Food is… by Emily Presbrey, MS, RD, LDN
…energy, food is culture, food is comfort. Food has always, and will always, be an integral aspect of life.
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable high in many micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium. Whole grains retain the bran component of the grain and are an awesome source of fiber. Food is typically viewed for its nutritional value, which is great - a diverse intake is important for health. However, I urge you to consider the many other values of various foods. For many, it is easy to fixate on the nutritional value or content of foods - putting them in very separate “boxes" labeled “good foods” and “bad foods”. Carrots are “good” because they contain beta-carotene, which helps our vision. Chocolate cake is “bad” because it contains high amounts of sugar.
Okay, yes, I am a dietitian… I agree nutrition is important! Let’s break down some of the nutritional values of food.
Is the food high in vitamins and minerals?
Is it a carbohydrate rich food, high in protein, or fat?
Is it calorically dense? Is it nutritionally dense?
Calorically dense means that a food has a high amount of calories for its weight and nutritionally dense means that a food has a high vitamin and mineral content for its weight. BOTH hold value. Think of a situation where you want to be able to get quick energy and not have to consume a lot of it to satisfy the hunger. One example might be if you are feeling unwell and need to fill your tank with a small amount of food or if you have a small window of time to eat. Nutritionally dense foods support you in achieving an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals.
Despite the value I hold in nutrition, I am here to say that I strongly disagree with dichotomous thinking in the context of food. There are many different values of food, outside of the value of nutrition.
If you’re feeling stuck in the mindset of “good foods” and “bad foods” I encourage you to widen your lens. What other values can you see in food outside of nutritional value? It is undeniable that foods hold sensory values, emotional values, and environmental values.
Sensory : Taste, Texture, Temperature, Color, Smell/Aroma, Sound, Appearance
Emotion: Food Memories, Fun, Origin, Connection
Environmental: Convenience, Location, Budget, Freshness, Lack of choice, Habit/Routine, Type of Food
Take a moment and consider a variety of foods- specifically identify foods that may fall into the category that you deem “good”, as well as foods that perhaps fall into the “bad” category. Let’s do a couple examples together. If you’re trapped in dichotomous thinking and feel that kale is “good” and chocolate chip cookies are “bad”, let’s consider them in a different way. Please note the way you describe each food will be different than I do because we all have different experiences with food!
Kale: YES, kale is a super nutritionally dense food loaded with vitamins A, K, B6 and C, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese. That’s fantastic AND it’s so much more than that.
Sensory: I love that kale can be cooked and served hot or chopped finely and put in a mixed greens salad. To me, it’s a quite versatile food in that way. It can be served in the winter as part of a comfort meal next to creamy mashed potatoes or tossed in a summer salad to eat while I’m sitting poolside in the summer. Other sensory values I see in kale are the color and texture. Green is very pleasing on a plate next to more neutral colored foods and I love the crunch!
Environmental: Kale is a really easy vegetable to prepare, so we eat it a lot in my house- it’s convenient and we nearly always have it around!
Chocolate Chip Cookies are a calorically dense food, are an easy enjoyable snack AND there is more than that.
Sensory: the smell of chocolate chip cookies is amazing and sets me up to enjoy the ooey, gooey texture with a cold glass of milk.
Food memories: Growing up, we had Sunday dinner at my grandma and grandpa’s house. Grandma ALWAYS had a cookie jar filled with chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes we would have cookies and milk other times it was an ice cream sandwich. Chocolate chip cookies bring me back to this very pleasant memory of family dinners at my grandparent’s house.
Cheeseburgers are a calorically dense food AND definitely hold a lot of value in my life!
Environmental: We vacation in northern Wisconsin and Culver’s is not a rare siting! Most trips, we stop at Culver’s for a meal- quick, convenient (it’s right off the highway!), and delicious.
Food Memories: It’s a super social food for me- summer grill outs, family parties, etc.!
I challenge you to start to shift and widen your view of food. Intentionally incorporate variety in your intake and see what happens when you view food from the context of all of its values. What values feel important to you? What I have experienced with my clients, is that by shifting our focus we are able to widen food acceptance and reduce guilt. Who doesn’t want that?!
