Food Is Fuel: Why What You Put Into Your Body Matters

Food isn't just about feeding your hunger. You're fueling your body.

We all have to eat.

For most of us, it happens several times a day, every single day. And because eating is such a normal part of life, I think it's easy to forget what we're actually doing when we sit down for a meal.

We're not just making the feeling of hunger go away.

We're giving our bodies the raw materials they need to function.

Your brain needs nutrients to think, learn, remember, focus, and regulate emotions. Your muscles need fuel to move. Your cells need vitamins and minerals to carry out countless processes that we never even think about. Your digestive system needs fiber and other nutrients to support the environment inside your gut.

So when I think about food now, I try not to ask only:

“What sounds good?”

I also try to ask:

“What am I giving my body?”

That shift in thinking can change the way you look at an entire plate.

Your Food Becomes Part of You

This sounds incredibly simple, but think about it for a minute.

The nutrients your body uses don't magically appear.

They have to come from somewhere.

Protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, amino acids, and phytonutrients all come from what we consume.

The 12 Superfoods for Better Brain Health resource discusses how foods such as herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and healthy fats provide nutrients including vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, folate, lutein, beta-carotene, protein, zinc, and choline.

That really puts the idea of food as fuel into perspective.

Your body isn't simply counting calories.

It's looking for nutrients.

Feeding Your Brain Is Part of Feeding Your Body

One of the things I found especially interesting in this resource was how closely nutrition is connected to brain health.

We don't always think about food when we think about concentration, memory, problem solving, or even mood.

But your brain is involved in essentially everything you do—from movement and memory to emotions, learning, decision-making, and even sleep.

And it requires an enormous amount of energy to do all of that.

The resource explains that the brain uses more energy than any other organ to fuel the electrical impulses neurons use to communicate.

So when you're feeding yourself, you're feeding your brain too.

That cup of blueberries isn't just a snack.

Those leafy greens aren't just something we're told we're “supposed” to eat.

The avocado on your plate isn't simply extra calories.

Each brings something different to the table.

Different Foods Bring Different Things to the Body

This is another reason I don't think healthy eating has to mean eating the same handful of “perfect” foods every day.

Variety matters because foods contain different combinations of nutrients.

Blueberries: Small but Packed With Plant Compounds

Blueberries are rich in fiber, vitamins, manganese, antioxidants, and naturally occurring plant compounds such as anthocyanins and flavonoids. The resource discusses research connecting berry consumption with antioxidant protection and measures of memory and brain function.

I love examples like this because blueberries are so simple.

You don't need a complicated wellness routine.

Throw them into oatmeal.

Add them to yogurt.

Blend them into a smoothie.

Or just eat a handful.

Sometimes nourishing your body really can be that easy.

Leafy Greens: There's a Reason We Keep Hearing About Them

Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, and other greens provide nutrients including folate, vitamin K, carotenoids, and antioxidants. The resource discusses research associating leafy-green consumption with cognitive health and notes that these foods provide several nutrients involved in normal brain function.

That doesn't mean you have to force yourself to eat a giant bowl of plain kale every day.

Blend spinach into a smoothie.

Put greens into soup.

Add them to eggs.

Throw a handful onto a sandwich.

Healthy choices don't have to be miserable choices.

Healthy Fats Matter Too

For a long time, “fat” was treated almost like a bad word in nutrition.

But our bodies need fats.

Avocados, for example, provide monounsaturated fats along with folate, potassium, vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients. The attached resource discusses the importance of healthy fats to brain development and function and describes avocado as a nutrient-dense source of several vitamins and minerals.

Walnuts provide another example.

They contain polyunsaturated fats, including alpha-linolenic acid, along with protein, fiber, magnesium, and antioxidant compounds. The resource discusses the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of walnuts and their potential role in supporting cognitive health.

Again, this is about what the food is giving your body.

Don't Forget Seeds

Pumpkin seeds may not get the attention blueberries or avocados do, but they are packed with nutrients.

They provide zinc, magnesium, iron, protein, fiber, and several other minerals and plant compounds. The resource also points out that their fiber can support gut microbial diversity.

A handful of seeds sprinkled over a salad or oatmeal suddenly becomes much more interesting when you understand what's actually in them.

That's one of the reasons I love learning about plants and food.

Once you understand what something offers, you stop looking at it as just food.

Your Gut and Brain Are Talking to Each Other

This may be one of the most fascinating areas of nutrition to me.

Your digestive system and brain aren't operating independently.

Researchers refer to the gut-brain axis, which describes two-way communication between the gastrointestinal system and the brain through neural, endocrine, immune, and other pathways. The resource specifically highlights the role of the gut microbiota in that communication.

Carabotti et al. (2015) describe this communication as bidirectional, meaning signals travel from the gut to the brain and from the brain back to the gut.

Think about how many times you've physically felt stress in your stomach.

Or lost your appetite because you were anxious.

Or suddenly had digestive issues during an emotionally stressful period.

The connection between our systems is one more reminder that we can't always look at one part of the body in isolation.

Fiber Is About More Than Staying Regular

Most of us grew up hearing about fiber primarily in relation to digestion.

But there's more to the story.

Fiber also interacts with the microbial community living in the digestive system, and research continues to explore how dietary fiber, the microbiome, and health are connected.

The below resource discusses the importance of maintaining a healthy gut microbiota and connects fiber-rich foods with microbial diversity.

This is one of the reasons whole foods can offer something very different from simply taking an isolated vitamin.

You're often getting fiber + vitamins + minerals + plant compounds + fats or protein together.

Food is complex.

Color on Your Plate Isn't Just Pretty

One thing you'll notice about many nutrient-dense foods is how colorful they are.

Deep blue blueberries.

Dark leafy greens.

Purple cabbage.

Red beets.

Orange carrots.

Bright herbs and spices.

Those colors often come from naturally occurring plant compounds.

For example, anthocyanins contribute to the deep blue and purple colors of berries, while other pigments such as carotenoids create yellow, orange, and red colors.

So one of the simplest things you can do is:

Eat more color.

Not artificial color.

Plant color.

Instead of obsessing over one “superfood,” look at your grocery cart.

How much variety is there?

Herbs and Spices Count Too

This is where food and herbalism overlap beautifully.

Herbs and spices aren't only there to make food taste better.

They're plants.

Turmeric, green tea, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, garlic, and countless other culinary herbs contain naturally occurring plant constituents of their own.

The attached resource specifically includes green tea/matcha and turmeric among its 12 featured foods and herbs for brain health.

Turmeric contains curcumin, a compound that has been studied extensively for its biological activity, including its relationship with inflammatory pathways.

Green tea contains polyphenols as well as caffeine and L-theanine, and the resource discusses research into their relationship with cognition, attention, and stress response.

This is one of the things I love most about herbal wellness.

Sometimes the plants we're looking for aren't hidden in some specialty cabinet.

They're already in the kitchen.

Know What You're Eating

This doesn't mean I'm suggesting that everyone needs to obsess over every bite of food.

I don't think that's healthy either.

Food is nourishment, but it's also culture, comfort, celebration, family, and enjoyment.

I still want my food to taste good.

I still want dessert.

I still want meals simply because I enjoy them.

But I also think there's value in knowing what we're putting into our bodies.

Read the ingredients.

Look at how much of what you're eating is actually recognizable food.

Ask what nutrients are on your plate.

Pay attention to how different foods make you feel.

And maybe start looking at meals as an opportunity to give your body something it needs, rather than simply quieting hunger.

You Don't Have to Change Everything Overnight

I think this is where people get overwhelmed.

They decide they're going to “eat healthy,” empty the pantry, buy $300 worth of unfamiliar foods, and try to change everything on Monday.

Then by Friday they're exhausted.

It doesn't have to work that way.

Start with what you're already eating.

Add blueberries to breakfast.

Add spinach to your eggs.

Put avocado on your sandwich.

Keep walnuts or pumpkin seeds around for a snack.

Drink green tea instead of one of your afternoon sodas.

Use herbs and spices when you're cooking.

Add another vegetable to dinner.

Add nourishment before you focus entirely on restriction.

Small choices repeated consistently can create an entirely different pattern over time.

Food Is Information for Your Body

The biggest thing I want people to take away from this is simple:

Food is not just there to feed your hunger. It is fueling your body.

Every meal is bringing something with it.

Protein.

Fat.

Fiber.

Vitamins.

Minerals.

Antioxidants.

Plant compounds.

Or sometimes very little of those things.

That doesn't mean every bite needs to be perfect.

It means we should understand that what we eat matters.

The below resources reach a similar conclusion: nutrition is an important part of brain health, but it is also only one piece of a larger picture that includes sleep, movement, mental stimulation, environment, and social connection.

That's the kind of wellness I believe in.

Not perfection.

Not one miracle food.

Not one magic herb.

Just learning more about what we're putting into our bodies and becoming a little more intentional with the choices we make.

Because if you're going to fuel your body every single day, it's worth knowing what's in the fuel.

Rooted in Nature. Made for Real Life.

Let's Talk About It

Has learning more about nutrition changed the way you look at food?

Is there a food you started eating differently once you learned what it actually provides your body?

I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

And if this made you think about what's on your plate a little differently, share it with someone else, post it to Facebook, or save it to Pinterest for later. These are the kinds of conversations I think are worth having.

References

Carabotti, M., Scirocco, A., Maselli, M. A., & Severi, C. (2015). The gut-brain axis: Interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Annals of Gastroenterology, 28(2), 203–209.

Halvorsen, B. L., Carlsen, M. H., Phillips, K. M., Bohn, S. K., Holte, K., Jacobs, D. R., Jr., & Blomhoff, R. (2006). Content of redox-active compounds (i.e., antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84(1), 95–135. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/84.1.95

Kirkland, A. E., Sarlo, G. L., & Holton, K. F. (2018). The role of magnesium in neurological disorders. Nutrients, 10(6), 730. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10060730

Ren, J., & Chung, S. H. (2007). Anti-inflammatory effect of alpha-linolenic acid and its mode of action through the inhibition of nitric oxide production and inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression via NF-kappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 55, 5073–5080. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf0702693

Yamagishi, K., Maruyama, K., Ikeda, A., et al. (2022). Dietary fiber intake and risk of incident disabling dementia: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study. Nutritional Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2022.2027592

This article is for educational purposes and is inspired in part by the nutrition research and references compiled in 12 Superfoods for Better Brain Health by Healing Kitchen.