Why We Eat

Read enough diet and nutrition books and you’ll recognize certain patterns. The same symptoms are always presented. The same outcomes are always guaranteed. The only thing different is the kind of food emphasized, usually a “superfood” of one type or another. Most of the time, the writer was sick and then they were better; the “cure” usually attributed to eating certain foods in certain ways. Just as often, it was what they stopped eating that was heralded as the panacea. The conceit is, if it worked for them, it’ll work for everyone, everywhere, under every circumstance.

What the writers of diet books miss is that people eat food for more varied and complex reasons than simply for heath benefits. We eat for comfort, connection, to celebrate, to remember, to alleviate stress, to combat boredom, to indulge, and to satisfy hunger. Nobody sits down to a meal and thinks, “oh good, a plate of folate, omega-3s, and selenium. I can’t wait to dig in.” We eat food, not nutrients.

Of course, the way we eat does influence our health, but it is important to acknowledge all the factors that go into a person’s food choices to help them develop eating habits that are both health-promoting and fit within their unique circumstances. This is why Exemplar Nutrition Coaching exists. Sign up for one-on-one nutrition coaching to learn ways to improve the quality of your food choices within your existing dietary structure.