memory making, community and pleasure. I invite you to consider the following ways food can be more than just fuel.
Food can be a way to connect with those around you. Sitting at a dinner table with people you love (and sharing food a loved one has dedicated time and energy to cooking) is one of the most fundamental ways to connect with one another. Getting comfortable with sharing meals with others is a huge step in recovery.
Food is connected to memories. How many times have you seen something in the grocery store and remembered eating it as a kid? You might smell something at a restaurant that reminds you of eating at your grandma’s. Maybe you recall fun family cookouts with your favorite chips & dip or Saturday mornings watching TV with a bowl of cereal. Because food is a big part of our lives on an emotional and physical level, it can play a huge role in nostalgia, connection and…comfort (keep reading)!
Food can comfort us. When our emotions begin to take over, comfort foods can easily enter the conversation! There is a lot of discourse online (particularly on diet-culture centered platforms) about comfort food. At Radiant Nutrition, we believe that all foods fit and that an emotional response to food is 100% normal.
Lastly, food can be a source of pleasure and adventure. If food was merely meant to only fuel our bodies, why would we need to taste it? You may have up to 10,000 taste buds! Not to mention your sense of smell. Your brain was created to experience the five senses through eating and cooking. What a wonderful highway that can be!
All of this to say, food can be a lot more (either positive or negative) than fuel if you let it be. If you struggle to experience food in any other way than just survival fuel, we are here to start the journey with you!
Written by Trinny Duncan, Student Intern and Peggy Pratt, PhD, RDN, LDN, CEDS-C