Many of you know that July was an intense month for me. I caught pneumonia, and my father passed away. I've been taking time to focus on my health and my family. That means that I'm taking a short break from recording new podcast episodes and sharing favorites from the archives that you might have missed. This episode tops that list! At its basic level, food is sustenance. It fuels us for life. But food is more than just a source of energy. Emotions surround the experience of eating as well. Food can comfort and bring joy, yet it can also inspire feelings of guilt. People also connect with each other over food, building memories, traditions, and even identities. And when you're following a healing diet, there’s gratitude for food being medicine, often combined with feelings of deprivation, rebellion and grief. It's complex! Here's the fascinating part you might not realize: Not only does food inspire emotion, but emotions impact our ability to digest our food, including how well we tolerate foods. That's the subject of our podcast today.