Nearly everyone has an answer to the question ‘what’s your favorite food?.’ It’s easy to see why: humans are wired to derive pleasure from food. In fact, for many, eating ranks among the greatest pleasures in life! Besides making mealtimes an enjoyable experience, taking pleasure from food also has significant benefits for health. Savoring food supports digestion, can help improve your relationship with food, can help overcome disordered eating and more.

In some cases, getting enough “vitamin P” (or perhaps vitamin mmmm) is just as important as the contents of your plate. Read on to dive into the tasty delights of why pleasure matters for food.

The psychology behind eating for pleasure

For years, researchers have studied the science behind eating for pleasure. Their findings are intriguing and largely encouraging.Physiologically, the pleasure people derive from food occurs both in our mouths and in our brains.

“Pleasure of any kind, including pleasure from food, leads to a release of dopamine in the brain,” explains therapist, dietitian, and Certified Body Trust provider Aleta Storch, RDN, MHC, of Wise Heart Nutrition and Wellness.

“Dopamine is often referred to as the ‘feel good hormone’ because it activates the reward pathways in the brain, which helps to promote happiness, calmness, motivation, and focus,”

In fact, some older 2011 researchTrusted Source indicates that people with obesity may have disrupted dopamine sensitivity, leading them to overeat to achieve adequate pleasure from food.

When brain chemistry is working properly, however, our enjoyment of food can lead to physical benefits.

“When we enjoy the food we are eating and stimulate dopamine, we actually digest and metabolize it more effectively,” says Storch. “When we’re relaxed in response to having a pleasurable eating experience, our nervous system goes into rest and digest mode, which allows us to fully break down and utilize the nutrients from the foods we eat.”

The emotional nourishment of the foods we eat

Mealtimes would be pretty boring if food was just fuel. Eating casts a wide net across the human experience, from bringing us together with loved ones to connecting us to our cultural heritage.

In short, food is emotional as well as physical nourishment. Here are some of the ways enjoying food can feed your spirit.