A couple of days ago, I was chatting with some friends on a WhatsApp group, and I asked them, “What is food to you?”.

Why did I ask this question? Well, as a nutrition coach (in training), food and the choices we make around food are things that interest me a lot. Also, understanding the relationship people have with food, guides the ways in which I can help them.

The answers I got were (by and large): Fuel, Fun, Comfort, and Life, so I decided to cast my net a bit wider. I set up a poll on twitter and asked people what food was to them. Here’s how that went:

Now I know I could probably have broadened the options, but hey, my measurement wasn’t approved by the Bureau of Statistics so you’ll have to bear with me.

Food does mean a lot more to different people, but let’s talk for a second.

Food As Fuel:

For some people, food is simply something they eat to keep moving. This may make things like choosing to eat clean, or fasting, easy for them while for some it makes simply eating in an of itself a challenge because mans doesn’t feel like they need fuel (raise your hand if you know what I mean). I’ve also read/heard different trainers, who encourage their clients to simply treat food like fuel so they can reach their body gains. I.e, if you want your body to operate at it’s best and burn fat, you’ve got to put the best an most expensive protein fuel in it so it can be super efficient like a Toyota Corolla that won’t finish more than one full tank in a week (if driving in Lagos has made you do this kind of calculation before, say amen).

With all of this, it was no surprise that 21% of the people that voted believe that food is simply fuel.

But guess what?

 

 

Food is more than the things you buy at your local station/bukka at pump price, for every situation.

Looking at the food we eat as a source of energy or calories consumed, simply doesn’t tell us all we need to know about food, and sets up a bad foundational relationship with food.

Your body is not a car or a tanker (Sorry, Banky W)

Looking at food as fuel doesn’t make sense because our bodies aren’t machines or combustion engines. Our bodies are complex, dynamic and sensitive systems. For example, research has shown that even if we eat a lot of calories, we don’t always digest everything we eat. Also, even when we’re not getting enough calories, our body can keep us alive by extracting nutrients anyway it can, even if it has to compromise itself to do it.

This makes us so much more than just machines we feed for performance.

So if e pass energy and calories, which wan remain?

In random conversations, I’ve been asked “but isn’t this nutrition thing just about restricting your carbohyrates and fatty foods and increasing the amount of protein you eat?”

 

 

While foods can be broken broaly into the macronutrients Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats, and those macronutrients explain how we get energy, there are other members of the group that you haven’t met yet; like micronutrients, phytochemicals, zoochemicals, water, and more, which are necessary to make the body function at its best. Let’s look at it this way; Just like Tuface (macronutrients) was the biggest and brightest star of The Plantashun Boiz, the band (foods we need) wouldn’t have been complete without (the macronutrients, phytos/zoos/water) Blackface and Faze.

 

 

So What Are Micronutrients?

Micronutrients are nutrients that our bodies need in very small amounts, in order to function properly. Some examples of micronutrients are Calcium, Iron, Vitamins A, B, C, and Magnesium. Without them, our bodies break down and have trouble maintaining functionality. In fact, most human beings are deficient in at least one micronutrient, the most common deficiency worldwide being in Iron.

Micronutrients help the body do a wide range of things. Including:

• Build strong bones.
• Clot blood (after an injury).
• Muscle and nerve function.
• Blood sugar control.
• Nervous system regulation.
• Tissue growth.
• Red blood cell production.
• Blood pressure regulation.
• Keep our muscles an heart pumping.

Zoochemicals and Phytochemicals

Just like micronutrients, these two “chemicals” are often forgotten in our food needs and do not “provide fuel” for the body.

Zoochemicals are really important nutrients that can only be gotten from animals, while Phytochemicals are nutrients that can only be gotten from plants. These include Cartenoids which can be found in Ugwu, Lettuce & other leafy greens, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which can be found in milk or eggs, sulfides & thiols which can be found in garlic and onions, or Creatine which can be found in pork, beef, fish or salmon.

Together, Phytochemicals and Zoochemicals are responsible for a lot of things, including:

• Decreasing dangerous cholesterol in the body
• Neutralizing free radicals that cause cell damage
• Reducing disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and attention deficit;
• Improving brain and eye development
• Replenishing ATP to provide cellular energy and support
• Protects against macular degeneration and cataracts
• Reduces inflammation & blood clotting;

As you can see, micronutrients, zoochemicals and phytochemicals provide a lot of benefits that go beyond “fueling the body”. When you don’t get enough micronutrients, your body starts to behave like a car that hasn’t been serviced in a long time. This can lead to poorly timed stops and puzzled looks while saying to your doctor/mechanic “but I bought fuel this morning na!”

 

So if we’re not going to look at food as fuel, what is food?

Food is a story:

I like to think of food as a story which we tell ourselves.

It can be a Fun Story.

Ever had one of those days when you and your friends just kicked back to have a good time, and there was laughter, a olot of fun games, chicken wings, and pizza? Or you went to a wedding where the bride was beautiful, the event hall was lit, the band was banging an the small chops didn’t stop flowing? Food is often a facilitator for good times, and as the good times roll, we eat to remember.

It can be a Story of Comfort.

In times of grief, many people find comfort in the bottom of their ice cream bowls, while some people can only find calm by going into the kitchen to cook something up (guilty, your honor).

 

It can be any story you want to tell about yourself

Our choices in food, and how we think about food can say a lot about the kind of person we are. By looking at what we eat, we can say:

• I like to take care of people. There’s food at my place.
• I’m a sophisticated foodie.
• I’m a student. Where’s that carton of indomie sef?
• I’m an Igbo/Yoruba/Edo man/woman & proud!
• I’m not picky, I’ll try anything at least once.
• I’m not into homey stuff, let’s eat out!
• I’m on a budget today, can we do Mega Chicken instead of Road Chef?

Okay so that last one was probably something I said last week but let’s move on.

Food is a story about love and life

The kind of food we eat, usually dictates the quality of life we’re going to have, and the kind of lives we lead will usually dictate the kind of food we choose to eat. In this way, the saying “you are what you eat” is very true, even though it doesn’t really mean that eating expensive meals at Eko Le Meridien will make your body worth a lot more than it is.

Now we know that food:

• Is not just fuel
• Does a lot more for your body than giving it energy
• Tells a story about our lives
• Is a story we tell about ourselves.

 

As a Nutrition Coach, my job is to help people figure out the stories they tell themselves about food, decide what stories they want to tell themselves, and how they can make these stories consistent through their lives. Together, we can go beyond “fuelling the tank with food”, and we can create more meaningful stories.

So, here’s the question:

What is food to you?

After reading this post, is it… still just fuel? Is it a story that you like to share with people? Is it something you just don’t like to talk about?

What would you like food to be?

A story of happiness? Success? Here’s a tip; think big… You can say what you want to say with it.

 

Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ll start to think about food in a different storyline. If you’d like help with changing your story about food, please sen me an email at yemifatonais@gmail.com, or click on this link, fill out the form and I’ll get back to you.