Using food as information to improve health and well-being
Dr. Michael S. Fenster argues that modern nutrition science oversimplifies the role of food by focusing on numbers, whereas food is actually a complex source of information that influences health and well-being. He suggests that a more holistic understanding of food, considering factors like aroma, texture, and cultural context, is necessary to improve health outcomes.
Dr. Michael S. Fenster, an interventional cardiologist and professor of Culinary Medicine at the University of Montana, challenges the conventional approach to nutrition science. He argues that reducing food to numbers, such as calories and macronutrients, neglects its complex role in human health. Food carries not just nutritional value but also aroma, texture, memory, and meaning, shaped by cultural traditions and emotional states. Modern science supports this perspective, showing that equivalent foods can produce different outcomes based on factors like timing, structure, and context. The body responds to patterns of signals shaped by experience and environment, interpreting food as information that communicates with metabolism, hormones, microbes, and behavior. This understanding aligns with complexity science and can strengthen prevailing models of nutrition.
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