Can a Recipe Save Your Life?

My story has very little connection with this one (which is quite thought provoking). It just had me thinking about how a simple recipe somewhat saved my own personal life (in a much more mundane way).

2 or so years ago I was tired of being a little overweight. I say this as someone who was an athlete for most of my life and in my 20s just developed the "usual I sit at a computer all day and drink beer at night" belly. I was self conscious and I just didn't feel great.

Anyways. I lost the weight. I didn't follow any fancy diets or doing anything complicated. I simply replaced my lunch with a fruit smoothie (usually just banana, milk and whatever berry I had) and then cut out drinking beer. Alcohol was still fine, but the single serving nature of beer vs. wine kept me from drinking a couple beers randomly. I drink a bottle of wine a week with my wife and enjoy it.

It very much became a routine, no different from my monthly vimrc cleanup. I didn't have to think about it, it just became part of who I was and took zero time. It helped that I'll admit I actually really enjoyed banana smoothies and wine. I could never do Soylent (I love my dinners!), but I understand people who entertain the idea of food as routine. Vacations I let myself go, which makes vacations even more exciting.

I don't think I'd have been able to keep to the routine without also working at a distributed company full-time. At previous jobs lunch was social, and after work drinks were social. I sometimes miss that stuff, but not really. My body feels better, which is great, but I know those hours just ended up back in my work (which to me was fine, I genuinely enjoy my work).

"A recipe can be a mantra, a ritual, a symbolic stay against chaos in the psyche and in the world. A hybrid genre that some have called the “foodoir” combines memoir with recipes, inviting the reader to participate in culinary appreciation and preparation"

If there's an answer to the question I didn't notice it.