I was one of more than 8,000 attendees at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic’s (AND’s) Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) held last week in Houston, Texas. The sessions always include a variety of topics, some of them very specific to a particular area of dietetics and some that are of wide interest to professionals involved in food and nutrition. While I heard a number of good sessions, I felt like many of them spoke to the same trend: appreciation of food has a place alongside the science of nutrition. Registered Dietitian, Food Network host and lifelong food lover Ellie Krieger gave a historical perspective of the nutrition field, showing that some of the earliest dietitians were just as interested in culinary matters and enjoyment of food as the specific substances that people eat. While nutrition has become much more of a science, focused on intakes of nutrients and food-based substances, Krieger urged the audience to consider the enjoyment of food, particularly healthy food, as much as an important part of nutrition as the exact intake of specific nutrients. Another session examined what causes people to select particular foods and make other food-related decisions, including many of the psychological and sensual reasons for food choices. Many registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs got into the field of dairy foods because they love food in general or dairy foods specifically (maybe cheese or ice cream?). While it’s so easy to get caught up in the little details of the job, maybe we can stop to remember our love of food: taste or smell your product, not for quality control purposes, but for enjoyment or work on a new flavor for the contests at the Ice Cream Technology Conference or Milk and Cultured Dairy Products Symposium. Looking more broadly, let’s consider how can we help consumers regain (or stay in touch with) their love of food, including healthy dairy products.