What does “nourish” mean to you? How do you nourish yourself, your family, and your community? We asked the voices of Nourish–authors, chefs, farmers, doctors–to share their personal definition of “nourish.”

What does “nourish” mean to you?

Anna Lappé: I love the word “nourish” because to me it has a kind of emotional life to it beyond just a really practical side. When I think about the food I like to eat, the food that I’m most nourished by, it’s food that has a story behind it, it’s food that has a face behind it, it’s food that I can trust and that’s delicious at the same time.

Ian Marvy: “Nourish” has such a wonderful, energizing sound it to. I think about the table that I sit at with my family or friends. That’s a joyous thing.

Alice Waters: To nourish someone is to feed them deeply something that’s very good for them.

Anim Steel: You can think about it in terms of your body, like eating food that sustains and supports you. You can also think about it in terms of the land and the community and everyone who helps produce food, as well.

Angela Karegeannes: What “nourish” means to me, in the really grand sense of the word, is attending to one another in a way that encourages one another to live well.

Sean Thomas: You nourish everyone you interact with, you nourish your whole environment.

Nigel Walker: Your body needs nourishment. But if you have a connection to the farm, if you’ve actually walked on the soil of the farm, it nourishes your soul.

Jamie Oliver: Food is about the family, really. It’s not about TV chefs. We’re just a sad excuses for mom, dad, granddad, granny. “Nourish,” to me, is nourishing food, nourishing your family, nourishing your life. When you eat and you’re fulfilled, it physically and chemically makes you happy.

Nadine Burke: When I focused on just nourishing my body, everything else became so much easier. Food choices became easier. Exercising became easier. It was really just about taking care of myself and treating myself sweet.

Michael Pollan: “Nourish” is a very rich word because it has a kind of literal and metaphorical sense to it. We literally nourish ourselves with food. But we nourish our spirit, we nourish our culture, we nourish our community. You can feed yourself in many, many different ways.

Bryant Terry: Whether it’s going out and taking a walk and just enjoying the beauty of the natural environment, whether it’s connecting with friends and family and having great conversations, or whether it’s taking a nap in the middle of the day, we need to think about nourishing ourselves on all levels and enjoying this life that we’re so privileged to have.

More: Alice Waters, Angela Karegeannes, Anim Steel, Anna Lappé, Bryant Terry, Cooking and Eating, Creating Community, Food and Community, Food and Health, Food Culture, Food Justice, Ian Marvy, Jamie Oliver, Michael Pollan, Nadine Burke, Nigel Walker, Sean Thomas