Beyond Fuel

Food is fuel.

I’ve heard people use that phrase to explain a whole sort of diet or nutrition practices. Usually it is meant to convey the idea that their approach to eating is based mostly on either a desired athletic performance level or aesthetics. Whether this is good or bad is not really my point or anything I want to argue. Rather I would like to suggest that the view is too limited.

When most people who are health conscious think of what they eat their mindset is almost entirely physical. Losing weight, gaining muscle, eating for performance or looking good at the beach are all common goals associated with eating a certain way. 

This can lead to adapting a mindset towards food that stresses its use as fuel to help make progress towards those goals. 

If we adopted the same approach when choosing a vehicle we would all be driving minivans or Honda Civics. What most people want though is a reliable and safe vehicle that is also to some extent fun to drive. Something that we consider useful, practical while at the same time an extension of our personality or preferences. 

Nutrition can be, and should be, viewed the same way. 

When we opt for the simple idea that food is merely fuel we deny ourselves the option of enjoying our meals as much as possible. 

Nutrition goes far beyond the physical benefits we get from the food we put in our body.

There is a communal aspect to sharing meals with other people that serves to build and strengthen relationships. Some of the best conversations are those that take place around the dinner table with people we love. Food has a way of allowing us to share our culture and history with other people in a powerful way. Because of this it can be a bridge between strangers and create community like almost nothing else. Food is way more than just fuel.

There is also an emotional and mental health component to what we ingest. Thinking of food strictly as fuel could lead some athletes to pursue a rigorous diet consisting of the same foods because of their perceived benefit to performance or appearance. What can often go unnoticed is the role nutrition can play in our mental health, specifically vitamins and micro nutrients from a variety of sources. A lack of vitamin b2 for example can increase the tendency for anxiety or feelings of fatigue. B3 helps keep our nerves and digestive system operating healthy. B6 is especially key as it can help offset depression, amnesia and confusion as well as anxiety and irritability. One more reason to give cranky kids a sweet potato or banana. 

The point is that our nutrition can have a huge impact on our health in ways that are not always apparent. Our mood can be significantly altered by the food we eat. Anyone who has had a rough day and found a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in the freezer knows this already. If your nutrition plan doesn’t allow you to enjoy what you eat

(B2 is found in spinach, eggs, shrimp, almonds and mushrooms. B3 is in canned tomatoes, whole grains and most meats. B6 is prevalent in fish, potatoes, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, bananas, and spinach.) 

If your view of nutrition does not allow you to enjoy what your are eating, limits your ability to engage in community events or causes you stress when eating out with friends, whatever benefit you may see physically is coming at a cost emotionally, relationally, and mentally.

Food is fuel for life. Life though is so much more than how you look on the beach or how much weight you can clean and jerk. At the end of the day people may be impressed by those things but if that is all you can offer your ability to know others and be known by them will be hampered. 

Yes, eat healthy and pursue health. Strive for progress and improvement but don’t let that desire pull you into the lie of perfectionism. There is no perfect diet and we all need the freedom to enjoy food and what it can offer, not just in terms of our physical health but to experience a life worth living. 

We love to quote Hippocrates and encourage people to let food be their medicine and their medicine their food. I’m not sure he actually said that verbatim but the idea is more important and the idea goes beyond how good we look in a bathing suit. 

We need to expand our definition of health beyond weight loss when we talk about eating well. Our health involves not just how we look and operate physically but how we feel, think, relate to others and ourselves. Nutrition has the power to positively influence all of those areas and when we allow it to do so, then we will be finally fueling our life.