Food is not Fuel

[Udog]

Yes it's a dynamic system and WHAT you eat (and possibly even when?) is as important as how much you eat. But I never really thought the "food as fuel" statement precluded that mindset...

More like what Chiharu said that it's a perspective to contrast against the sort of reward/punishment aspect or emotional eating that is ingrained in a lot of people.

You seem to have the right idea Gromit, but not everyone views it like you do. I frequently see people who use the "food is fuel" statement as a one-dimensional focus on calories, and that's what I was trying to argue against. When we focus on the calorie content of food (which the "food is fuel" metaphor does, by definition), it's very easy to ignore or or deemphasize many of the just-as-important-for-us-to-not-die roles food also plays.

I agree that seeing food as fuel can be useful to help people remove the emotional aspect of over and undereating. I just think it sells things short, and there are even better ways to look at food.