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Food for thought is very common English expression meaning:
- An idea or issue to ponder, as in 'That interesting suggestion of yours has given us food for thought.' (It is a metaphoric phrase that uses the idea of digestion to indicate something in the mind.)
According to wordreference, you can also translate it with "spunto di riflessione" or "stimolo per una riflessione".
Possible equivalent sentences:
"Il suo interessante suggerimento/intervento ci ha dato molto su cui pensare/ riflettere" (= Your interesting suggestion gave us a lot to think about).
"Il suo spunto ci ha dato molto su cui riflettere".
An expression with related meaning:
Digerire qualcosa (to digest something).
Example: "Quanto mi dici non è facile da digerire!" (= What you're telling me is not easy to accept/ absorb).
Anyway, "cibo per la mente" is definitely not used as an idiom like "food for thought" is in English.
