food as fuel... and other stuff

 I have eaten more peanut butter in the last month than my whole entire life. My magnesium level is low and my body is setting up a powerful craving for something it knows has a lot of mag in it.

I have never bought into the food as fuel mantra. I love food and try to make my food choices work with my Rny. I appreciate the work of food bloggers that feel the same way.

And I would love some fresh baked bread Kelly!

Deb T.

You know what I consider one of the best gifts about this process. I did not have a good appreciation for fresh food. I love fresh veggies. I am still not so big on fruit but I eat it every now and again. But what surprises me is I like things without having to put salt or anything else on it! I used to be the salt queen.

 Gotta throw my experience/opinion on to this thread......

I agree with pretty much everything here, including food as fuel. That is, I agree with the developmental reasons why we're hardwired to certain tastes. I also agree with the social components of food - being of italian heritage, how could I not see the positive symbolism of caring for others thru food? And I agree with sometimes using food as a comfort, a reward, or just for the pleasure of good food. But I also appreciate the value of food as what the body needs to survive. The problem lies in where we go too much exclusively in one direction or the other. I feel grateful to this surgery in helping me see the food as fuel part, because for me, that's something that was missing.

Good points. And I also wanted to add that for me SOME foods are only fuel. I hate some foods but eat them because I know I need them to get through a workout, or I need this nutrient or that. Spinach is a good example. I am not terribly fond of it (although I findit much more tolerable raw), but I know it's good for me so I eat it.

I have to eat 6-7 times a day to keep my blood sugar stable. Many times I don't want to eat... but I know if I don't my sugar may drop really low. In sytuation like that - food is just a fuel for me, not fun what so ever.
But other times I try to make it as enjoyable as possible.

Food for me now is 70% fuel... 30% fun.

 As someone who makes a living with the creative use of food, I have to agree wholeheartedly. 

I see something unnatural about trying to pretend humans don't use food as a social lubricant and bonding instrument. There's a REASON we react to it on such a deep, chemical level. 

I'm very much looking forward to Thanksgiving dinners, special birthday meals, winter baking, and special occasion breakfasts for my kids. But I can totally do that from a healthier perspective and make good choices. I think, all too often, people use social settings to take advantage of "safety in numbers" and make really unhealthy decisions. 

It's not healthy to eat 2 dozen deep fried chicken wings. But if you're at a party, suddenly, it's totally okay. I mentioned Thanksgiving--another blatant example. We're EXPECTED to stuff ourselves silly with carb and fat-heavy foods, and not just for one day, but ALL day, and the next day too. When girls go out for ladies' night, it's an opportunity to bond over massive amounts of alcohol and dessert. People are sold these ridiculous buckets of popcorn and soda at movie theatres because that's just become the new normal.

The social expectations of food have gotten so overblown, and that's what dangerous. 

If we can learn to pare down our servings and make our selections healthier and more appropriate to our goals, then I don't see a single thing wrong with enjoying the beauty of food. And it IS beautiful. It's colorful and flavorful, so versatile. We should definitely enjoy it, but do so without abusing it.