What is food?
Picture it…
You’re in your kitchen or dining room. There are the wafts of mouth watering aromas, the clanging of pots and pans. Someone shouting for the salt, there’s music and laughter. The scene may seem like chaos, but is actually a well choreographed dance. Chopping and sautéing, tufts of flour in the air. The shifting of pans, the ignition of a stove flame.
Big bowls of hearty wholesome food. Beautiful succulent free range meats, fresh green organic salads. Pasta glistening with the generosity of love… and Olive oil. There is always olive oil and lots of it. Fresh artisan bread, broken apart and strewn across the table, crumbs and all. There is a mesh of hands and arms reaching and grabbing, sharing bowls and plates each filled with unique and delicious flavours.
There is the glugging and sloshing of wine, from bottle to glass and glass to mouth, some of which even adds to the tapestry of colours on what was once a pristine white table cloth. Salute and buon appetito.
So what is food?
“Food, substance consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and other nutrients used in the body of an organism to sustain growth and vital processes and to furnish energy. The absorption and utilization of food by the body is fundamental to nutrition and is facilitated by digestion.”
Britannica definition
Food is many things to many people, but at Ooooby we believe that food is more than simply fuel.
It is health, it is love, it is joy, it is memories. Food is about wellbeing, but also comfort. It is about sustenance and nourishment – both physically and for your soul.
Health
As per the definition in the Britannia, or many other places you look, the primary purpose of food is to nourish us, fuel us, help us grow and sustain health.
Eating a well balanced diet, rich in varied nutrients, minerals, vitamins and across different food groups is so important. The quality of the food we eat is equally, if not more important.
However, eating something that is void of the essential and required elements, or laden with other additives, chemicals, pesticides and other artificial components, can in many cases do more harm than good.
It is therefore so important to eat foods produced in the most natural and wholesome way possible. Food grown in the places and at the times they are meant to, will result in the nourishment and health that we need.
Nostalgia, joy, love memories
No matter your culture, upbringing or lifestyle, food is intrinsically linked to our past, as well as our every day lives. We build our bodies, our families and our memories with the food we eat and the people we share it with.
Is it any wonder then that it means so much to us, and that here at Ooooby, we are so engrossed with, and passionate about food? It is like a magical elixir that can help us all to thrive, be healthy and fulfilled.
The thing is, it really isn’t all the mysterious or complicated. Eat good food in good company and it is hard to see a bad outcome.
Think of some of your most memorable experiences and nostalgic memories. No doubt many of them are centered around, or include food.
Embrace food
Now more than ever, with health front of mind we encourage you to take stock of what you and your kin are eating. Perhaps stop to think when selecting where and what to buy and remember that not all apples can be compared with apples…
Most of all, remember to embrace food. Enjoy all that it brings to your life, over an above being a fuel for your body. Laugh around the table and in the kitchen, build memories and embrace the joy food brings to our lives.
Visit ooooby.co.nz to get some wholesome, healthy and delicious, organic, spray free and local food.
Learn more about the subtle differences in some of the food we eat: Difference between free range, pasture raise and organic eggs.