Food as Fuel: A Simple, Honest Way to Think About What You Eat

I want to be very clear about where I’m coming from: I’m not a dietitian, I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m honestly embarrassed by how little formal nutrition education I received during my Doctor of Physical Therapy training. What Idohave is lived experience, years of working with bodies that are trying to heal, and a growing understanding—through continued education—of how deeply food impacts inflammation, recovery, and overall function.

The biggest mindset shift for me came when I earned my strength and conditioning certification. That’s when food finally clicked asfuel. Not morality. Not rules. Not good vs. bad. Fuel.

Once you see it that way, everything changes.

The Bare-Minimum Nutrition Breakdown (No PhD Required)

Let’s strip this down to the basics—borderline insultingly simple—because simple works.

There are three macronutrients:

• Proteinrepairs and builds tissue (muscle, collagen, connective tissue).

• Fatbuilds hormones, supports cell walls, and fuels the brain and nervous system.

• Carbohydratesare the body’s fastest, cleanest source of energy.

That’s it. That’s Nutrition 101. And yet, most people were never taught this clearly.

Carbs get turned into ATP, which fuels literally everything happening inside your cells. Protein gives your body the raw materials to rebuild. Fat keeps your nervous system and hormones running. All three matter.

Whole Food vs. Processed: Why Structure Matters

Let’s use an apple as an example.

A whole apple is made of intact cells. Those cells have walls (membranes), and your digestive system has toworkto break them down. That work slows digestion, which allows nutrients to be absorbed more effectively. That cell wall? That’s fiber.

Now take that same apple and turn it into applesauce. You’ve manually broken down the cell walls. The nutrients are still there, but digestion is faster and easier.

Neither is “bad.” They just behave differently in your body.

This is why fiber matters so much. Fiber slows digestion, improves nutrient absorption, stabilizes blood sugar, and supports gut health. Most adults should be getting around25 grams of fiber per day, and most people fall way short—not because they’re lazy or irresponsible, but because of the food environment we live in.

Awareness beats judgment every time.

How I Actually Read a Nutrition Label

When I pick up a food—at the store or off my counter—this is the order I look at things:

1. Ingredients

   • Can I pronounce them?

   • Do they look like food?

   • If sugar is one of the first few ingredients, that’s a red flag.

2. Added Sugar

   • Sugar hides everywhere. Everywhere.

   • I care far more aboutaddedsugar than total calories.

3. Serving Size

   • How much of this do I need to eat to get these numbers?

   • Is that realistic?

4. Macronutrients

   • Protein (satiety + repair)

   • Fat (hormones + nervous system)

   • Carbs (energy)

5. Fiber

   • Higher fiber = slower digestion = better absorption.

6. Micronutrients

   • Vitamins and minerals tell you how nutritionally dense the food actually is.

Calories? Honestly, they’re one of thelastthings I look at.

Caloric density is not the same as nutritional density.

Why Calories Aren’t the Whole Story

We gained calories when humans shifted from hunter-gatherers to farming—but we lost variety and nutrient density. Modern food gives us predictable calories, not necessarily nourishment.

That’s why 200 calories of one food can leave you starving, while 200 calories of another actually sustains you.

Real food tends to self-regulate. Highly processed food does not.

A Real-Life Example: The “No Added Sugar” Experiment

Years ago, my husband and I ran a friendly competition leading up to our wedding. One of the rules:zero added sugar for the entire day, or you got zero points.

One bite. One sip. Zero points.

It was brutal—and eye-opening.

We started reading labels and realized there was added sugar in frozen vegetables. Vegetables. That moment changed how we shopped forever.

That’s why we buy peanut butter withtwo ingredients: peanuts and salt. No sugar. No oils. Just food.

Fiber: The Most Underrated Nutrient in the Room

Every nutrition professional I talk to says the same thing: we need more fiber.

Fiber supports digestion, gut health, blood sugar regulation, and even long-term disease prevention. It comes fromreal food, not supplements.

When I started adding chia seeds regularly—just sprinkling them into meals—my digestive system noticed immediately. More fiber, better function. Simple.

The Big Takeaway

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s not about tracking every gram.
And it’s definitely not about fear.

It’s aboutawareness.

When you understand what food actually does in your body, you start making choices that support healing, energy, and longevity—without obsessing.

If it comes from the earth, your body knows what to do with it.

And if you’re going to overindulge in anything?
Make it apples.

Your body will thank you.