Connecting with Food

I know what it’s like not to have the best relationship with food so now that I have adopted a new perspective, I get to pay it forward. Every day I wake up excited to teach and help others implement healthy eating habits to improve their health and well-being.

My relationship with food has evolved over the past several decades, and before I could truly see food as something that connected me with others, I needed to connect with food on a personal level in a positive way. I once spent a lot of brain power thinking about food and seeing it and exercise merely as means to “control” my weight. It felt like I had to exert a lot of willpower around food and my days were often a cycle of restricting food, overeating, and feeling guilty about overeating. I would rationalize my food choices by telling myself I would run an extra mile or two. While I do enjoy running for the sake of running now, in the past, exercise was like a punishment for eating, and my negative mindset held me back from experiencing the joy, fulfillment, excitement, and pride that both exercise and food can provide.

Learning about and adopting a plant-based diet changed my perspective of and relationship with food. I grew to understand that nature packages foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds with much more than calories, and if I listened to and honored my body’s hunger and satiety cues, these foods satisfied me. No longer counting calories or punishing myself for overeating, I felt a sense of freedom with food that empowered me to explore new foods and recipes. I was reminded of my childhood and growing up with a large vegetable garden in my backyard where I would help my dad plant and harvest tomatoes, wax beans, beets, snow peas, and other veggies. In my bare feet, I would walk in the garden, feeling the dirt under my toes, and eat as many cherry tomatoes as I took inside to share with my family. This is what I wanted my relationship with food to be like…grounded in nature, nurturing, and enjoyable.

In a modern world full of distraction, it is easy to be disconnected from what and how we eat and not see how beautifully food can connect us to ourselves, nature, and each other. We are largely disconnected from how foods are produced and only participate in the purchasing of them. When I began learning about food production in the modern world, something I learned very little about in my education as a dietitian, I was appalled. With a deepened understanding of what goes into getting foods to the market, it was easier for me to fuel my body with healthy foods because I was making choices that aligned with my values. On a deeper level, eating foods close to how they are in nature connects me to my ancestors and what it was like to be alive when foods weren’t manufactured, when they were truly appreciated for providing sustenance. Simple foods like potatoes, beans, and cabbage that were staples in my grandmother’s kitchen are now staples in mine.

Made with simple ingredients, this lentil soup is one of my favorite dishes. It’s vibrant, nourishing, and the perfect meal to share with others.

The body has a remarkable ability to heal if given the right conditions, and a key condition is food. Every time we eat, we have a choice between foods that promote and sustain health or not. It doesn’t mean that every choice has to be an apple, black bean or a carrot (you get the picture), but the foods we choose most often as part of our daily habits, play a huge role in determining our risk of and even potentially reversing chronic disease. That is an empowering message! It’s what I love about the Pritikin Eating Plan.

It’s not a “diet” that consists of counting calories or strict rules. It is a customizable plan that can work for anyone regardless of culture, preferences, and other factors that influence food choices. While the Pritikin Curriculum arms people with the knowledge to make informed nutrition decisions, it’s ultimately up to the individual to identify and select the foods that best meet their needs. Having autonomy in our food choices and finding foods we enjoy eating is important as we develop sustainable changes. With so many nourishing foods and flavors to uncover, we get to go on an adventure and experiment with new foods, recipes, and cooking techniques and find what we like best. Nutrition research is clear: dietary patterns that consist mostly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Yet, with tens of thousands of edible plants, there is no one size fits all approach to making the Pritikin Eating Plan work for you.

So, how has my own journey with food helped me connect with others? I know what it’s like not to have the best relationship with food so now that I have adopted a new perspective, I get to pay it forward. Every day I wake up excited to teach and help others implement healthy eating habits to improve their health and well-being. I learn just as much from the diverse populations I work with as they introduce me to new foods that expand both my palette and recipe stash. Over the years, I’ve seen people lower their use of medication, put type 2 diabetes into remission, lose weight, and improve lab values and blood pressure. While these are important and noteworthy results, helping people discover why these results matter is awe-inspiring. Being in intensive cardiac rehab is a huge undertaking and can be daunting, and I want patients to know they aren’t alone. I love the connection that is fostered, even virtually, in a cooking school or personalized session through the conversation of healthy eating. And, good health can be achieved one bite at a time.

This blog post was written with the 2025 National Nutrition Month "Food Connects Us" theme in mind.