Thought on Food

What is food? Food is a source of energy, what we eat when we are hungry. Most people know what the purpose of food is. As animals, we need food to survive. We need the nutrients for our bodies to function and allow us to engage in other activities. The purpose of food in the world is universal. I eat an apple for the same reason that someone in Brazil would eat an apple. Of course, people have different tastes and food restrictions, but generally speaking, food is the source of energy for humans. What person would answer the opening question differently? Few people would say that food is supposed to make us feel heavy and tired. Few people would argue that food is meant to make us feel bloated and groggy. Now, when I eat fast food or indulge at an all-you-can-eat barbecue, I don’t usually feel nourished and ready to tackle another task. I know that I am eating food, but it doesn’t give me the results that I expect. We have so skewed the notion of food in our society, that it no longer serves its original purpose. We have changed the idea of food. Will a hamburger provide the nourishment and energy that a head of broccoli would? No. For clarification, I am comparing the same number of calories. Clearly, a 600-calorie hamburger will make a person feel fuller than a 100-calorie head of broccoli, but we must compare calorie for calorie. Which of the two will serve the purpose of food? The broccoli will. A head of broccoli will serve its purpose as food more closely than a hamburger will. Then why is it that a head of broccoli can cost up to $2 when a hamburger is less than $1 at McDonald’s? We are increasingly skewing the food system towards foods that are losing their purpose. This can be fixed on an individual basis. Before I eat, I think if the food I am about to consume will make me feel energized or tired. We can choose to eat foods that will give us the energy to do the next activity and become more productive. I am not arguing for the eradication of fast foods and snacks, I simply wish to be a voice for conscious action. We all have the guilty-pleasure chocolate bar or ice cream cone, but on an overall scale, let us be aware of why we eat what we eat.