Eating with Intention

Everybody eats. Whether it’s three meals a day, five meals a day, one meal a day- everyone needs to eat. Many of us, however, simply eat to fulfill hedonistic desires. Now, what do I mean by this? Hedonistic desires are those which are typically self-indulgent and follow the pursuit of what is pleasurable; we tend to be driven to eat the things we inherently enjoy. But how many of us wind up just go on eating whatever just because it’s something we take pleasure in eating? How often do we take the time to think about what we are eating…what nutrients do these foods have to offer?…how are these foods fueling me?

This is where eating with intention comes in. When we do anything intentionally, there is a goal or a purpose we are looking to achieve. Eating with intention we pay mind to the questions posed above, especially, “How are these foods fueling me?” What do you know about the nutrient content of the foods you are eating? Engage these questions with curiosity- do your own research. The internet, though vast as it may be, is a great resource. Another great resource for this information are registered dietitian nutritionists like myself.

Eating with intention is also about finding the balance between foods which fuel our body’s needs and foods which make us happy (there may be overlap here!). Only focusing on foods which are considered “healthy” can lead to problems, much like only eating foods which make us happy can.

Even if you wish to continue eating the foods you have been eating rather than switching them for more nutrient dense options, another way of eating with intention is to add more nutrient dense options into your mealtime. This is a concept known as nutrition by addition. For example, you may choose to have a slice of pepperoni pizza for lunch; to improve the balance of nutrients in your intake, you may add a more nutrient dense option such as a side of broccolini or salad on the side. Adding these foods as sides adds dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals to this meal.

Did you know that vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) are not produced in our bodies so we need to get them through the foods we eat? They are also vital to a variety of key bodily functions like the contraction of our hearts! It is thus essential that we eat a variety of different foods to ensure we get in enough of these micronutrients to fuel our body’s necessary processes.