ABSTRACT

Why do we eat? Science has a clear answer to this question. Every second approximately 1030 chemical reactions take place in our bodies. Every day, 600 billion cells die, and the same number are renewed, integrating seamlessly back into the system. Physical strain increases the demands made on the metabolism. Intense training leads to micro-injuries of the tissue, releasing toxic substances and radicals. Damaged tissue is repaired, toxins neutralized and discharged from the body through complex biochemical processes. This is only possible with help from the outside: the food we eat supplies us with the necessary building materials, nutrients and sufficient energy to cope with the building and rebuilding processes within our body. But who thinks of the body’s metabolic processes when taking a bite of a juicy apple? For most people, pleasure and emotional satisfaction are decisive when it comes to what they eat, how they eat and how much they eat. Many eat out of enjoyment or boredom, to reward themselves or to reduce stress. Seldom do people eat out of the primal human feeling – out of hunger.