Why do you eat?

I was having an interesting discussion today with a few colleagues regarding why do we eat? Such a simple question with so many different answers.

From getting breast-fed to eating as adults, food and nourishment has always been part of our lives but often times as we get older we tend to eat because it is breakfast time or lunch time or snack time, etc. but do we actually need to be eating at those times? If yes, what is it that we are hoping to gain from chowing down on that food or beverage product?

For example, some of us eat breakfast while others don’t. There are reasons to do both. If you are doing Intermittent Fasting (aka IF) and eating only in an 8 hr window while 16 hrs you are fasting then perhaps your fasting is occurring during breakfast time so you skip breakfast. However, perhaps you are like me and need to eat breakfast to get your day started so what you grab to eat makes a huge difference on your health. Do you grab a Starbucks coffee with pumpkin spice syrup, sugar, and cream which is now loaded with calories wiping out the benefits of coffee or do you eat eggs and toast at home? Simple eating decisions that can impact your health significantly.

So why do you eat? Are you bored and need something to munch on? Or is it to better athletic performance as we know we need protein to build muscle or a proper diet of food and exercise for weight gain/loss? Maybe you are eating items due to allergies or health issues you are fighting? No matter the reason, it is so important to eat for life sustenance because our bodies biologically need nourishment and water to continue as without both you won’t be able to accomplish much.

Choosing the right foods can impact how you function daily so it is always best to make healthy choices!