How should we change our mindset about food depending on the situation?

Celebration & Tradition

Celebrating should be 100% emotional (keeping in mind the portion you are eating). People may say that celebrations should come from the people and not from the food, but I disagree. I think they should come from both. The people are what make you come together, and you celebrate and connect with food.

Many traditions and cultures are centred around food. They may not be the healthiest option, but traditions also bring families together and can be a very important part of someone's life and cultural identity. Christmas and Thanksgiving are good examples of this. People should not feel guilty of "over eating" all the good food that was prepared with love on these holidays. They are meant to be celebrated, and in my opinion, would not be the same without food.

Health & Impoverished

For health reasons, food should be focused on fuel and nutrients. In impoverished situations, food should be there for strictly health, and helping that person/people restore their health. In hospitalization cases, the same should be highlighted. A non-emotional connection should be attributed to food because other health reasons are more important than food tasting good.

Athlete & Performance

If you are preparing for a competition, race, game, hike, etc. your goal should be using food as fuel and that's it. You are preparing your body for activity, and an emotional connection should not be needed. The focus should be feeding your body with nutritious foods that will fuel your body to do the best performance that it can.

Similar to the performance aspect, an athlete; especially a professional athlete should prioritize nutritious foods that will fuel them to their best potential. A non-emotional connection to food would be best suited for this category

Daily

Day to day, we should be focusing on a balance of nutrition and pleasure. We have to have a balance to stay happy and healthy. The 80/20 rule is a good example of this. Eat healthy and nutritious foods 80% of the time, and have some freedom with the other 20%. In my diet, I feel like I achieve this. I eat mostly nutritious foods that make me feel good, but also have some more pleasurable (not that healthy food can't be pleasurable) or not as healthy foods once a day that make me feel good too.