When you hear the word nutrition, what comes to mind?
Calories? Macronutrients? Rules about what you should or shouldn’t eat?
Unfortunately, our society has tied what we eat to a measure of a person’s health, discipline, or even worth, and it simply isn’t that simple. Food is not just fuel. It is culture, history, enjoyment, celebration, expression, emotion, and connection. It is also a biological necessity that allows our bodies to function, adapt, and perform at their best.
So how do we balance all of that?
You might hear that potato chips are “bad for you,” but if I’m choosing a snack for my mental health after a long day, Cheetos might actually be the best choice. And that doesn’t make me unhealthy, undisciplined, or wrong, it makes me human.
Nutrition isn’t about choosing between enjoyment or health. It’s about understanding how food serves us in different ways, and learning how to use it intentionally.
Food as Medicine: How the Body Uses What We Eat
At its most basic level, food is medicine, because nutrients quite literally allow the body to function.
Carbohydrates provide glucose, the preferred fuel for the brain and working muscles. Fats are essential for hormone production, cell membranes, and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Protein supplies amino acids that build and repair muscle tissue, enzymes, immune cells, and neurotransmitters.
Every time a muscle contracts during exercise, calcium, sodium, potassium, and ATP are involved, processes that depend on adequate energy and nutrient intake.
Hormones like estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and insulin are synthesized from dietary building blocks. Even our cells are constantly turning over; what we eat today helps determine what our tissues look like tomorrow.
This is where nutrition can be a powerful tool. Eating enough and eating well support energy levels, recovery, bone health, metabolism, immune function, and long-term health. When people underfuel, especially active women, the consequences can include fatigue, injuries, hormonal disruption, and impaired performance.
Food matters. The science behind it is real!
Food as More Than Medicine: Culture, Connection, and Mental Health
But food is also much more than a collection of nutrients.
Food is tradition, family recipes passed down through generations. It’s social connection, team dinners, celebrations, business lunches, shared experiences. It’s comfort, joy, nostalgia, and sometimes survival.
Across cultures and throughout history, food has been central to community and identity. Removing joy, flexibility, or cultural meaning from eating in the name of “health” often backfires. Restrictive food rules can increase stress, guilt, and anxiety, and ironically, make healthy behaviors harder to sustain.
Mental health matters just as much as physical health. Enjoying food, honoring hunger, and allowing flexibility are not signs of weakness, they’re signs of sustainability.
Combining Both: Using Nutrition Without Losing the Joy
The real power comes from combining these perspectives.
Rather than labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” we can think about what foods do. Some foods and eating patterns support training and recovery. Some support gut health. Some support focus, energy, or emotional well-being. Many foods do more than one.
When foods are moralized, people begin to assign value not just to the food but also to themselves. Eating a “good” food makes you feel good; eating a “bad” food makes you feel bad. That hierarchy doesn’t improve health; it erodes confidence and trust in your body.
Education changes that. When we understand how different foods fuel different aspects of our lives, we can make informed, empowered choices without guilt.
It’s also important to remember context. The global health and beauty industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually, and it thrives on convincing people that what has worked for generations is suddenly wrong. Trends change, rules get reinvented, and insecurity gets monetized.
The basics, however, haven’t changed: eat enough, eat a variety of foods, fuel your activity, and allow room for enjoyment.
And a reminder worth repeating: the beauty industry does not profit when you feel confident in your body. Don’t let it!
Practical Takeaways: Finding Your Balance
• Fuel function first: Eat regularly and adequately to support energy, training, recovery, and health.
• Remove food morality: Foods don’t have moral value! It is OK to enjoy all foods.
• Match food to needs: Some choices support performance; others support mental health. Both matter.
• Honor enjoyment: Satisfaction is part of nourishment.
• Question extremes: If a rule creates stress, guilt, or fear, it’s not improving your health.
• Stick to the basics: Balance, consistency, and flexibility outperform perfection.
Nutrition works best when it supports your body and your life. You don’t have to choose between feeling good and fueling well, you can do both!
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Dr. Krissy Ladner is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and Certified Personal Trainer, currently serving as Director of Sports Performance and Nutrition Education for Herbalife and as an adjunct professor in nutrition and sports performance. She also runs an outpatient practice, San Diego Sports Nutrition, where she provides individual and team-based nutrition counseling and assessments. Through her work, Dr. Ladner supports athletes at all levels, both nationally and internationally, with a focus on performance, health, body image, and sustainable, evidence-based nutrition practices.