Within reNourish studio, we think of ourselves as part of a system. I can recall when I first stepped into this idea of thinking of myself and my business as part of a system, I was challenged to see the “whole” of the system that my business was serving. Through this process, we are constantly having to pull back the personal biases we’ve been programmed to believe about business being a machine and not a part of a whole or a self-sustaining living system. 

I see this same pattern arising in our food system, in brands, and in our very own governing bodies that inform us of what it means to “eat healthy.” Humans are wise and amazingly intelligent creatures and as such, we have figured out a lot of things about the composition of our food, the functioning aspects of our bodies and of course, what it means to consume food safely. We’ve been able to navigate these revelations by understanding scientific data. As a result, we have built our businesses to run like well oiled machines cranking out packaged versions of this obtained information. 

The nature of science itself is instrumental and we must consider that in order for the scientific process to be accurate, it requires removing variables when we’re testing. In doing so, we can reach conclusions and understandings we haven’t seen or understood before. These revelations are amazing and create mental constructs that help us understand necessary pieces of the picture, but if we’re not respecting that it is not revealing the whole, it can pave the way for a lot of assumptions and misinterpretations of how it contributes to the entire system.

Take, for instance, the discovery of the most prominent number on a nutrition panel: a calorie. A calorie, by definition, is a measurement of energy. Most people who are focused on calories in the world of diet and health aren’t even considering that this word is simply a measurement of energy that is being supplied by the food. That’s all it is. Instead of seeing this measurement and being curious as to the best way for our bodies (whole systems in and of themselves) to actually acquire, access and effectively use this very valuable resource, we have created assumptions that calories are “bad” and something to be obsessed about avoiding if we want to be healthy. 

The amount of data that is now present on modern day packaged food items is overwhelming. In our never ending pursuit of health we must consider many factors at play, including the largest pool of data – technology, AI and the internet itself. We have more access than ever to information never before available. It’s exciting, and it can also make you feel like you need multiple degrees in medicine, nutrition, business and marketing just to understand how to choose your food. We’re the sponges of the data age, soaking up whatever information appeals to our current belief system. There is no more evidence of that than picking up an item off of a grocery store shelf and observing all of the certifications, circle-slash-icons (no gluten, no meat, no sugar, no nuts, no allergens), value focused icons (fair trade, cruelty free, humane), nutrient panels and farming claims (organic, NonGMO, Regenerative)  made on food packaging today. And if it’s not packaged food (like produce), it’s in a “section” of a grocery store designed to separate one form of food from another with data showing us the way.

By focusing on all of the rights and wrongs of our food, we’ve lost our perspective on food’s role within our body’s system as a whole. And in doing so, we find ourselves fighting against the things our bodies have given us to be in the right relationship with food itself – our sensory and physical experiences. 

As we see ourselves as a part of this natural world, as beings with an intelligence level that has the potential to steward this planet into a vibrant existence, are we willing to examine our biases and flaws to majestically find ways to trust our innate abilities? This may sound unobtainable or confusing considering many Americans have exhausted themselves chasing the never ending pursuit of the sweetest possible calorie free treat. But what if our bodies ARE telling us things and we’re just not embracing the wisdom?

The truth is, our bodies are informing us, it’s just that most of us are not understanding the biological feedback enough to trust it. Almost a century and a half after the invention of the first calorie free sweetener, we still have excessive levels of diabetes in our country. Does that pattern show us that data and limited understanding of the human body has yet to lead us to ideal health? So how could this be different from a living systems, human experience perspective? 

Human experiences start with our senses. Luckily for us, when we eat it is one of the only times we get to experience all five of our informative senses at one time. It sounds simple, but of course the biochemistry of our bodies is anything but simple. It is, however, profound to think of our senses as the most valuable moment of choice when it comes to our food.

The thing is, we’re already using some of our senses at choice points. We’re drawn to the bright colors, the crisp textures, sometimes the aromatics (everyone smells their melons, right?), and the snap of a good pea pod. 

One of my favorite moments is walking into the grocery store – which almost always drops you into a Willy Wonka like world of color as you step into the produce section. Brightly colored berries, apples, lemons and oranges give you a warm swath of visual appeal. At the start of your grocery journey, it’s not at all obvious that 95% of the store is packaged goods because in that very moment, you’re bathed in nature’s bounty. Colors and scents remind you that it’s fresh while the visually majestic sacred geometry of things like artichokes or the mandala-like inside of a purple cabbage peaks curiosities about how “God” works his magic in the natural world. And yet, many shoppers hustle past fresh food to get to the conveniently packaged choices.

Sadly, at choice point, we don’t typically get to actually taste – eliminating that moment when all five senses can be engaged. We can, however, use that data on our packaging as a baseline for understanding that experience when we get home. It would, of course, require us to believe in our innate abilities, and to seek the patterns that inform us in ways we cannot understand through data alone. 

What are you sensing and what is its source? 

• Are you tasting a locally grown ear of corn, or something that has shipped from another country. Is it organic or conventional?
• Are you smelling actual aromatics of a raspberry in your yogurt or is it coming from a natural flavoring? 
• Is that crispy pickle fresh or is it fortified with calcium chloride for extra crunch?

 As much as I love that first experiential moment of stepping into a store, I also appreciate the data. The truth is that as consumers, we have all contributed to the state of our food system. Without the science and data, we might not have the trust that our food is safe for consumption or that we can eat bananas in Colorado in the winter! It’s hard to blame the system when we’ve all contributed to the patterns of its existence. We can, however, see that the environmental cracks in the food machine are weakening, and about to give way to potential crises. 

Up until now, our food system is highly driven by data with little reverence given to the living systems of the food itself or to the actual biological system of the human body as a whole. By not valuing our food as alive and part of systems, like ecosystems and our bodies, we’ve created the conditions for data to rule. And data – as we already know, can be simultaneously brilliant and overwhelmingly influential and confusing.