The purposes of food

Did you know there are three "uses" of food?  God created food to have at least three uses by us but we have corrupted or abuse them like all things after the Fall.  To be truly healthy we have to get back to the real uses of food and minimize our misuse of food.

The first use of food is as Fuel.  Our body primarily uses glycogen as fuel, both for our cells and our brain.  I'll leave the exact chemistry to others, but our bodies can convert carbohydrates, fats and protein into glycogen to keep us alive.  It is easiest to convert carbohydrates into the form of glycogen we need since it is already sugars, and fat is a very well designed "glycogen storage device" (see Covert Bailey's books, for example).  In extremis, the body breaks down protein to keep glycogen headed to the brain.  The problem here is our body stores excess calories (fuel) both when we are not stressed, and as a survival mechanism (at least at first) when we cut calories too far.

The second use of food is as building blocks.  This is primarily proteins, but we also have to have fats for certain bodily functions.  These building blocks come from the food we eat, even if our body breaks food down and re-synthesizes what we need.  This is where extremely low protein or low fat diets have a harmful effect-our body can't replenish itself.  We must balance our fuel needs with our building block needs to ensure we get the right amount of calories and the right types of calories.

The third use for food is the pleasure and satisfaction of eating.  We eat with almost all our senses.  The feel of a ripe piece of fruit compared to a spoiled one, the satisfying "crunch" when biting into an apple or a carrot stick, the smells of food, and the great variety of tastes-all part of the correct enjoyment of food.  But we fall into two opposite extremes-eating mindlessly and not appreciating it's taste, textures and smells, or becoming addicted to tastes, and eating excessively beyond what we need for health.

In most cases, everything we need to be healthy exists in fresh, quality foods.  Supplementation is not required for most people with the exception of a quality multi-vitamin, mainly as cheap nutritional insurance.  Meals over the day or two should mix fuel needs with building block needs and should be eaten consciously, enjoying the tastes, smells, sounds and feel of good food.

Om nom nom nom....