Savor the Flavor of Eating Right
By Sarah Koeninger
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with The Little Clinic (inside select Kroger locations)
Think of your favorite food. Why is it your favorite? Are you actually salivating a bit when thinking of it? Do you suddenly have a craving for that food simply because you are thinking about it? Now think about a food you dislike. What is it about that food that you do not like? Do you get a feeling of displeasure or unease by just thinking about it? How is it that simply thinking of your favorite or least favorite food can evoke physical responses whereas others have no noticeable impact on you? It happens because food is tied to our emotions. We make connections with everything we eat, whether positive or negative. Our environment, beliefs, preferences, and emotional, physical and mental state shapes the way we think and feel about food. These thoughts and feelings merge to create an eating experience.
Much like each person has specific preferences when it comes to food, our cells, tissues and organs have preferences as well. Our cells and tissues have a need for carbohydrates, protein, fat vitamins and minerals. The body has a physical desire for these nutrients just like you have an emotional desire for certain foods. When the body doesn?t consume the nutrients in balance, it?s not happy and may let you know it with symptoms such as fatigue or high blood pressure, high blood sugar or other physical conditions.
Each March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics selects a theme for National Nutrition Month. The theme for 2016 is ?Savor the Flavor of Eating Right? which encourages everyone to take the time to enjoy food. Appreciate the pleasures, flavors and social experiences that food adds to your life. Take some time to think about which foods mean the most to you and why. Then think about the foods that mean the most to your body and why. Work each day to choose foods that satisfy your emotional and social needs with your physical need for good nutrition. If you need help to accomplish this, The Little Clinic now has Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and a variety of services available to you. Check them out at select clinic locations or online.
