Food for Thought: Food Is More Than Nutrients
Food gives our bodies energy and essential nutrients, but the role food plays in our lives goes much further than nutrition alone.
Food can be connected to pleasure, comfort, memories, culture, family, identity, celebration and belonging.
Food can connect us
Think about birthdays, family meals, holidays or sitting down for a cup of tea with someone you care about. Often, food is part of the experience because it helps bring people together.
A particular smell or taste can even transport us back to a memory — a meal someone used to cook, a childhood favourite or a family tradition.
Familiarity can be important
For some people, particularly those with autism, ARFID or sensory differences, familiar foods can offer something incredibly valuable: predictability and safety.
Knowing exactly what a food will taste, smell and feel like can reduce uncertainty around eating.
A familiar or “safe” food still has value, even if somebody else thinks there are more nutritious choices available.
Pleasure is allowed to be part of eating
We don't have to justify every food choice by its protein, fibre, vitamin or mineral content.
Sometimes we choose something because:
It tastes good.
It feels comforting.
It's familiar.
It reminds us of someone.
It's part of our culture.
It's what we can manage today.
Those reasons matter too.
Looking at the whole relationship with food
Nutrition is important, but a supportive relationship with food also leaves room for enjoyment, flexibility, accessibility, sensory needs, connection and individual circumstances.
Rather than asking only:
“What nutrients does this give me?”
we can sometimes ask:
“What else does this food give me?”
Perhaps the answer is comfort, enjoyment, connection, familiarity or simply something you feel able to eat.
Food nourishes us in more than one way — and its value isn't measured only by what's on the nutrition label.
Space to Breathe Therapy
