Introduction:

Nutrition represents a sociocultural process of international relevance, yet there has been limited research development from a cultural perspective.

Objective:

To interpret the perceptions related to nutrition among peasant families residing in a municipality in the rural area of the department of Caldas (Colombia).

Methodology:

This study employed interpretive ethnography, using purposive sampling. Seven peasant families participated through participant observation and ethnographic interview. Spiral analysis was performed with the support of Atlas ti software.

Results:

The emergent category "With food we take care of ourselves, we nourish ourselves, we unite" was, supported by three subcategories.

Conclusions:

Food consumption has several implicit and heterogeneous meanings, specifically nutritional intake, illness and as a demonstration of affection.