3 Reasons Why Food Is Important
You’re going about your day and then feel that familiar rumbling in your stomach. Hunger. All living things need to eat, though what they eat varies significantly. Humans eat a huge variety of food that depends on income, culture, access, and personal preferences. When you eat a meal or a snack, how much do you think about it? Do you know where your food comes from? Or why it’s so important? Here are ten reasons:
#1. We need food to live
Without food, humans can only live so long. We need proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals. When these aren’t consumed, the body starts to use its own tissue for fuel. While it’s very difficult to study starvation using traditional experiments because of ethical concerns, there is some data on its effects. It seems like a healthy male around 154 pounds should have enough calories stored in his body to live between 1–3 months. When researchers examine hunger strikes, however, people have died after 45–61 days. Many factors affect how long it takes someone to starve to death, but it’s clear that we need food or eventually we die.
#2. What we eat matters
Many studies support the idea that what we eat affects our health. Diets with nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and whole grains lead to better health outcomes, including a lower risk of chronic disease and even certain cancers. In the 1990s, about 20,000 women in a study cut back on fatty foods (like red meat) and added more plant-based foods. After twenty years, researchers found that women who followed these guidelines had a 21% lower risk of death from breast cancer than those who didn’t change their diet.
#3. Preparing food has an impact on mental health
We know food affects your physical health, but even the simple act of preparing it matters. Studies show that cooking and baking can increase a person’s confidence, concentration, and happiness. The rationale is that cooking is a creative pursuit, and like other creative pursuits, it serves to reduce stress and boost a person’s mood.
