What's In My Name? 🤔

Hi everyone, welcome to my first blog post!

My Name is Ashley, I’m a Registered Dietitian with a passion for plant-based nutrition.

Today, I would like to introduce my name— food4fuel.

There are two interpretations to this name, both of which are extremely meaningful to me.

First, let’s address food for fuel, emphasis on food.

Food is what we should be eating. Most people in America have fallen into the pleasure trap, eating packaged junk that really shouldn’t even be considered food.

This idea I am referencing is from the book, The Pleasure Trap, which I highly recommend everyone and their mothers read. The pleasure trap is so easy to fall into because of how our bodies and minds are programmed—to avoid pain (hunger), to seek pleasure (food/sex) and to do it with as little effort as possible (hence, why packaged foods are a staple in most Americans’ diets).

Most of the items you see on the shelves at grocery stores are extremely calorie dense and nutrient void. Usually this junk “food” takes just minutes to make or it’s ready-to-eat. This, in addition to the inexpensive price, make these “foods” that much easier to throw in our shopping carts. They are also packed with excessive sodium, sugar and fat which cause the pleasure centers in our brain to light up and cause a sense of euphoria as if they’re a drug. They become addictive. No wonder it’s so difficult for Americans to change their eating habits, right?!

Okay, so now moving on to the second meaning, with emphasis on the fuel…Food for fuel.

Why we eat is another extremely important topic to me. Why should we eat? To fuel our bodies, not our emotions, stress and fatigue…but this is what is happening in the world we live in. Every day. Every meal, even. Emotional/stress eating has become such a “norm” in today’s society. We reach for junk “food” or caffeine when we’re tired (because again, our bodies want the most energy for the least amount of work…oily, salty, sugary foods have the most calories for the least amount of work…just a few bites and you’re at 800 calories, easily. OR a few sips of caffeine and we’re given a false sense of energy).

What if we actually spent time treating what’s wrong instead of reaching for food to temporarily calm our nerves, numb our emotional pain & relieve stress (for all of 2 minutes)?

Imagine if we….

• Practiced self-care when we were stressed.

• Called a friend, did yoga, went for a walk, wrote in a journal every time we experienced negative, uncomfortable feelings.

• SLEPT when we were tired.

• ATE when we were hungry.

...What an ideal world that would be.

Moral of the story, most people eat the wrong food for the wrong reasons, when in reality food should be viewed as fuel, energy, nourishment for our cells, our bodies and our minds.

My goal is to help people improve their relationship with food by understanding the true meaning behind my name—Food4Fuel.