Thoughts on food, health and the joy of eating well
Part 1: When Did Treats Become Everyday Foods?
One of the unexpected pleasures of the past few months has been how much I’ve enjoyed creating new recipes.
As a nutritional therapist, people sometimes ask whether that feels at odds with my work. After all, I spend my days helping people improve their health through food, yet I also find great satisfaction in creating everything from homemade soups and savoury bakes to fruit tarts and cakes.
For me, there isn’t a contradiction.
In fact, spending time in the kitchen has reminded me why I became interested in nutrition in the first place. Food is about far more than nutrients. It’s about pleasure, tradition, sharing and taking time to enjoy something that’s been prepared with care.
Lately, though, I’ve found myself wondering whether we’ve changed the role that food plays in our lives.
When I was growing up, dessert certainly wasn’t expected after every evening meal. It appeared on Sundays, birthdays or when we had visitors. It felt like an occasion rather than part of the daily routine.
Today, many of us barely notice how often sweet foods appear. A biscuit with every cup of tea. A chocolate bar after lunch. Dessert after dinner. Cake with coffee because that’s simply what we do. Even community events and wellbeing groups are often advertised with the promise of “tea, coffee and cake”.
None of these foods is a problem in itself.
The question is whether they’ve become habits rather than choices.
Perhaps we’ve become so used to having treats available all the time that we’ve stopped looking forward to them.
Ironically, eating them less often doesn’t usually mean enjoying them less. Quite the opposite. When something becomes an occasional pleasure again, we tend to savour it far more.
As a nutritional therapist, I don’t believe we need to fear cake, chocolate or desserts.
But neither do I think they need to be part of every day.
For me, good nutrition isn’t about strict rules or perfect eating. It’s about building everyday meals around nourishing foods while allowing treats to remain just that—treats. Foods that we genuinely look forward to, appreciate and enjoy.
Perhaps the answer isn’t to stop enjoying treats.
Perhaps it’s simply to make them special again.
Because maybe the most important question isn’t, “Can I eat this?”
It’s, “Am I choosing this, or has it simply become part of my routine?”