Food as Fuel: What is Food to You?
The following article was written by Heinen’s Chief Dietitian, Melanie Jatsek RD, LD. Click here to learn more about Mel’s personalized nutrition coaching services.
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Imagine having a conversation with a newborn baby, but let’s pretend she understands what you are saying and can answer you back in actual words. You ask her why she eats and with a puzzled look she says, “To make my hunger go away. Why else would I eat?” To her, food is fuel.
What is Food to You?
Besides babies, I don’t know many people who eat for hunger and hunger alone. Food can be many things besides just fuel for your body. So, what is it to you? Is it your:
- Remedy for a growling stomach?
- Sleep aid?
- Way to cope with boredom?
- Procrastination tool?
- Entertainment?
- Stress reliever?
- Medicine to prevent disease?
Feelings of shame over emotional eating doesn’t solve anything; it just turns food into a foe. What you are doing here is building awareness of what food means to you, and that is a very powerful discovery.
For example, I’ve discovered over the years that for me, food serves as:
- A cure for physical hunger
- Medicine to keep my body healthy
- Something I turn to when I’m dreading a task (like cleaning the house)
The rewards for the first two are positive and tangible: my hunger goes away and—when I eat the right foods—my body remains in good health. As for the third reason I eat, the truth is, food never really removes my urge to procrastinate. It only makes it worse because I still have to clean the house!
Creating Healthy Coping Strategies
You cannot begin to improve your relationship with food until you know what it is. So, take out a piece of paper and write down all the reasons you eat other than physical hunger.
Once you have this valuable information you can arm yourself with appropriate coping strategies to practice. And just like any habit you want to build, practice is key. After a little while you’ll notice that reaching for food feels strange when you’re not physically hungry.
For example, now when I’m faced with a mound of laundry and toilets to be scrubbed, instead of tearing open a bag of chips, I step out of the kitchen and head straight to the laundry room to separate clothes. This one simple act is enough to put procrastination in its place!
Change the Way You Look at Food
German physicist Max Planck said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
In other words, something magical happens when you shift your perspective. When you recognize and appreciate food’s role as fuel, and prioritize this view above all others, you alter your interpretation of food, and this changes how you respond to it.
You will find yourself eating more in response to physical hunger and less in response to stress, boredom, or any other reasons you identified. On top of that, the food you choose will be better for your body.
You’re not ignoring the other reasons you eat, you’re simply choosing to focus on food as fuel and moving the others to second and third place.
Key Takeaway
Food is fuel, but to say I only eat to fuel my hunger is a lie. I’ve made peace with that and as a result the procrastination monster keeps his distance most of the time. Whatever food is to you, it’s OK; just don’t lose sight of its primary role in your life as fuel first. This simple shift in perspective makes you a winner.
